On the Positive Side

Yesterday was our first snow day of fall. We had a lot of moisture come down, but fortunately it was half rain and half snow, and has now pretty much melted.

The Magpies were flitting around , much like normal

 Its funny that every year after the first heavy frost or snow, the Robins descend and attack the Choke Cherry tree. I guess the cold sweetens and/or softens them.

Here is one trying to reach a clump of berries. Too dull a day to get a fast shutter speed!

On the positive side, the snow didn't stay!

More Goofy Robins

A Walk by the River

The Athabasca river flows through the Town of Whitecourt. It is a rugged river coming off the Columbia Icefield. When in full flood, it piles up trees, logs and bushes to amazing heights.

 The banks can be treacherous due to undermining. That's how all the trees get caught up in the current. There are all sorts of back eddies, some shallow and some deep. The sandbar has been swept clean this spring.

 My oldest son and I, a few years back, tossed a canoe in and did 25 miles in 3 hours with very little paddling. The trick is to stay in the blue water and out of the riffles, unless you want to get out and push. Being right off the ice cube, the river is very cold and should you go in, hypothermia is a real possibility. Having said that, if the river is low, in late summer, it is possible to swim in it, but not for long.

 Along the shore today, various birds are starting to flock together in anticipation of the southerly migration.