Frosty Alberta Tour

     I have never yet got a good photo while sitting in my easy chair. That said since we had to make a weekend trip to Calgary for a birthday celebration, I decided to take the side roads. I never know what wildlife or scenes we may find around the next corner. I turned off highway13 in central Alberta onto a random secondary highway and within a few miles spotted a snowy owl sitting in a stubble field. It was not the pure white one that I am looking for but any owl is worthy of a couple shots at least.

Snowy Owl

     A few miles further, for some reason something looked very much like another snowy owl sitting in a pure white snow bank. This one was the pure white owl I was looking for. It sat too far out in the field and it took a few moments to re-spot it once I got stopped. Too bad it is so far away but I took a shot or so anyway. One day all the owl and snow gods will cooperate and I will find the camouflaged shot I'm hoping to get without disturbing the owl.

There is an owl hiding in the stubble

     Once again rine frost provided spectacular scenery highlights. A frosty stubble field and fence line caught my eye. It is a challenge to capture the beauty you see with your eyes on the camera. Sometimes it works and other times, I can't get the scale of the scene before me. When we stop to listen to the silence of the land, soon faint music can be sensed. A slight breeze encourages tinkling frost flakes falling from tree limbs, distant birds chittering in treetops or the crunch of snow under our feet are noticed. Off in the distance, we can see a heavy bank of fog that has drifted off leaving this beauty in its wake. Sunlight glitters jewel-like off every frosty crystal and glints like fairy dust in the air. I can feel these icy specks bouncing against my cheeks.

Frosted Wheat

     This area is dotted by oil industry activity. Pump jacks show off successful drilling and invisible pipelines carry crude to central storage plants miles away. Today though, the pumps are quiet as if pausing from their labours to enjoy the surreal scenery surrounding them.

Quiet Pumpjacks

     The highlight of our day showed up quickly and unexpectedly. Beside the gravel road we traveled trotted a red fox. I stopped a few yards away and it paused for a few moments to check us out before deciding we were harmless. 

Checking Us Out

     It continued hunting. What a pleasure it is to sit quietly with one of Mother Nature’s top hunters. It trotted along, then paused for a quick rest before a silent to us squeak prompted his attention.

Quick Break

     After a few steps with cocked ears and twitching nose, he paused before leaping in the air and pouncing, nose and paws disappearing into the snowy stubble. No luck. It tried again with similar results. 

Foxy Pounce

     Another truck pulled up in front of us and the fox decided that was too much company so it bolted, quickly disappearing behind a nearby ridge.

Maybe This Time

     Safe Travels 

Safe Photos too everyone.

Let's not disturb the wildlife. Having wildlife go about their lives while we watch quietly at a respectful distance is good for all of us.