White-tailed Ptarmigan

I was slowly making my way up the mountain side, when ahead of me on the ground I saw something moving. It was a female White-tailed Ptarmigan and four chicks. Grabbed few pictures before moving closer, taking few steps
and stopping was repeated several times by me before they stopped moving. Then I placed my pack on the ground, grabbed something to eat and sat down. Within few minutes the chicks and their mother was moving and eating. I sat still, only slowly moving to eat and take their pictures, they were comfortable enough to eat within hand's reach of me. The family kept me entertained for an hour until they made a move toward my pack. Then it got personal.

Until next moment,

Amar

Osprey

One of the parent brought a fish to the fledgling perched on branch away from the nest. I guess the fledgling was not hungry, it flew away. The parent decided to eat the fish instead, as the sun set in the distance.

Until next moment,

Amar

Great Blue Heron

In the last few weeks I have been seeing more and more Great Blue Herons, its a fun bird to watch and just find it amazing the way it takes off to air and land. There is something graceful about this bird. This one was looking for food in shallow water in high vegetation.

Until next moment,

Amar

Buffaloberries

Small shrubs with bitter tasting berries. A favorite of bears, helps them to maintain fat stores during hibernation. A adult bear can eat upto 200,000 berries a day, this season there is plenty to go around for all the bears.

Until next moment,

Amar

Fireweed

A avalanche prone area of Vermilion Peak was showing lot of colour in the form of fireweeds, surrounded by trees that were part of a 2003 wildfire. I was across the valley taking pictures of the area from far, as the sun was making its way down. Looking through the camera, composing what I though would make for an interesting picture.

Until next moment,

Amar

Red Paintbrush

Colours are everywhere and paintbrush seems to be everywhere as well. Was on a side of mountain with a blanket of colours, took my time capturing as much as possible with the camera. All that rain earlier and all the sunshine now is paying off. Looking forward to my next outing.

Until next moment,

Amar

Wolf Pup

When ten thousand plus years ago the ice receded, wildlife and people moved into the area, sharing the trails they created. In time wildlife was sharing some of these trials with those riding horses. Then closer to recent times, some of those same trails had horses pulling carts, followed by motorized vehicles on dirt road. Today on the bottom of the valley, once popular trail is covered by asphalt, on which all sorts of vehicles travel each and everyday. When using these roads, keep your eyes open for those still using the same route as  their ancestors did thousands of years before.

Until next moment,

Amar

Darners Dragonfly

One way to practice becoming fast at using the camera and lens to locate and take pictures of fast moving birds, is to practice taking pictures of dragonflies. I was standing by the water, watching when and where they would stay in one place in the air. Then quickly focusing on them and trying to get few sharp images.

Until next moment,

Amar

Pika

Pikas are small mammals, feed on a wide varity of plant matter, which can include grasses, sedges, shurb twigs, moss and lichen. They do not hibernate, so spend much of summer collecting and storing food for the winter. Can often hear their calls, when passing by rocky mountain sides, where crevices provide shelters.

Until next moment,

Amar

Ruffed Grouse

Passed a elk jam, vehicles stopped on both side of the road and few in the middle. Took my time to get pass and then continued my way. Few kilometers later I saw a bird on the side of the road, no one in site, pulled to the side. It was a Ruffed Grouse, it was about to get off the road and walk into the tall grass. Got two good pictures, one in the clear and second just behind first layer of grass. I liked the second picture.

Until next moment,

Amar

Elk

The bull elk was busy eating in the morning as I was making my way to a hike. On my way back home, I spotted it resting not far from the road, took the picture and kept moving. Hoping to meet it in few weeks when the velvet will coming off the antlers.

Until next moment,

Amar

Alpha Male Wolf

The alpha wolf has the highest rank in the pack, given preference to first to eat and first or only one to mate in the pack. If others in the pack break the rules, they can pushed out or worst, killed. The alpha tends to be the strongest and maintains the position by defeating others when challenged. They can use eye contact to maintain their position, in this case getting the right of way on the road.

Until next moment,

Amar

Rainbow

Was hoping for a full rainbow but it started to clear, so happy to get what was there. It looked as if the rainbow was coming from the peak, shooting it into the air. It lasted for about ten minutes, enough time to grab few good images.

Until next mometn,

Amar

Marmot

Marmots, are large ground squirrels, live in burrows and hibernate through the winter. They use loud whistles to communicate and are very social. They mainly eat greens and are often spotted resting under the sun. The one in the picture was on the move toward another marmot that was a short distance away.

Until next moment,

Amar