American Robin taking a Bath

American Robin Having a Bath

I saw this Robin taking a bath in the river at Carburn Park way back in the spring. It was the first time I had ever seen a Robin in the water, never mind actually bathing. It was pretty neat to see!

I’ve been going through a bunch of old photos from the past year that I never got around to processingm so there will likely be quite a few out-of-season posts like this one coming up in the coming weeks.

American Robin Having a Bath

American Robin Having a Bath

Snowy Owl East of Calgary

Snowy Owl East of Calgary

I love these birds! They are so incredibly beautiful and I really get excited every time I find one. I’ve been lucky enough to find two this year, and also lucky enough that they both allowed me to make a few portraits!

Snowy Owl’s are considered to be very common on the Prairies east of Calgary, and there are reports of them almost daily during the winter months. But that certainly doesn’t mean that they are easy to find. I’ve actually seen very few in the wild yet I look for them every time I’m out and about on the country roads.

Snowy Owl East of Calgary

Perching Western Bluebirds

Western Bluebirds

I’ve been dreaming of warmer and sunnier times lately, and so I’ve gone back to work on some old images that I never got around to processing. These are pictures of Western Bluebirds that I found while on a trip with my Dad just outside of Winfield, BC (North of Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley).

These are beautiful little birds that shimmer in the sun. They are very curious and easy to spot, but you have to know where to look… I’ve learned a lot about Bluebirds by searching for Mountain Bluebirds in the foothills South East of Calgary. I was quite surprised to discover that the Western variety are extremely similar in both appearance and habit. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and I’m looking forward to next spring and summer when I’ll get to go on another Bluebird search!

Western Bluebirds

Northern Flickr in Triplicate

Northern Flicker in Flight

This is actually three images of the same bird superimposed in the same frame. When I saw the three images side by side on my computer I immediately saw this composition in my head and I really like how they work together.

These are among a very few images that I have of Northern Flickers in flight. They are extremely fast fliers and it’s very difficult to capture them and make sharp images when they’re flying! I found this one North of Kelowna near Winfield, BC earlier this year.

My First Snowy Owl of the Season

Perching Snowy Owl

I stopped to make a few images of a really great sunset tonight, with a couple of grain bins in a massive Prairie field. It was very beautiful and I managed to catch the indigo sky rising up out of the horizon while the pink glow remained above it. It was one of those magical skies that you really have to visit the Prairies to see.

While I walked back to my truck when I realized that I had parked underneath a beautiful Snowy Owl perching on a power pole. I’ve spent many hours searching for these elusive birds over the last couple of winters and have only rarely seen them. This one wasn’t very happy to have me there, but it must not have minded too much or it would have flown away when I first arrived. I can’t believe I didn’t see it when I first pulled up, and it’s even more amazing that it just stayed there and ignored me. I got to watch it and make images for several minutes before it got too dark. I’m still excited about it several hours later!

Perching Snowy Owl

Grain Bins at Sunset

Grain Bins at Sunset

Irrigation Pivot at Sunset