Back to the River

After two days of snow, it was good to get out to the Athabasca River again. We have snow forecast for the next 4 days! The River has opened up a little bit, but refreezes at night with our-26C temps.

The geese seem to be happy and there are even some mallards back!

 These two were paddling downstream

 Most of the geese appear to be paired up

My trusty Rough Collie is looking pretty good after her spring Spa Day. Washed, trimmed and looking good!

I am not sure if this is an immature Bald Eagle or a young Golden. I need to ask some experts on Alberta Birds. This was about 200 yards away at maximum magnification. The snow was too deep to get closer.

Around Town

A walk-about today got me to the Athabasca River to enjoy the Canada Geese. (Noisy bunch). The weather was about +5C with no wind, so it was a great day for walking. Daphnie and I did 7 miles yesterday, and 4 so far today.

 I think they were happy to see some sun and feel the warmth.

 Can you guess which is the female?

 On a lighter note the Common Sparrows were pigging out at the feeder.

 So too were the Red Polls. Welcome back to the frozen North!

 The mail Red Poll was staying close to the female.

Happy Spring Like Weather?

Just when it was starting to get nice and warm, we got another dump of snow, about 15 cm. We just had our street plowed and then the snow hit

I am running out of room to shovel it!

 Daphnie was not bothered by the snow, and preferred to lie out in it

Spring Appears to be Delayed.. a bit!

The Magpies can smell a peanut from miles away. I think they have a secret spot where they can watch for a delivery!

 A lot of people don't like Magpies, but I find them to be very interesting, and intelligent.

 Speaking of intelligence, these sparrow find it a lot warmer sitting on the rail letting the sun warm both the front and backside. It was -20C today with a wind chill of -30! It was darn cold. At one time there were 8 sparrows on the rail.

Neither snow, sleet, hail or cold stops Daphnie from retrieving her Kong on a rope. It stopped me after about 1/2 hour.

Then, there was this lone Goose sitting in the middle of the Athabasca River. I think she is smart also because the water and the layer of air above it is probably 25degrees C warmer than sitting on the shore. She still looked miserable!

 My Black Capped Chickadee has returned with a mate. Hopefully they will nest in one of our bird houses again. I read somewhere that they need an equivalent of 250 sunflower seed per day in order to survive at these temperatures!

Okay everybody, have a great weekend and think warmer, please!

Yep, It's Coming Up Spring

Some of the early signs of spring are showing up. No matter that we are in a middle of a snow fall warning and visibility is way down. I heard geese squawking two days ago as they flew over the house in a snow storm. I found them today on the Athabasca River looking very miserable!

 I can just hear the missus saying " Charley, I told you it was too early to go North. I could be warming my feet in the sand on a beach where the temperature is 76 degrees! But no, you had to get going! Next year, for once in your life, listen to me when I say "Its too early""

 I cant hear you, I have my head under my wing!

 Just to put it in perspective here is a photo of our street just before the last snowfall!

A Warmer, Sunny Day!

It was nice to get out again without a heavy coat, Toque, heavy gloves  and go walk-about with my faithful companion.

 We have a lot of snow this year and its only mid February. The Mule deer are looking healthy in spite of the snow and cold.

 They are even starting to get frisky while they enjoy the sunshine

 I figured they would have been scared off as the town held a massive snow mobile rally over the weekend, with about 450 sleds all going past their holding area.

Finally Finished!

After about 8 months of intermittent work, I finally finished the Wood Duck, Drake.

It started as three blocks of Jelutong wood from Malaysia.

 Some wood removal made it look more like a duck.

Next came the feathering,

Then came the Burning of the feathers

 And finally, the multiple coats of acrylic enamel. Then it was done! On to the next!

Whats new at the Feeder?

With the temperature still at -28C and -47C with the wind chill, the feeder has been very busy the last 10 days. We seem to be hosting 6 Blue Jays several times a day.

 There are also 8 Chickadees that come in after the Blue Jays are finished.

 There are also about 30 sparrows that like throwing shells around. This one was fluffing up the feathers.

This Bald Eagle wasn't at the feeder, but in a tree by the dog park. No matter what the temperature, Daphnie insists on her walk twice a day. I was surprised the camera didn't freeze up.

Here is a female Pine Grosbeak. She and about 10 others come in the morning and again in the evening.

Here 

Freeze Out!

The last few days have been a bust for taking photos! At -39C or -50C with the windchill it has not been possible to get out and about. Hands freeze (literally) in about 2 minutes at those temperatures. Believe me, you do not want to hold a camera with the gloves off!

Even the birds have been hold up somewhere. Today, a few Chickadees showed up at the feeder. I got a couple of shots through the window.

 This Pine Grosbeak caught my attention. I haven't seen one in weeks. He made a big dent in my sunflower seeds! The sun hit him just right.

I saw somewhere that there are only 5 more Mondays until spring. One more week of deep freeze and then bring it on!

Athabasca Freeze Up

 In November the slush ice started forming and moving downstream.

The ice would start to hang up on rocks and shallow places

 More and more ice would form and pile up.

 Eventually, the channels would get narrower.

 A snowfall made for a bleary and dull day

 A Bald Eagle was still hunting the open water.

 The open water is now almost gone.

 A little hoar frost made for pretty scenes.