MissusK (Cindy)'s photostream  

The temperature rose to a balmy -5°C last Sunday and my friend and I got out or a wonderful ski along side the Freeman River. We followed an old logging or lease road that a trapper has been keeping quad-width clear for his trap line, so apart from some washed out oxbow crossings, it was a much smoother ski than our usual 'skike' (ski/hike) through the bush. The hill we live on seems to knock the snow out of the clouds, so we have somewhat more than the surrounding lower lands. We still don't have a lot, but enough to ski on, although the thin layer under the trees often hid treacherous ice. The previous week of close to -40°C temperatures made us fairly confident of the water crossings, but we didn't venture onto the river, relatively small though it is. The sun is never high at this time of year and set around 5:00 pm, so we had to time our turn-around and got back to the vehicle at dusk. This was taken around 3:30.

Happy Fence Friday!

My bird book lists this winter visitor as rare to uncommon in Alberta so we were especially excited to watch it. Sitting in the same tree top close to an hour before we drove by it a second time, I just had to try to get a photo or two. He waited patiently while I snapped the first few and then, possibly concerned that we were scaring all his food away arose to fly right over us.

A major crop for confirmation of ID in the comments.
Oh...for a zoom lens!

Another one from last January - since it's Friday and a fence.

Odd that I need to pull a wintry picture out of the archives. What snow we have is sun-shined and compacted. The streets are icy at night and messy by day. And now it's raining - just lightly. Everyone seems to be having an especially mild winter. Pat Boomer - a weather expert, storm chaser and terrific photographer of the sky and weather phenomena - predicts that it's coming though, around the 15th. I'm ready.

Happy Macro Monday - Twist