Visiting the Canadian Rockies

Last week we took a short vacation, our first family skiing trip to the Rocky Mountains — known for some of the best downhill skiing in the world. We stayed at Hidden Ridge Resort just outside Banff. It was a real treat because skiing is such great fun and the setting is so incredibly beautiful.

I was also excited about the photography opportunities and birding. There were a few species I was hoping to see and add to my Life List: Mountain Chickadee, Boreal Chickadee, Clark’s Nutcracker, American Dipper, Stellar’s Jay, Northern Pygmy Owl (a slim chance for this species, but worth a try), and American Three-toed Woodpecker.

The first two days in the mountains, my brothers and I skied all day at Sunshine Village, a 20 minute drive from Banff. As we drove to Sunshine on the first morning, I was looking at the scenery and as we turned onto the Sunshine EXIT, there was a Northern Pygmy Owl sitting at the top of a tree! I saw it for only a few seconds but long enough to ID it. It was one of the first birds of the trip and certainly a special one.

Taken with my iPhone 6

I had only my iPhone when we were skiing and to the chagrin of my brothers would stop and get a few shots of the mountains on the way down the runs,

Taken with my iPhone 6

Taken with my iPhone 6

Taken with my iPhone 6

The mountains are breathtaking and the skiing was terrific. From one of the chairlifts, I saw my second lifer of the trip — Clark’s Nutcrackers below us in the spruce trees.

The second day of skiing I saw Mountain Chickadees and White-winged Crossbills on the mountains,

Taken with my iPhone 6

The final two days I went birding instead of skiing. My parents and I dropped my brothers off at Lake Louise and then drove to the Chateau Lake Louise. The last time we were in the mountains and visited the lake, I was 18 months old, so I don’t remember anything.

We pulled into the parking lot at the hotel and immediately saw Clark’s Nutcrackers at very close range,

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 1000, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

They sit on parked vehicles hoping to get a meal from the visitors,

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/800, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

It was an overcast day, but the snow and vistas were lovely. It’s truly a winter wonderland,

Taken with my iPhone 6

Taken with my iPhone 6

Taken with my iPhone 6

My parents and I walked quite a ways down the lake, this is a view of the Chateau from the sleigh ride path,

Taken with my iPhone 6

The heavy snow blankets everything,

Taken with my iPhone 6

I believe this is black tree lichen growing on the branches,

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Back near the Chateau, Clark’s Nutcrackers were everywhere,

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

I had to back up to get the whole Nutcracker in the frame, because they get so close,

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

There were also Grey Jays which weren’t as curious as the Nutcrackers and stayed at the top of the spruce trees,

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/800, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

An inukshuk made of snow outside the Chateau,

Taken with my iPhone 6

We took a swing through the Chateau were we stayed 17 years ago. My dad remembered that I called the mounted Caribou on the wall “bearabou” at the time.

Taken with my iPhone 6

Stay tuned for more posts and photos about my adventures in the Rockies! 

Photo Essay: A Snowy Owl

I had a chance to practice with my early Christmas present, a new Nikon 200-500mm lens, f/5.6, last Saturday. My subject was a beautiful male Snowy Owl just north of our farm, who was very accommodating and great for practice. Because the owl is so white, and the sky was very light too, I was really working on getting a good exposure.

The owl wasn’t too keen on looking straight at me, so I have only one photo of him looking directly at me. In all the others, he’s looking ahead or looking away.

This photo is a little underexposed for my liking,

Because Snowy Owls are quite common in southern areas again this fall/winter, here are some tips from the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Ohio and Kaufman Field Guides for observing or photographing Snowy Owls:

Happy Halloween!

This will be the first Halloween I’m not going trick or treating. I’ve decided I’m too old, but luckily my brothers aren’t (they are 11 and 13), so I might still get some candy!

Here are some creepy, crawly, and cute Halloween photos!

Two giant and three smaller pumpkins we carved last year,

I carved this pumpkin (you can find the free printable here) on Saturday for a pumpkin carving contest at our library,

A Common Raven,

Rusty Blackbirds,

This Halloween will be rather snowy,

Hanging on a line

This morning my brothers and I went out to do our farm chores, and on our way to the corrals we saw something on the power line. We could tell that whatever it was had died. On further inspection I saw it was a large bird and as we got closer still I could tell it was an owl. I didn’t have my binoculars or camera with me, so after chores I went back to the house to grab the vital tools I would need to identify what tuned out to be an owl on the power line.

The owl must have flown into the power line, hooked and/or broke its wing, and wasn’t able to free itself.

Here are photos of the owl my brothers and I found this morning.

The view from the road,

I looked with my binoculars before I took pictures and I could see it was Short-eared Owl,

Earlier this year as my dad I were going to town, we found a dead Great-horned Owl in the ditch. Today’s bird is the second dead owl I’ve found. Here is one photo of the Great-horned Owl we found in April,