Summer in the City January 14, 2026

It was not in the plan to create a blog post about this outing to Carburn Park yet unusual circumstances led me to want it referenced.  I had only been here a few days prior yet this day was more noteworthy.  The weather has been nuts with all those moody Chinook ups and downs. After all that it culminated in reaching +18 Celsius in the city today. I wanted to record this as it is quite unusual.

All the outdoor skating rinks are closed! The following three photos show the skating surfaces at Carburn covered in water.  Barriers are up along with signs saying to stay off!  These photos were taken as I arrived yet when I left the Park two hours later, more ice had melted showing even deeper water levels.   

a dozen or so House Sparrows were basking in the warmth of the sun

an Adult Bald Eagle hanging out far away from where the nest building has been taking place

This is one of the ten Muskrats I spotted. There were probably more. A few were swimming about in the wide open river and others were sitting on two separate large rocks grooming themselves.  This was the most I have ever seen at once.   

I wondered if the Squirrels thought spring was approaching!

In addition to the unusually high temperature for mid January, there was another unusual occurrence that has been happening at Carburn Park. I am not into watching Gulls but this one being here in the city is a rarity.  It's a Glaucous Gull!  It's all the talk amongst the local birders.  I don't know how many times I was asked if I saw it when I was here a few days ago.  It was time to jump on the bandwagon!  I teamed up with another birder and we went down to the river's edge searching for that Gull.  In a matter of minutes it flew over us then landed not far away.  It is known for being mostly white, the pink legs and a pink dot on the end of the bill.  Never have I spent so much time watching and photographing a Gull!  

I put an orange star on the map for roughly where Calgary is so you can the Gull is far off track. 

Once I got home I opened all the windows plus the back door to let the sunshine and fresh air in.  It felt like summer today!  It was nice yet my preference would have been to be skating while enjoying sunshine and fresh air!