M122 (“the boss”) once again got the bear season started in Banff National Park, being spotted in mid-March at the bottom of the Bow Valley. It seems like a long time ago. Even with low snowfall this past winter, there was still lots of snow for him to deal with, particularly west of Castle Junction, heading toward the Lake Louise area. But he’s no stranger to dealing with winter conditions, having the habit of waking up in March in the Canadian Rockies. About three weeks later, M136 (“split-lip”) was up, seeming a few weeks earlier than his normal wake time from winter’s deep sleep. They both ..read more

There are believed to be around 10 quintillion individual insects alive on our favorite planet. That’s a 10 with 18 zeros behind it. Approximately 55,000 species of insects can be found in Canada; the giant water bug is most likely the biggest in our country. Around 90 percent of bird species rely on insects as food during some part of their lives. It’s believed that insectivorous birds around the world eat 400 to 500 million metric tons of beetles, flies, ants, moths, aphids, grasshoppers, crickets, and others. There are numerous places around the world where people get their protein from con ..read more

Red-necked Grebes mostly breed in Canada and Alaska. Just as I witnessed several years back, they nest on shallow freshwater lakes that have some marsh vegetation around the edges. Their diet mainly consists of fish, crustaceans, and some insects. Hunting in clear water, from top to bottom, they swallow small fish whole before coming to the surface. With larger prey, they come up to the water surface before preparing their prey for swallowing. You can just make out their legs behind them. Due to their location, they would be terrible at getting around on land. Therefore, their nest is located ..read more

Things are changing fast now as spring pushes through. This sunset picture was taken just a couple of weeks ago, as I was looking for a spot with some calm water. Well before the sunset, the sky was already showing some red colour. I just needed to find a spot where the wind would be blocked off by the landscape. The ice was getting weaker, so I also had to make sure I was taking little to no risk where I stood on parts of the frozen river. Just the morning before, about a hundred meters down the river from my location, over seventy elk had crossed the river. Two days after this picture, there ..read more

The Northern Pintail begins nesting as soon as the ice starts to melt, breeding across the country and extending as far as the Northwest Territories. They are also found in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. For food, they dabble on the surface of the water, filtering out seeds and insects with their bills. Additionally, they feed on grain and insects at the edges of wetlands and fields. This male arrived in the Bow Valley area about two weeks ago.    Spring migration started in mid-March; raptors were spotted coming up north a few weeks ago, waterfowls are making use of any open poo ..read more

Over the winter, I have been seeing this cow and her calf’s tracks. I came across where they have been eating, resting and at times, running from something. Perhaps related to the wolf pack or its members that go through their home range. I’m sure they have tried to go after the calf a few times. But the mother has been able to keep her calf safe. I have come across them two times, the last time was two weeks ago. I walked through the deep snow on varied terrain to see how both were doing. Keeping my distance, I was able to see both. The calf, as expected, was the more nervous one. In this pic ..read more

Bald Eagles main source of food is fish and carrion. But they will prey on various waterfowl, other birds, rabbits and other small animals. They have been known to kill animals as large as deer. And some have preyed on domestic sheep and goats, mostly young lambs, and kids. But when larger kills or carrion, they would have to feed at the site. With their two-meter wingspan, their wings must support a 4 to 6 kg bird. That leaves them with a lifting power of 2 to 3 kg.  An eagle can carry more when flying in snatching prey and continue flying away. Using their momentum. But they must carry ..read more

When I’m out to take pictures of wildlife, I’m hoping for clear weather with good lighting. But under the same weather for landscape photography, the camera stays in the bag. You do not just want to take pictures of the mountains, but also the mood created by the combination of the landscape, clouds, shadows, and light. The more time you spend taking pictures, the more refined your style becomes. I’m finding it now, particularly when it comes to landscape photography. Well, even when it comes to flora and fauna, certain conditions must be met before the camera comes out. Photography is like an ..read more

End of February, the snow fell and more followed the day after. Yesterday, after helping the team move snow with a break in the middle of the day to look after the paperwork and emails. I had just enough energy to walk home. Everything looked beautiful, all covered with fresh snow. And the wet snow that fell in the middle of the day covered all the tree trucks facing west. With no wind, it was a relaxing walk surrounded by trees and not being concerned about snow falling on me. It looked as if I was walking through a black and white landscape. Until I looked to my right, staring right back at ..read more

Out of the five dipper species in the world, only one is found in North America. The American Dipper. The only true North America’s aquatic songbird. Dippers do not fly south for the winter, just to an area with open moving water. Some of the features that help them survive the cold waters in the winter are their low metabolic rate, extra oxygen-carrying capacity in their blood and their extra thick coat of features. They even have feathered eyelids. Since they feed on aquatic invertebrates, and fish. They can stay underwater by stretching out their wings against the current, this action helps ..read more