Red-winged Blackbird on a Fencepost

Red-winged Blackbird on a Fencepost

This is another image I made way back in the spring when the Blackbirds had first returned to the prairies near Calgary. I was very excited to have them back in the area because they are very curious and even more fun to watch. They sing all the time and are never too shy to pose for the camera! I watched this one for a long time before we were both ready to move on.

Red-winged Blackbird on a Fencepost

Red-winged Blackbird on a Fencepost

Red-winged Blackbird on a Fencepost

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Although Nuthatches are very common in Calgary I really haven’t encountered very many of them. They are very interesting birds that are known for their unique ability to face head-down while climbing. Most other birds use their tails to assist with balance while climbing, but nuthatches use only their legs and claws. They can often be seen walking straight down the trunk of a tree. This behavior seems very odd when you first recognize what they are doing, and only becomes more odd as you realize that very few birds do it.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Chickadee at Carburn Park

Panoramic Sunset in the Foothills

Panoramic Sunset in the Foothills

The clouds have settled in over the foothills at sunset pretty well every day for the last week. The resulting glow of the sunset over the Rockies lighting up the haze has been incredible. I’ve stopped a couple of times to try to capture the its essence in an image. Sometimes that’s a lot harder than it seems like it should be. In this case I really wanted to capture the expanse of the Rockies silhouetted on the horizon. I love how the layers are so distinct and the colors are almost magical.

Sunrise Starburst

Sunrise Starburst

The winter landscape on the prairies can be so beautful that sometimes I find it hard to decide what image to make next. This was one of those examples where I was torn between wanting to make images of the grain bins that I knew would be glowing a beautiful red as the sun rose, or to try to create the starburst effect you see here just as the sun peeked over the horizon. In the end I managed to do both, but I really only got to try one composition for the starburst shot, and then I ran back over to the bins to make a few more images there. Fortunately this old fence was close enough to the bins that I was able to use it to give the starburst shot some foreground interest.

Grain Bins in the Morning Glow

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.