Out Driving Around

 I took Daphne out for a walk today looking for Geese and maybe some Sandhill Cranes. I had no luck on the Cranes, but all the fields were loaded with Geese. Instead of photo shooting a bunch of Geese, alright, I took a few, I concentrated on two bunches of White Tail Deer out playing in the fields.

A Walking Day

I thought I would take a little walk today without Daphne. I found a few deer and were able to get up to them. Can you spot the three deer in this picture? Yes, sweetpea, there are three.

I kept on in stealth mode and got quite a bit closer. The only comment I have here is "Don't chew with your mouth open".

 This one was kind of sleepy/

 Oops, I think she saw me!

I did come across this goose either resting or nesting in a dry swamp.

Ready For Harvesting!

The farmer had better get this field in the bins before the deer finish it off! Very tall wheat.

White Tail Deer

Today, just a couple of shots taken on a drive to check on my hunting area.

 Don't worry, no critters were hurt!

First Day Out Hunting

It was a beautiful last day of summer with lots of colours.

 In some cases it was painful to the eyes.

 The only thing wrong with the day was the difficulty in seeing anything in the bush. The grass was waist high.

 The first critter to show up was this Red Squirrel. He was a very noisy squirrel!

 I decided to sit for a while overlooking a ravine, a likely choice for  deer to follow.

 I was looking for a big buck, so let them pass.

 Note: No critters were harmed on this trip! I think I will wait a few days for the leaves to fall before going out again.

A Walk by the River

It was +10 and cloudy so Daphne and I decided to take a long walk along the river bank. The Athabasca is starting to rise and spread out.

 There were lots of geese posing

 The Ospreys are back again. I did not try to get close as I did not want to disturb them. A fellow walker said that they had just returned.

 A muskrat was feeding along the edge and was quite content to let us walk up to him (or her).

 He was not shy about posing for the camera!

 The Mallards were up feeding on the grass, and were pretty laid back.

 The hen was pretty shiny and had captured  attracted a mate

 The male was very watchful

 A couple of teal swam by.

 Geese like grass!

 Geese really like grass!

 I semi missed this Mule deer while watching the river. I should have looked behind me!

There were lots of Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers around. This one beat my shutter speed.

All in all it was a good 2 1/2 hours wlk. Daphne got to play fetch the Kong in the dog park, and I got lots of fresh air.

Got up this morning to snow! :-{

I was out today getting a load of composted manure for the new gardens in town when I looked up and saw these gals coming out of the trees

 The farmer had a couple of picnic tables in the field 

 They are looking pretty scraggly and are starting to shed out. I wished my dogs would start.

 Yep, a pretty rough coat!

 I also saw this, which was a bonus! Look at the bottom of the arrow.

Is this better? Apparently they have a nest. I am going to ask for permission to sneak around once they are established.

This is even better. Note: all these shots were taken from the same position with me on a break, sitting down and leaning against a truck tire. I really like my Canon with it's super long but compact lens.

This is why my camera goes every where I do.

White Tail Photo Shoot

Coming out to feed

 One after the other

 Even this year's fawn!

 Mama is pretty cautious

 Yep, she finally saw me.

 Note: No deer were injured or otherwise in this shoot !

Some Things are Missing in Town

In town it's difficult to appreciate the night sky due to the light pollution.

Stepping outside in the morning certain things are missing. You just don't see these in town. The next three photos show what is not present.

The first one is one of my favourites where Brooklyn saw her first moose. She was not sure what it was, so decided to lay down and observe. The shot was on the Acreage at first light and turned out pretty good for hand held low light. Brooklyn weighs 109 pounds to give you some perspective of the size of the cow.

The shot below was of a cow moose and two calves that wandered up to the house. Again, captured at first light from the deck.

Of course, Whitetail Deer were a dime a dozen. I kind of like the look of this doe that has just given birth within the last few days.

These have been posted before, but remain some of my many favourites.

Even Though...

Even though we now have no horses, it pays to look out the window. This guy was sneaking up the fence line, obviously looking for some does. Pardon the poor quality. It was well into dusk.

Hard to miss at 40 yards! But wait, it's a pet! No it isn't! It's on the other side of the fence! Maybe next year I will have the time and space to pursue him in fair chase.