Mustang Hills November 4, 2026

The Elbow Valley part of Kananaskis Country was calling my name so I answered the call by hiking Mustang Hills. It was pitch black when I left home, an hour later the sun was coming up.  It was just fully up when I arrived at the trail head. It was a later start than I like but I am not hitting a trail head in the dark.  I geared up, crossed the road, got my map running to see where I was suppose to enter the forest. It helped that there was some snow with footprints in sections, and ribbons here and there.  I worked my way up through the forest then popped out where I had this view.   

On the drive to the trail head I watched for Wild Mustangs but it was not until I was up on one of the Mustang Hills that I saw a Mustang!  This was the best shot I could get.  I was not sure what was down slope from the horse, I did not feel comfortable going any closer.  I used my zoom to capture this photograph.

The Spruce Grouse was posing on the log. 

I was happy to come upon enough snow to swish through. 

If I want more, I will have to drive further west.  

The clouds were incredibly beautiful the entire time I was hiking.  

A section of Powderface Ridge stretches the entire length of the photo. 

At this point I could see across to the first hill I reached which is the far end of that open slope area that's covered in snow. Those clouds were mesmerizing, they captured my attention.  

that's Banded Peak in the middle with the dark band near the top

Of course when I found enough snow to play with, I let the child within come out. The snow was not fluffy nor was it sticky.  It was solid and broke off in pieces.  I piled a few pieces together and this is what I ended up with. Each piece is only about two inches in size length and width. How about those clouds!  

How about these clouds on the right!

This is a better shot of those clouds!  Between the clouds and the red ground cover, I was loving where I was and what I was seeing.  It was so pretty and peaceful.  There was no one else hiking in this area at this time.  

another Spruce Grouse

I did not have to zoom in for this photo.  

Oh my goodness, those clouds are amazing.  

That's Moose Mountain in the middle and Prairie Mountain on the right. 

I see the perfect spot for sips and snacks.  That log up there in the middle is calling me! 

Before settling down on the log, I captured a selfie as I admired the clouds.

view while I sat on the log sipping and snacking

I picked a time as to when to turn back rather than pick a location to return from.  I opted out of the loop as that would have me in the woods for a long stretch. I wanted to be out in the open as much as possible so hiked back on the same trail I came in on.  

I saw no more Wild Mustangs nor did I see other hikers.  I did see many Mountain Chickadees and Boreal Chickadees but my photographs were not that good.  They are more wild than the Black-capped Chickadees in the city so they fly off quickly.  I am not sure if I will get another opportunity to get out this way before the gate closes at the end of the month.  I feel content and fulfilled from today's outing.  

a New Day a New Month November 1, 2026

There are more splashes of colour rather than snow around here on this first day of November! Some of the colour is my doing! Locally, we are enjoying balmy weather for this late in Autumn.  I've been "out & about" every day yet opting to leave my camera at home and my iPhone tucked away when I am sharing time walking with friends. Today though, I aimed for The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on my own so my camera got a good workout.  

Before I get to share the colour from that outing, I created this page of colour using sightings, during my visit to Victoria a few weeks ago, as my references. While strolling through Beacon Hill Park, I saw a Chestnut-sided Chickadee and a Spotted Towhee. They were not together, they were both difficult to see and photograph, they were in amongst branches with low light.  That experience was the total opposite to how I choose to present them!  I like this look much better!    

So, now on to today's colour.  The first day of a new month always brings hope, hope for all that is good.  When I spotted this Squirrel hunched over in this position, my thought was "that's exactly how I feel". It was a sleepless night, my Aurora App was active throughout the night.  I checked outside often but there was nothing to see in the sky near me. I could have used an extra hour of sleep!  Alberta though, effective today, is no longer changing between Daylight Savings Time and Standard Time. I could have taken an extra hour of sleep, it's not like I had a job or appointment to get to.  I just had to get "out and about"! 

The sky was perfect for my welcome to The Bird Sanctuary!

That cloud in the middle looks like it has wings and is flying!

I like the cotton candy pink colours!

It was a crisp, clear, frosty start to this new month! 

Small sections of the Lagoon are iced over.  

The gold and orange colours popped as did the reflections.

all wood railings were lined with ice crystals 

I saw one female Common Merganser in the Lagoon.  There were more out in the Bow River. This lady with the colourful red head was hanging out with four male Mallard Ducks.  Mallgansser! Mergallard!

male Wood Duck

Many males and females are still here. 

male Hairy Woodpecker

(someone placed seeds on the railing)

These two Muskrats were adorable!  The one on the right was grooming the one on the left.  I have dozens of photos depicting their antics but this one is my favourite.  I wonder if they are siblings!  

The resident Mountain Cottontail stayed out in the open this time.  

I am thankful for the big zoom on my camera.  

The Northern Flicker was intrigued by something!  

I put my own spin on what it saw!

It saw the snowflake that landed on its beak!  

Time will tell how this no changing the time on the clock will work!  I understand other countries tried it in the past but ended up reverting back to the old way of changing clocks twice a year.  After I got with it and got going this morning, I enjoyed everything this new day and this new month presented to me.  

Welcome to a New Week October 25, 2026

I was excited to kick of this week being the first person to make tracks at first light in the new snow that fell overnight!  This was accomplished up on Nose Hill. It was not to be a sunny bright day but quite light given all the white. I went for the sunrise but there was not a visible one. The sky only offered up a very faint hue of pale pink and that was it.  Yet how lovely that was, such a soft looking sky with the soft snow.   

Mittens were called for so I picked the mitts 

which I knitted with that wool I bought in Norway earlier this year.  

Aaahh untouched new white gold, there is so much to love about it!  

There wasn't much, yet what there was, was enjoyable to love! 

I dusted off the fluffy stuff to see where I was.

While I was the first person on the snow-covered trails, I was not the first to make tracks!  A coyote had gone before me. For a little while I followed the tracks with hopes of seeing the culprit but no luck.  In fact, I saw no wildlife at all other than a few Magpies and Crows.  There were coyote tracks along many of the trails I followed.  

a snow-covered leaf

Do you see what I see?  

All the maps were covered in snow.  

Just doing more dusting!

newly fallen leaves

(in hindsight, I wish I brought some home)

I see a face in that berry at the front!  

It has horns and that crystal snow pile between the horns is its cap!

This seemed to be the theme for today!  

If you did not see what I saw in the photo where I asked do you see what I see, I outlined it as you can see below. Yes "heart" was the theme today and what a perfect theme.  There was so much to love about being up on The Hill. The air was fresh and crisp, I could feel my cheeks and nose turn pink, and the new snow was worthy of savouring. I came away feeling excited for winter! 

a window into my week

Between needing to do this and needing to do that and having to be here and having to be there, I made sure to get my nature happy fix in amongst all those comings and goings.  I also included time for crafting too, that is my go to place when I need calm and quiet.  On my first out & about since returning from Victoria, the initial sight I saw other than the gorgeous autumn colours was a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  I was in another zone and was startled back to reality with the "yank yank yank yank yank" in my ear! I like to think that was my welcome!  

I was able to make it to two different locations on two different days. These shots are from both parks.  The photos were also taken before the mini blizzard hit with wind, rain and then snow.  I will say this was the calm before the storm. The colours were easy to capture yet the wildlife was another story. While the colours popped the wildlife did not!  They did though in personality just not in visibility.

a Mountain Cottontail

banded Black-capped Chickadee

I know a little bit about banding.  I referred to the book I bought in Victoria last week called "The Birding Dictionary", this is a screen shot from the book. Banding peaked my interest since Kaydee, the Big Bear Bald Eagle, has come into the picture. I also checked the Government of Canada Bird Banding Program website to learn even more, especially for here in Canada.

male House Finch

This is one of five Muskrats that I saw. 

It's a busy time of year for them as they prepare for winter. 

Dark-eyed Junco

White-tailed Deer

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Flicker

This Juvenile Bald Eagle was massive! I was there before it was. While listening for and watching for other birds, this big brown thing swooped in over my head and landed in the tree. I wonder if this could be one of the Carburn babies born in the spring. The lighting was not good so it looks more red than it actually was. I watched for about twenty minutes from various angles as it primped and preened.   

With Hallowe'en around the corner, I created another water colour painting of that Red-breasted Nuthatch whose welcome startled me. It's still peaking out from the tree, while it is blending into a full moon, as it yank yank yank yank's out a loud BOO!  

This is the photo I used as a reference for both paintings.