It's not always all about the babies.....

 .....or is it!  It is, when it is their season and this season the babies seem to keep on keeping on!  I go with intentions of celebrating all birds, but those babies have a way with me, I am hooked on celebrating their season and I cannot deny that!  

Being "out & about" on three occasions recently for birding, I covered just shy of 30 kms which brought me across the finish line of the Amsterdam Pacer Virtual Challenge and to 75 kms remaining on the Camino de Santiago Conqueror Virtual Challenge.  The push is on now to finish that one.  

🌞ON this outing, with the city being under an extreme heat warning, I kept my activity level low, spent as much time in the trees as possible, even still, how I felt is described to a "T" by the look of this young Cedar Waxwing!   I'm not sure what is going on with it, but maybe the heat got to it too!

the young Yellow Warblers are thriving

I heard calling back and forth coming from within the thickest of the trees, I knew it was a bird of prey but not sure which species.  I followed the call and came upon this Cooper's Hawk part way up a tree.  It watched me intently and the calls became more urgent.  I looked around to see where the other call was coming from and saw this......

.....baby Cooper's Hawk on the ground below!  

I got out of there quickly after securing a photograph! 

a baby Barrow's Goldeneye

🌞THE sun shone brightly and the heat hit hard on my second of these three outings.  I have been paying more attention to capturing shots of the birds with a background of something other than a plain blue sky.  At times when it was a backdrop of pure blue, I passed on by.  I like this kind of background!  The dad House Finch has three babies to keep happy!   

When my hair gets hot and sweaty, it clumps together.  

I wonder if that is what is going on with the head feathers on this Lincoln's Sparrow?

I watched this Common Grackle primp its feathers! 

Maybe it felt it has too many so pulled one out!

In fact, it pulled a few out!

Yes those babies keep coming!  These are two European Starlings waiting for a snack!  While watching them, they moved about and I could see a third Starling in behind trying to stick its head out.  

🌞FOR the third outing, there was no improvement, the extreme heat warning remained in place.  Even with this weather, I cannot remain in place, I need to go, but like I said before, I keep the go low key. Yes, the more you tilt your head the cuter you become.  This male House Finch, I believe is new this season.  

The yellow on this young Yellow Warbler is more defined! 

Oh they grow so quickly! 

an Eastern Kingbird

snack time for this House Sparrow

male Downy Woodpecker

Duck!  Here she comes!  I went to the location where the Juvenile Bald Eagle perches but she was no where in sight.  Then just like that out of the blue, she swoops in.  I was camera ready but I was startled, this was the best I could do.  

Once she settled and I settled, I zoomed in as far as I could to get this great shot of her baby face.

Am I hopeless in my celebrations of all these babies?  

tiny touches of luxury

With an extreme heat warning for Calgary in coming days started making the news, I went into “make life happen” mode! An escape from the concrete was what I wanted but I didn’t know what I wanted that escape to look like.  I didn’t invest much time brainstorming nor googling,  quite quickly I came upon a two night opening for glamping out along Highway 40 “where life begins” in Kananaskis.

I could not believe my luck when I pulled up to my site and saw the location, the set up and the surroundings.  While my stay last month in Neustift Austria was luxurious, right away I noticed tiny touches of luxury here at my glamping site.  Luxury is in the eye of the beholder!

Not only was there shelter under the canopy, there was also shelter for a large portion of my space from tall trees surrounding the entire area.  Many hours were spent lounging around being lost in my book.  I brought along a few Austrian Radlers to sip while being lost.  I like how the book cover is all matchy matchy with the beer can.

a sky high view while lounging

During the extreme heat, it felt luxurious to still enjoy a fire 

when the night and early morning temperatures were cool enough.  

The forest was full of birds that announced they were awake and ready to start their day well before the sun came up. I joined them!  With my coffee…..

…..and book!  

At the last minute before leaving the city, I ditched my hiking gear and kayak.  I wanted to be lazy.  What I did do while on this glamping escape, was stop by every body of water along the 40.  This is Mount Lorette Pond.

This is Wedge Pond.  

wild Alberta Rose

looking at me, making an ID, then took off 

Opal Creek

It crossed my mind to kayak here at Upper Kananaskis Lake when I initially planned this escape.  I was just as happy to walk the shore and sit awhile.  The temperature got hot yet the water remained cold, I do not have cold water kayaking experience.

There was not the slightest of a breeze! 

Picture perfect reflection!

one of two Loons

My extent of birding was this!  While lounging at my glamping site, I turned on the Merlin app which listens, records, then makes IDs.  This is a great way to learn birds songs.  As each bird sings, the name lights up.

This young Robin was very curious!  It had lots to say for extended periods throughout my stay.  At times it came very close to me, that’s when I snapped this shot.

With nightfall, came the cooler temperatures!  Inside my glamping tent was so comfy, it felt like a luxury to get all snug as a bug in the big beautiful bed.  I left two of the four windows unzipped a bit and I did not use the heater.

lantern and shirt ready by the bed if needed

 early morning was my favourite time of day 

The only bear related incidents were driving safely by a bear jam and also seeing this sign at the Barrier Lake Day Use Area. I did keep my bear spray close by the entire time I was in Kananaskis.

walking the shore of Barrier Lake

a wonderful breeze at Barrier Lake

I love making footprints in the sand!

There were so many tiny touches of luxury throughout the three days.  These touches are at the far end of the spectrum from what most might define as luxury.  Being one with nature, it’s in my heart, it’s in my soul, how lucky in luxury I am!

July's First Impressions

It's important to make a good first impression during initial introductions!  Well, July is doing exactly that!  Being "out & about" is much more fulfilling when the air is fresh from recent rain and greens are greener than green.  

😀It's been awhile since I wandered about throughout Confluence Park.  I knew there would be lots of water to work around so I went prepared or at least I thought I did.  My old hiking shoes are no longer water proof.   

Spotting a young coyote was the highlight of this wander.  It was enjoying nature as much as I was.  I saw it exit a big bushy area licking its lips.  I am assuming it savoured a treat of some sort while in the bush.  

It was not in much of a rush to go anywhere until a bird flew in and gave it a piece of its mind!

Back in January of 2021, I learned how to draw a coyote with coloured pencils.  Now it was time to try my hand at painting one with watercolours.  I used a photo from the above collage as a reference.  When I look at this painting, I have a feeling I might think it was a deer if there was not the reference photo to compare it to. I'm not sure what else I could do to make it look more coyote-like!

😀  Long before rush hour traffic, I hit the Deerfoot "500!!!" with hopes of having a smooth sail and that I did!  I made it to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in record time and it was even a work day.  

Being in the right place at the right time afforded me a sighting that was in the wrong place at the wrong time!  Early into my meander, I looked down from the tree tops to see something very colourful scurry into the brush not far from my feet.  There was no movement in the brush so whatever that was had to be very close to me.  I pushed aside some of the bushes and spotted this.  I frantically waved to two fellows who were coming my way, to come quickly. One of the fellows I see all the time while I am out birding.  I showed them what I found and that was what they had come here on this morning to find.  They told me it's a Golden Pheasant and the day prior it was spotted by another birder who shared a photo of it on social media.  It does not belong here.  It either escaped from some place like the zoo or more probably someone who had it as a pet no longer wanted it and choose to dispose of it here.   It will not survive out in the wild.  We backed off and gave it space.  I went on with my meander leaving the two fellows there.   

There was so  much more to see here!  I believe this is an Adult Cedar Waxwing on the left and a baby juvenile) on the right. Or could it be two babies!  I don't know!  I just know they were not singing like the adults do and they did not move even when I got very, very close.   I did not zoom in very much at all to capture this photograph.  

Is this a Father, Child and Mother?  

These House Finches stayed together the entire time I watched as they flew about.

Another family affair!  This is a baby House Sparrow with Mom.

Another big baby!  Here we have a Northern Rough-winged Swallow.  It was just a little ball of fluff, sitting there for the longest time.  It had nothing to say.  

Do you see what I see?

It is a House Wren.

This was the first time I ever saw a Double-crested Cormorant swimming in the Lagoon.  I have seen them plenty of times in the river.   One of the fellows I saw earlier came along and he told me with the construction here last year, the river now better flows into the Lagoon bringing with it more fish and more birds and ducks.  

This is my version of the Double-crested Cormorant.  

I want to keep at the watercolour painting so for now sticking with easy projects. 

😀The Golden Pheasant was on my mind when I woke this morning.  I went back to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary to see if I could see it.  I knew the exact location where I saw it and went there first.  It was no where to be seen.  Now I wonder what may have happened to it!  Was it hiding deeper in the brush, did it move to another location or maybe someone rescued it.  

I moved on to see what else I could see!  

This beaver was having a grand swim.   

A few times while at The Sanctuary over the past couple of months, I saw male Baltimore Orioles.  Well today I saw a female and two babies.  I was not sure what I was seeing so as soon as I got home I downloaded my photos then used the Bird ID App to make the ID.  This is a baby Baltimore Oriole.  

Then I saw another baby Baltimore Oriole looking down.  Oh my gosh it was the cutest thing.  It was not until I looked down that I saw.....

.....the female Baltimore Oriole!  

The baby was looking down at the Mom who was foraging for snacks for her babies.  

On all of the above three outings, I saw lots more than what I shared here.  The others were all the usual suspects.  I decided to just go with a few highlights this time.  Speaking of highlights, I have another highlight to look forward to in coming days.   

Luxury is in the eye of the beholder!  

Stay Tuned!