It's autumn only by the calendar date! In every other way, we are in the midst of full on winter! I was excited to get "out & about" in all the new fallen snow and to be out while it was still falling. I did not venture too far away from home, the plows had not been around my area yet. I went to the Birth Forest and Nose Creek knowing that if my vehicle got stuck in the snow, I could walk home. I brought along a Christmas Tree decoration to capture a photo of it hanging from a tree. If you have been following my blog for awhile then you know, I like to take photos of my Christmas decorations out in nature then take them home, now with a story to tell, and hang them on my Christmas Tree once I put it up.
It was a win loose situation when I arrived at the parking lot and began to hike. No one else had been yet which meant I got to set first tracks in the new fluffy white gold but it became hard work breaking trail for close to two hours. It was a beautiful winter wonderland and I wanted to be one with it!
I set a good pace for this short video but that was the only time. The balance of the time, my pace was more like a saunter, or a meander, just a plain old slow go.
looking back at the end of the Birth Forest before leaving it behind
just before heading downhill to Nose Creek
I spied a bird off in the distance and I could zoom in enough to see it was a Northern Shrike. As I carried on sauntering, or meandering or just plain old going slow, the bird flew past me and landed in a tree up ahead. I continued to shoot shots as I moved closer and closer.
eventually it gave me the stare down so I moved on
the Northern Shrike is a small vicious bird of prey
they spend the summers up North and fly to Southern Alberta for the winter
The Mallard Ducks will not be around Nose Creek much longer. There is not a whole lot of open water left. This male Mallard swam back and forth in a small section of water. I watched it for awhile and that drop of water at the end of its bill did not drop off.
This male Mallard stood in a very small section of water which was surrounded by ice.
Close to two hours was enough to be "out & about" and now that I was ready to head home, I hoped it would be a non- eventful drive, and thankfully it was. I got cozy at home, turned on my fairy light tree and.....
....settled in to do a watercolour painting!
It snowed the balance of the morning and all afternoon.
As I write this blog post early evening, it is still snowing!
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