Global Big Day May 9, 2026

For Global Big Day I visited none other than The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Many other participants picked this place too, with lots opting for the very early start along with me. A beautiful day to be was evident as I rounded the corner aiming for the main trail.  

What also was evident was the swath of destruction caused by the wind storm that came through a few weeks ago while I was in Norway.  That wind storm left The Sanctuary more wide open, being able to see more and also hear more.  The Parks People cleared the debris off the trails and are still working to clean up the area.  

more evidence of a gorgeous day to be had

With today being all about the birds, of course I had to capture a photo of a Black-capped Chickadee which is the official bird of Calgary. I am not sure if its other leg is tucked up underneath or if this is the one-legged Chickadee that I was told about that resides here.  

Before truly getting into this Global Big Day, I wanted to check in on the Inglewood Bald Eagles. To get there, I had to cross this bridge.  I feel like I am taking my life in my hands when the Canada Goose is guarding the bridge.  This morning a Male Mallard was part of the guard.  Whew!  I made it across unscathed!  

When I arrived at the best location to see far across the River to the Bald Eagle's Nest, this is what I saw.  One adult was perched on the nest. I saw another Adult further down river sitting in a tree.  I watched for awhile but no little ones were to be seen.  

What little ones I did see though were half a dozen Goslings with their parents.  

Birding today was so much fun, chatting with the usual other birders I see here and also meeting new people. We shared what we saw, showed some photos, chatted about where we were from and also talked about our travels.  Between all the chats, I managed to still capture many photos.  I am sharing only a few.

three male Mallards

male & female Common Mergansers

 Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-crowned Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

Robin

Tree Swallow

male House Finch

I saw many other species and captured many more special seconds in time yet wishing to keep this post under control I opted to share just the few photos.  What I also want to share is that I did one more lap around the back of The Sanctuary to check in one more time on the Bald Eagle's nest.  This time this is what I saw!  My heart melted and my smile grew even wider!  I will be back another time to see if there could be a sibling. Best wishes little one! May you thrive and live your best life!

nature's beauty May 8, 2026

It's been nice enough to leave the windows open at night. If you choose to go that route, there is a price to pay. Yesterday morning it was at 3:48am, this morning it was 3:21am when Mother Nature's alarm clock went off, the Robins began to sing! There is beauty in their songs but not at that hour of the morning! I laid and listened!  

In addition to the new Eaglets at Carburn Park, I found out there was something else new there! This morning I went to investigate for myself, I will get to that a little later, for now the sight I wanted to see was Mom Bald Eagle and her two Eaglets. While walking there I got distracted! The golden hour was in full bloom, the reflections amazing! 

When I arrived up on the ridge and zoomed in across the pathway and far across the river to the tree top, this is what I saw.  This is full on zoom with a tiny bit of cropping.  I tried my best to balance myself against the chain link fence and rest my camera on top.  

one Eaglet is stretching its wings

Mom watching her Eaglets with much pride no doubt!

I was happy to have timed it right to see the Eaglets.  They are up and moving for only a few minutes at a time.  Once they settled back down, it was time to move on.  I had no idea where the other new sight to see was so I wandered all over enjoying everything else while on the search.

beauty in the flying precision of two White Pelicans

It took dozens of tries to finally get a photograph of this Yellow-rumped Warbler where I could see the yellow crown.  It took patience, lots of it, yet worth the time. There is much detail in nature's beauty, I don't know if this is a male or female, or what subspecies it is. 

a Beaver glistening in the morning light

There is no doubt with identifying a Song Sparrow!  

This male Common Merganser swan by while his lady friend was settled on the edge of a log.  I noticed the water droplet hanging from its bill when I checked the photo for crispness right after snapping it.  It was when I got home and looked closer that I saw the drop of water shows up in the reflection.  You can find beauty even in the tiniest of things if you look for it!  

a sleeping Red-necked Grebe

this depicts the beauty of a day with no wind

All the while, while walking, I was looking for that something else which was new! As I was about ready to call it a day by the time I arrived at the far south end of the Park, I finally found what I was looking for. There were three Goslings with their parents exploring amongst the rocks along the river's edge.  Just like the Eaglets, they represent new beginnings, hope, life.

As I aimed for my vehicle, I passed by the pond one more time to still see a lovely reflection yet in a whole different light.  There is beauty in nature so matter how you see it yet you need to be out there amongst it. Let it soothe your soul or heal your heart, it will be there for you no matter what!  

Note: The painting at the top of the post was created using this photo (from April 30th) as a reference.

a story or two May 4, 2026

When I originally purchased this Norwegian wool in Norway, the plan was to knit mittens but not at this time of year. This was to be an end of autumn project to have the mittens ready for next winter.  The yarn has been sitting in a corner yet not out of sight, I did not get around to bringing it to the basement shelf. I picked up the yarn, felt it, looked at patterns, retrieved my needles from the basement. I started knitting and could not stop until one mitten was complete! This has been the most enjoyable knitting project I worked on to date. With the yarn holding so much more meaning than yarn I had purchased at a local craft store, I knitted this mitten with so much more joy and love! I will now wait to knit the second mitten during autumn! 

I've been making the rounds to all my usual local "out & about" areas to see what has transpired since my last visits a few weeks ago before heading off on vacation.  Yesterday included a visit to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, where all is well into a wonderful spring fling.  Then this morning, I aimed for Confluence Park to see how it looked with winter now long gone.  I was curious about the bird migration, the new section of the Birth Forest and also if any crocuses were still putting on a show.  

After rounding a corner, I saw I was not in the lead! We were both heading for that bridge crossing the creek.  It sauntered along, I did too yet a bit slower.  Once we were both on the other side, the coyote stopped to have a look before darting off into the bushes and up a hill.   It is shedding the winter coat.  

Where I could get closer to the creek, I went there.  It was early morning, I was wide awake with clear vision, yet this duck fooled my mind. It was camouflaged with the water and it took seeing it in the correct light to fully distinguish what I was seeing.  This is an American Wigeon. 

The Robins were plentiful yet not as plentiful as they were at The Sanctuary yesterday.  

Between Song Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows, 

the early morning air was filled with sweet songs! 

This is a Song Sparrow.

Then the total opposite of a sweet song, the Red-winged Blackbirds added their kind of music!  

After ascending from the creekside, I hit the wide open sunny slopes to see them carpeted with crocuses.  Many were in the prime of their lives, yet others were a bit beyond. In areas there were so many, I had to watch where I placed my feet.  I took a few photos, not near as many as I took up on Nose Hill the other day.  

I wandered around the old section of the Birth Forest before aiming for one of the new areas.  It was nice to see this section survived winter wonderfully!  As the days go on, more green will appear, more buds will sprout, more birds will arrive and this Park will become even more alive!   

"Hello May" May 1, 2026

Before heading off on my adventure in mid April, I had been out crocus hunting yet my success was not as it usually is for that time of year. Due to winter conditions lingering longer, the crocus season got pushed out.  I hoped that if I ventured up onto Nose Hill this morning, there might still be some crocuses to enjoy. There was! In abundance! Carpeting the hills! 

When I go crocus hunting, it takes getting down on the ground to become one with Mother Nature.  At one point I did then was shocked to see what was looking at me! As this post's focus is on crocuses, I will leave this photo with you and get back to it later. 

The last time I purposely went out to look at flowers was on Wednesday April 15, 2026 when I visited Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, South Holland. The flowers were right there, right before my eyes, I did not have to walk far to see them but I did walk far to enjoy the entire Gardens.  This morning up on Nose Hill, I did not have to walk far to find crocuses, yet I did walk far to enjoy the entire Hill. Up with the birds and out the door on a most gorgeous day, this was the best to way to say "Hello May"!  

I am sharing six of my crocus photos out of the close to one hundred that I captured.  These are my favourites and include singles, pairs and bouquets.  As I mentioned earlier, it took laying down on the ground to line up with each crocus to get the best angle.  While in the midst of my hunting, I wondered if crocuses grow in Norway.  It did not cross my mind to look while I was in Bergen last week.  I did some homework when I got home from Nose Hill and yes there are crocuses in Norway, although they are not native to the area.

In the middle of crocus hunting, I passed by the pond to see it was a happening place. Crows were flying over head chasing each other.  Many Mallards were flirting, chasing, courting, frolicking! I heard Sparrows, Robins, saw some kind of Hawk fly over, then it was a nice surprise to see this American Coot swimming with a Bufflehead couple. 

American Coot

Male Bufflehead

The Mallards put on quite a show!  

I was not quick enough on the draw to capture the full Male Mallard scurrying away.  

When I saw this photo, I chuckled.  I think it is perfect!  

So, now to get back to that first photo I shared!  

While I was being one with ground, a porcupine sauntered by.  

I did slowly get up and back away.

This is a nine second video of the porcupine going about its business. Using the camera's zoom, I took the video after I was at a safe distance.  It looks like it may have shot out quills from its backside at some point. 

Now back to another topic!  After learning about crocuses in Norway and seeing photos, I decided to create another painting from photos of my fjord cruises on April 19, 2026 and April 23, 2026. This time I added the waterfall that I did not include on the first painting and I also added Norwegian Crocuses along the shoreline.  I let my creativity wander and this is what transpired!  

I hope your May is getting off on the right foot and that it turns out to be merry month!