Good-Bye August August 31, 2026

August, how amazing you were!  Then again, amazing is in the eye and the mind and the heart and the soul of the beholder! It was on my shoulders to make it that way and I made it what it was.  

Before heading out this morning, I started this painting. The reference was a photo I took from Bighorn Lookout last week. My intentions are still to get out there again to do a plein air painting of this view.  For now though, I created an at home line and wash version.  I had the lines in place before leaving for the morning, then added the washes when I got home.  

my reference photograph

Warbler migration is surely coming to an end any day now. This morning I aimed for Carburn Park to focus on finding Warblers along with other small birds. The dense forests in the Park were bustling with birders and birds. As one guy said to me "everyone is here for the Warblers". For this last day of August, we were gifted with fresh clear air, a bright blue sky and warm temperatures.  The moon stood out against the beautiful bright blue.   

Am I seeing angel wings again in the clouds?

With a steady hand, the full zoom on my camera capture this!

Oh wow, look at that detail at the bottom of the moon.

Loads of small birds were heard and seen. Many were too fast for me to get photographs. For some of the small birds, it took a few of us to use our eagle eyes to spot them. I took well over two hundred photos of scenery, small birds and big birds too, plus ducks and shorebirds and raptors. I even saw tiny baby Cedar Waxwings still in the nest. I was told this is the second clutch in that nest this summer. I enjoyed the time I spent alone in the forest and just as much, I enjoyed the time I spent with the other birders. I am sharing just a few photographs. 

female American Goldfinch

Yellow Warbler

House Wren

young Cedar Waxwing

Warbling Vireo

Western Wood-pewee

Blue-headed Vireo 

a "lifer" for me

Some Warblers I saw but had no success in getting photos are Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Black and White Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. 

🖌🦉

I shared in an earlier post that I recently saw a Long-eared Owl which was a "lifer" for me. I returned to the area twice where I saw it with hopes it might still be there but no luck. They are so elusive. It could have been there watching me but my eagle eyes failed me. I also mentioned that I wanted to learn to paint it. I followed a couple tutorials and looked at some other paintings. I then put paint to paper and this is the outcome! The more I look at the painting, the more it grows on me! 

my reference photo

So now I say "Good-bye" August! 

the ECLIPSE the MOON the SUN the CLOUDS

The stars aligned last night and into this morning to create a photographer’s dream!  Between the Partial Lunar Eclipse, a full moon, an amazing sunrise, clouds that danced like there was no tomorrow, I was snap happy for hours on end. There were forecasts for fabulous views of the Aurora Borealis but those never transpired. Sleep came when all was said and done! 

The Partial Lunar Eclipse

Even with a moderate level of wildlife smoke, the Partial Lunar Eclipse was still visible. Clouds covered parts of the moon when I first looked out but they eventually cleared. I had my eyes on the sky from the steps at my front door.  The Full Partial Lunar Eclipse occurred at 10:12 PM. For that I did not capture a good photo. 

9:12 PM

9:31 PM

10:05 PM

The Full Moon 

With the Partial Lunar Eclipse over, I headed to my deck out my back door to monitor the sky for the forecasted Aurora Borealis show.  I thought I saw something but it disappeared as quickly as it came.  The App was not giving positive hope yet I had hope.  It was a gorgeous night temperature wise, no need for a multitude of layers.  I sat out! I hoped! I watched! When I looked in the other direction, there was the Full Sturgeon Moon. It was high in the sky and seemed so far away.  I gave up on the Northern Lights and focused on the Moon. 

As it worked its way lower in the sky, it appeared much closer. My zoom lens brought it in even closer. About thirty minutes after capturing this photo, the bottom part became covered by the tops of trees.  I had a thought!  I had a very early cup of coffee and a quick bit to eat.  Then.....

.....drove to Nose Hill Environmental Park!  In my rush to get out the door, I forgot my headlamp so found my way up the Hill in the dark. I saw nothing but a blackish sky.  Where was the Moon I wondered!  Then I saw it looking at me!  That's the Moon starting to peek through the clouds.  I called it "cat eyes".

more and more of the Moon began to appear

with clouds in front

the clouds made it look like the Moon was on fire

I believe some of this colour is due to the moderate level of wildfire smoke.

While watching the Moon, especially as time was going on, I began to turn to the east to watch for the Sun. This is the last photo I took of the Full Sturgeon Moon. Very soon afterwards, more smoke along with clouds rolled in and I could no longer see it. That was fine because now I was shifting focus to the Sun and the Sunrise. 

The Sun

I missed seeing the Sun first peek above the horizon.  I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. By now the way was clear and it was light enough that I could  move swiftly to get to a higher place where I had views forever.  Once again, the colour of the Sun is due to the wildfire smoke.  It's so pretty in pink! I was not alone for this sunrise, a very large group of people were a bit lower on the Hill admiring it just like me.

The Sun & The Clouds 

By now the Sun was fully up. The after glow went on for some time creating an incredibly dreamy sky!  While my focus was mainly still the Sun, the Clouds could not be denied! The Sun and the Clouds were perfectly paired.  It had become a "pinch me is this for real" morning.  

The Clouds

These are a few photos where the focus was on the Clouds from shortly after sunrise to when I was ready to head on home.  Some of the clouds made me think of cotton candy.  Other clouds played a number on my mind when the formations looked like things. In the second cloud photo, I see angel wings!  Do you see them? I am sharing only a few of the dozens and dozens and dozens of beautiful clouds that I photographed. Clouds have always captured my attention and they did tenfold this morning. 

I arrived home mid morning which was bedtime for me!

living life lately looks like this

A tiny bit of panic set in for a split second or so when I turned the page to the last week of August!  Thankfully many of the things on my summer to-do list can be accomplished well into September.  It crossed my mind that maybe I have too many interests so I should focus on fewer.  I still want to learn, I need to be out in nature, crafting challenges my brain, it's important to collect kilometres on my soles, time with others is necessary. Multi-tasking fits the bill in some cases.    

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A lax in judgement found me at Forgetmenot Pond almost freezing. My light additional layer was too light yet thankfully the sleeves stretched long enough to keep my hands warm.  Plus four celsius with no wind was refreshing and afforded a beautiful reflection.  Mid photo, five guys are huddled around a fire, I considered questioning if I could crash their party for a few minutes but opted to carry on around The Pond and down the trail.  I put a few kilometres on my walking shoes.    

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In my last post, I shared this photo of a discarded book I picked up at a Little Library in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island a few weeks ago. I started making a watercolour sketchbook and was waiting on a few supplies.  The supplies arrived!  I decided to cover the whole book instead of just the inside covers which I have done with previous books I created.  

This is the front cover of the completed project.

The sunflower is a sticker. 

I used washi tape on the spine.

inside the front cover

I christened the new sketchbook with a whimsical watercolour painting on the first page. While the process of putting the book together took time, the painting did not. I had to do some googling to learn about covering a whole book.  The result from saving this book pleases me!  

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An item on my to-do list was to drive out to Sheep River Provincial Park to take a look at the scenery from the Bighorn Lookout. I was wondering if this could be a nice place to experience a plein air painting session. The answer is a definite YES! Now that I know that, I have added another item to my to-do list.  Whether I will get to do that this year remains to be seen.  I exited my vehicle with camera in hand and bear spray at my waist. No one else was in the parking lot nor on the trails in the area.  A tree-lined trail led to.........

.....this!  The trail makes a loop around the meadow then leads back to the parking lot.

A lone sparse tree sits in the middle of the meadow.  On it sat this Red-tailed Hawk.  The Hawk perched in this stance for the entire time I was on the trail. It appeared to me that it was ready to fly off at any second but it never did while I was out in the open. After I headed back into the trees, I looked back and it was gone.  I learned later this is a Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and maybe its behaviour is related to that.  I have seen numerous Red-tailed Hawks over the past couple of weeks, this sighting out in a beautiful nature setting was the best ever!  

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Almost an hour south of the city is a lovely privately owned farm that is open to the public. It has loads to offer, one could easily spend hours there if you were to partake in everything.  I walked the main drag, checked out the barnyard, looked in the grocery store, checked out the mercantile and also the bakery.  Spent time in the produce barn, admiring the structures, listening to and watching the birds, snapped many photographs, smelled flowers and watched the ginger cat follow me that you can see in the middle of the photo.  It has been decades since I visited this place. I know I need to not wait so long and return sometime this September. They will have much more to offer!   

My purchases: sourdough bread, pie, apples, potatoes, zucchini.

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While out & about last week, I saw this Long-eared Owl!  This is a "lifer" for me!  I was deep in amongst bushes and trees, swatting at bugs, listening to many bird species, ducking under branches and stepping over roots.  I heard a rustle then saw a big brown thing fly into the tree in front of me.  Long-eared Owls are not rare but it is rare to see one.  I treasure the few minutes I had with this Owl. It stayed in place while I captured many special seconds in time.  I have been reading about this Owl species and learning lots.  Now I need to learn how to do a watercolour painting of my special photo! Stay tuned for that!

Over the past number of days I have learned lots, added many kilometres to my soles, been creative in numerous ways, dined with others and filled my heart and soul with the joys of being out in nature. I am thoroughly enjoying what living life lately looks like!