It was a surreal feel to the night, thanks to bit of a fog and low clouds in the valley. The lights from the town doing their part lighting up the surrounding. And throw in a bit of Northern Lights colour, it all added to a dramatic look and feel.
I was up the Bow River from the town of Banff, looking to get pictures of Massive Range during sunrise. The light reached the peaks but due to lack of clouds, the picture was rather plain. But when I turned around I saw a better picture, I set up the camera again and got the picture. Massive Range will have to wait a another morning.
Until next moment,
Amar
Spotted this garter snake in the thermal spring water, even the many mild days we had this winter are not enough for snakes to be in the open. So for the few that are spotted over the winter, is thanks to the heat provided by the thermal water. Unlike us, where we get our heat from the processes occurring inside our body. The snakes like other reptiles get it from the outside, in this case from the near thirty degree celsius temperature of the water.
Until next moment,
Amar
Another picture of the moon, this time it was setting behind Mount Bourgeau. The picture was taken this monring, for a while I though it was not going to come out from behind the cloud. But I did not have to wait long before it was visible , giving me enough time to take few pictures.
Until next time,
Amar
About a billion years ago the moon was only about 200,000 Kilometers away from earth, instead of the now 384,000 Kilometers. It would have taken the moon 20 days to orbit the earth instead of over 27 days today. The tide would have been much stronger as well and during the full moon phase, you would not have needed sunglasses but the light reflected to the earth would have been immense. The moon's relationship with the earth is in constant change as the moon continues drifting away.
We are still weeks away when the mountains will be full of sounds from the returning birds. Until then the White-tailed Ptarmigans is one of the species that fills the gap when birding. Its little bit difficult spotting them, but well worth it when you do. And if you see them on a overcast day, then the challange becomes trying to get a good picture of them.
Until next moment,
Amar
Northern Pygmy-Owls are not much larger then a House Sparrow, but are one of the few owls that can be spotted during the day. Due to their size and colouring, you have to be well aware of your surrounding to locate one. This one was perched on a branch of a dead aspen tree, hung out there before coming down to the ground to locate food. Coming up empty taloned, it perched on a different tree before a gust of wind caused it to loose its balance, it then flew away.
I have not seen a Northern Pygmy-Owl for few years, so I was happy to come across one last month. Got to watch it for a short while, getting some time to observe it and take few pictures as well. Hopefully I will not have to wait years before seeing one again.
Until next moment,
Amar
Last year I had taken a similar picture of the same section of the Crowfoot Glacier, it was hard to pass the opportunity to take the same picture. But this time I had more light, which in turn made this picture little bit better in my eyes, I just liked the way the snow and the ice looked with the added light. Photography is an endless pursuit to get that perfect picture, I'm not sure if I'll every get it, but the effort sure keeps me getting out there.
We all need to rest, a way to recover and get our strength back. This bull was doing just that one afternoon, middle of the open field away from others. When I came out of the trees and spotted him, he opened his eyes and looked at me before closing them again to continue his rest.
Until next moment,
Amar
What better way to spend a cold day in the mountains then exploring and looking for wildlife, in this case I was hoping to come across White-tailed Ptarmigans. I was layered up to deal with the low temperatures, but working against me was my constant stopping to look for birds that blend in with their surroundings. It took few hours to spot some and little more time to spot one in the open. As always with nature, patience pays off.
Pileated Woodpecker, the largest in North America of the woodpecker family. Nearly the size of crow, busy searching for food. Found year around in the mountains, but not enough of them to see them often. In this case, it was it not only spotted, but it was in the open, giving me many chances at taking its pictures.
Until next moment,
Amar
This There-toed Woodpecker was busy working on this dead tree looking for food. Chipping away at the outer bark, then grabbing the insects with its bill or using it sticky tongue to extract food from the holes in the tree.
Until next moment,
Amar
Most of us know when the sun will be rising and setting, but very few of us are aware what the moon is up to, other then when it is a full moon. Before I go out I like to know where the moon is in the sky, keeping my options open for photo opportunities with it. I had my eyes on the moon as its was heading for the back of Waputik Range. After taking number of shots, this was the one I liked the most, the moon setting behind Howse Peak.
Until next moment,
Amar
I just had finished taking pictures of Castle Mountian, when I looked toward the east. The clouds were reaching toward the sky, being lit up by the fading light. As well right there in the middle was the moon. It was the combination of the clouds and the moon that made the picture for me.
Until next moment,
Amar
On February the 4th I'll be going over my 2014 adventures with a slideshow presentation. Sharing some of my favourite pictures from last year and the stories that go along with them. So if you are free that evening, please join us at the birthplace of our national parks, Cave and Basin NHS from 7 to 9pm.
Nature was putting on a art show, the medium was ice. Using methane gas bubbles and crack to come up with unlimited variety of abstract images to look at. One could spend days and still not capture what was there. This picture is just a taste of what I saw.
Until next moment,
Amar
The temperature had dropped considerably over night, in the morning everything in sight was covered by snow or frost. With overcast weather, the surrounding looked black and white. In middle of this were four elk bulls, but I was focused on this guy, who I had seen several times over the months. He seems to pop out, surrounded by monochrome like settings.
Until next moment,