this & that

I got through yesterday and today's scorchers with it only get "scorchier" and this is what we have facing us beginning tomorrow!  I have a plan in place that I hope will offer relief.  This long stretch of mid 30C temperatures for Alberta has never happened before.  It's just another unusual occurrence to add to the many we have experienced over the past year plus a few months.  

Sketching has fallen by the way side somewhat, I am still doing draft sketches that one day I will make into the real thing.  That should come when I am back spending more time inside.  What I did do was paint a few rocks with northern light scenes.  This craft takes less planning, less time and not a whole lot of brain work.  This large one sits on my deck for me to enjoy.

The two on the left were given to a friend and the two on the right wait to be passed on.

On one of the scorching days, I shared some trail time with my sister at Fish Creek Provincial Park.  We went for an early start yet it was hot already.  We sauntered around the dirt trails seeking out shade and time by the river.  We saw a lady focused with her camera and this is what she spotted, a Juvenile Swainson's Hawk. 

The goat program continues again this summer. They seemed to come from out of the blue all of a sudden running to this location within a fenced off area.  Some how they know to only eat the weeds.  There was one gentleman herder and a few dogs keeping them together in a group.

What I thought would be early enough to beat the heat, was not early enough.  There is no early enough these days.  I wanted to get a few kilometres covered which I did at Nose Creek.  Nothing was moving fast which made it a great morning to get perfect bird photographs.  This Clay-Coloured Sparrow is holding onto breakfast which looks like a worm and a butterfly.

The whole of Confluence Park is carpeted in wild roses.  I am not sure the name of the tall pink wildflower which actually is a weed and what the goats would go for.  In another couple of weeks, there will be a greater variety of flowers and it will be even more colourful.

Not even the birds were moving much this morning.  I was able to get quite close before they did fly off.  This couple is a Female and Male Brown-Headed Cowbird.  When I see such fluffiness, I want to believe it's a young bird.  There was lots of yellow on the go but this Male American Goldfinch stayed in place for the longest time.   Each time I go, I see more ducklings.  This looks like another new batch with Mom Mallard.  

So that's what I mean by "this & that"!