Monday, February 28, 2011

These Are Lean Days

Last Friday ~ It was a perfectly beautiful day in the central interior, mild enough to stop and take pictures.

A Bald Eagle perches in an old poplar tree overlooking the frozen lake and narrow river channel.

The patient eagle watches and waits for something to turn up.     

It doesn't look very promising though.  There is only one patch of open water in the distance.

Today ~ The temperature dipped again overnight, and when we woke up this morning  it was -22C.  The birds were here at first light.

There's A Concert Outside

Downy Woodpecker
Pine Grosbeak

Black-capped Chickadee

Steller's Jay

Common Redpolls

Friday, February 25, 2011

Winter Visitors

Sometimes the deer pay us a visit.  They have a well-worn path between the house and the forest that they use or else they wander up the short trail that cuts through the trees to the road.  They make their rounds looking for food. We have to remove one of the hanging feeders and store it away for the night because we  found that they were eating the sunflower seeds.  

Although we bury the compost (mostly vegetable peelings) under a layer of snow, they have dug down with their hooves to retrieve whatever morsels are there.  We don't always see them, but their hoof prints in the snow and in the bins the next day tell us they've been here.

I'm sure the deer must also look longingly at the hay that the neighbour places out for his horses, and one morning W----- saw several of these beautiful animals slowly making their way across the field, following the tracks made by a snowmobile, heading in the direction of a hay shed.  

Mule Deer
A picture taken around suppertime one day.

Today ~
Two deer were on the road when we arrived back from town.

A short time later, they were wandering up the path.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Tall Trees and Birds

Look for the Bald Eagle in the center tree.  See him there high up on the right?  You might have to click on the photo for better viewing.  Two crows are in the tall tree in the foreground, difficult to photograph.

This is the picture I took (using the zoom feature) just as the Bald Eagle turned his head.

One very cold and sunny afternoon recently two crows perched companionably near the top of a tall tree.  They seemed to be enjoying the warmth of the sun, and perhaps they were doing a little courting as well.

It wasn't long before a Bald Eagle settled in an adjacent tree, his weight bending the spruce  branch on which he perched. The eagle sat facing the southeast corner, and his head, one side and part of his back received the full benefit of the sun's rays.  He remained almost motionless, moving only his magnificent head to scan the road and fields.

Meanwhile, the two crows in the other tree were completely at ease and in no hurry to leave.  In fact, they didn't fly off until the sun began its descent in the west  a short time later.  The Bald Eagle stayed until it grew dark.   

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Moon Glow


The Moon by Sappho

The stars about the lovely moon
Fade back and vanish very soon,
When, round and full, her silver face
Swims into sight and lights all space.
~ Sappho

Greek Poet  

Monday, February 14, 2011

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Moose on Hillside

Moose (a cow and a calf *) browsing on a wooded hillside.
 
Recently I had the good fortune to observe two moose browsing on a wooded hillside behind my house.  I had seen something moving far down the hill when I looked out an upstairs window early one morning.  The moose, of course, didn't know I was there, and they stopped often to leisurely nibble on twigs while making their way up the steep slope.  Soon I was able to view them better and take a few pictures.

* The calf would have been from the previous year.  A calf usually stays with its mother until she gives birth to a new calf in the following spring.