Merry Christmas & Mojo and Ian Rankin

Mojo - 60

Here I am watching 60 approach and looking panicked.

But - healthy, happy, blessed.... so very lucky and grateful. So come on 60, I'm ready for this new decade. Charley and I in Radium, B.C. on the Labour Day weekend to celebrate.

Also a few photos of the magnificent bouquet Charley gave me, ridiculously gorgeous.

Early Morning at Vermillion Lakes

Very happy to have my dear friend Sue, and her partner James, visiting.

We went early to Vermillion Lakes to see what we might see and to take photos.

Here are a few of the photos.

Squirrel Saga

As I was walking to work today, I saw a young Columbian Ground Squirrel - looks like a gopher and is that size (not squirrel size) - frantically trying to negotiate one of the main sidewalks of town. He (it?) was running along the edge of the stores and loking for a way to get as far from the people (tons of tourists in town) and the cars as possible. I went into one of the stores to ask that they close to door so the suirrel wouldn't get in to the mall. Next thing I know I was in the bookstore in the mall and someone came running in to say there was a Ground surirrel in the mall running all around and panicking. They called security and before anything could be done the squirrel was in the bookstore running frantically up and down the aisles. I tried to keep him from getting back out into the mall as he would be impossible to catch....We grabbed a cardboard box and a waste basket and started to come from both sides and we got him to go behind the cash counter and after some hollering and manoeuvering and much trembling and desperate attempts to evade us....we managed to get the squirrel in a box and managed to get another box to secure the top.

Poor Columbian Ground Squirrel.....frantic, scrabbling like mad to get out.

I carried the box out of the mall, down the street, looking for somewhere the squirrel colony could be. Then I realised that one block from the main street in Banff there was a property with a scrubby lawn and I went there and sure enough there was a whole series of burrows. So I opened the box in front of a burrow and the squirrel leapt out, ignored that burrow, tore across the lawn and jumped down another burrow - and disappeared without so much as a Thank you.

I am very glad I was lucky enough to figure out where the squirrel lived. Have to hope Squirrel doesn't head to the mall again.

change in the weather, again and again

Well, my little balcony garden weathered the hail storm yesterday. I just got home in time to avoid being pelted myself. Big dark clouds came very quickly from the southwest and with wind and thunder a hail storm pelted the town. The first photo is the roof across the street funnelling the hail stones to the eaves, the others show how hard and fast the hail fell. My window boxes and balcony railing had hailstones hitting them.

This morning was sunny and the flowers seemed to reach for the infrequent, much missed, sun they need. Nasturtiums in a hanging pot in hopes they will spill down in cascades. Sweetpeas by string hoping they will reach up and perfume the balcony. The purple lobelia is my great delight. There have been few days warm or sunny enough to sit out so each minute I can sit on the balcony is a pleasure.

A beautiful evening

Parts of Canada have too much heat, parts have too much rain, parts have too much cold (us) and then today - a perfect day and a perfect evening.

Saw a bald eagle, lots of redwing blackbirds, warblers, some we can identify, most we cannot. And always the joy of being outside looking at the sky and the mountains.

sandpiper and sunsets

After a snowfall on Sunday morning and days of rain as well, Saturday evening was dry and Audrey and I went out birding - again.

We think this is a Solitary Sandpiper, it was solitary that much we do know. Still trying to learn as much as we can about identifying birds. Also saw the Sora, a Heron, red-winged blackbirds, and a Sparrow we think was a White Throated and several Coots, one pictured here and many warblers.
The sunset was amazing. Just love being outside and the birds are the bonus if we spot them.

Addicted to Birds

My friend Audrey and I went to Vermillion Lakes again tonight...we admit we are obsessed with birds these days and is it any wonder why?

So much activity, singing and courting and such sights we are rewarded with!

Red wing black birds always a favourite of mine - partly because of the calls they make. And to my absolute delight....the thrill this evening of seeing a pair of Kestrels. So beautiful and to see two was a gift.

As you can see from the photos of the lakes it was a perfect spring evening. Finally Banff is warm and sunny.

I am still taking some photographs of flowers too. Hope you are enjoying lots of beautiful bords as well.

Wonderful days of bird sightings - too h*** with the snow storm

Big snow on Friday, April 29th, yesterday. The last two pictures were taken as Charley and I were heading into work.

The raven starts a series of bird pictures taken during our four hour morning bird walk today. Audrey and I went to the marsh loop and saw a sharp shinned hawk (no photo) in the marsh grasses hunting, a killdeer, a coyote, and other birds. Then we went to Vermillion Lakes and saw an Eagle and a great blue heron (no photos) and the ones posted here were birds we saw at the beaver dam: in order: Yellow-rumped Warblers, a beaver! first sighting this year! Hooray Audrey saw it! one of a family that lives in beaver pond, Varied thrush (orange and black) the wren was a thrill to see and it came very close to us. The loon and the Ruddy Ducks - with BLUE beaks, I saw on the Bow River on my walk home on Friday.