What you don't see

What you don't see is what I heard - a nuthatch, a mountain chickadee (striped head instead of a solid cap),  a junco (millions of them here it seems this spring and different colouring than the ones out east) their song sounds to me like a handful of tiny, tiny gold coins dropped from one palm to another., and the magpie, squawky bird that can sound like a good honk or a car horn.

Every day when I climb up Tunnel Mountain to the Centre - I have to plan for stopping time to see and listen to the birds. Saw an eagle twice, yesterday saw a woodpecker and a nuthatch and I hear all sorts of birds and I cannot always identify them. Fortunately the bird society has started early morning walks...so I plan to go on some of the walks to learn more about the birds here.

I bumped into Bambi on the way home

This little deer was not the least bit bothered by my walking by on the sidewalk and stopping to take pictures. I think this would be a baby from last fall. Don't know if we actually see the littlest ones - I can only hope.

The last photo is the view from outside a building at the Banff Centre. A lovely location in which to work.

A DAY WITH SANTIAGO - She gets cookies wherever she goes - the bank, the post office and of course our house

If it's Mojo's blog it must be pictures of deer or mountains....sorry I can't help myself when I bump into the deer.

Easter Sunday one had a nap behind the fence across the street from our living room window.

Today, one did a high jump over a fence - an Olympic athlete would envy the standing jump that catapulted the deer over a six foot fence from a standing start - to get at this garden for lunch. That's why gardens are discouraged in town.

There are more deer pictures here - I can't resist them.

These deer were in a front yard near our house and Santiago - my dog friend - and I came across them one morning on our walk. The orange tail in the forefront of one of the pictures belongs to Otis - the most amazing and friendly little cat - he reminds me of our little Maisey, the most sociable cat ever. Otis was in among the deer visiting with them - until he saw Santi - he loves her! and he jumped down to come and see her and so I only got the tail end of Otis in the picture.

Spring is arriving in Banff - hope it is in your front yard too.

The Bow River is thawing and pussy willows have started to bloom on the river bank.

Yesterday behind the library on the one rare spot of bare grass were 6 or 7 sleeping elk.

Thank goodness they are not library patrons...

They looked like statues.

The elk are seldom in the actual town area. The park has worked to keep them on the fringes the last few years as tourists don't know to stay clear of the elk and there have been incidents where tourists have been attacked.

These elk were so deeply asleep as to be in a stupor but I did use a zoom lens and I was nowhere near this close to them. 

The other photos include a deer on our lawn one morning.

Views on the trip to and from and at the off-leash dog park - and of course a dog or two.

Rush Hour in Banff

A morning walk with Santiago today in warmer temperatures and beautiful sunshine.

There are a few pictures of deer -

which I had to take quickly as I had the dog with me and I did not want to disturb the deer - though Santi is very calm and pays them no heed thankfully.

There is one picture with bushes and several deer feeding in a neighbour's yard - try and find them all.

And the final picture is a raven on the roof I can see from the kitchen window. I tried to do a close-up and it is a bit blurry but you can see the raven drying his wings in the chinook wind.