Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

Like us, butterflies have their mouthparts where you expect them to be. But they have developed different mouthparts to adapt to their environment and eating habits. They have a long straw-like part called the proboscis. It remains curled up when not being used like a straw. For example, butterflies do not eat but instead suck the nectar from the flower to meet their dietary needs. 

Now, where they and other insects differ vastly from us mere humans, is in how they taste their food. They taste their food through their feet. It serves as a taste organ, containing taste receptors. Butterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera; both are “leg tasters”. Their taste buds, called contact chemoreceptors, are attached to nerve endings. When chemicals come into contact with the chemoreceptors, the nerves are activated, which passes on the information to the brain. The tarsus, which is located furthest away from the body on the leg, is used to sense sweet, bitter, sour, and salty through its chemoreceptors. Not only is this method used to decide what to eat, but it also helps the butterfly choose a mate and where to lay eggs. The closest my legs get to food is if I spill some. From my experience, chocolate always tastes better when it goes straight into the mouth.

Grizzly

Dandelions grow from seeds that have germinated, after remaining in the seeding stage for 8 to 15 weeks. As the plants grow up from the ground, the roots go deeper into the ground. The plant grows leaves that are between 9 to 30 centimeters long, the roots can be 18 to 54 cm long underground. The bud will sprout from the upper part of the roots. The flower can bloom during all of the growing season, but tends to bloom most often in spring in The Rockies. The flowers will open and close depending on the weather. Each plant can produce up to 12 flowers each year. With each flower producing 174 seeds, one plant can produce over 2,000 seeds. On an acre of land, 240 million seeds could be produced annually. Each seed comes with its own “helicopters”, called the Pappus. The seeds spread by the wind and by all of us who have blown on them. The seeds that find a sunny area will grow into a new dandelion. But for some dandelions, the ending is different.

Sandhill Crane

I was trying to get into a position to get a picture of a Lewis’s Woodpecker, a rare sighting in Banff National Park. I had only seen one once before and I was trying to see if I could get at least one good picture of the species. Just as I was ready to get a good picture, it would move as it searched for food. It was not moving away from me, but kept going to the other side of a fallen tree.

All of sudden I heard loud calls from a Sandhill Crane, also a rare bird during spring in Banff, according to the new Banff NP Birding Checklist. The intense calls went on for more than a minute, coming from the other side of the trees that were beside. After several minutes, still trying to get a good picture, the woodpecker flew where I could not follow. I decided now it was time to look for the crane.

I walked through the woods and about 40 meters away was the crane. It was moving and I kept my distance, moved parallel to it. I have seen Sandhill Cranes in Banff several times. But, I was still waiting for a good picture. Unlike the experience with the Lewis’s Woodpecker, I got the picture I wanted. As well an out of focus male Bufflehead Duck in the background.  And later I learned from friends the reason for all those calls had to do with two coyotes that were in the area. This large bird with a wingspan of two meters was not going to let the coyotes get anywhere near it.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise was one of the first places I hiked in the Canadian Rockies and since then I have gone over all the trails a few times. It does not seem long ago when we would show up in the middle of the day and get parking and go for a hike. Now you have to plan ahead. I still like to hike there, at least once a year. For me, it's not just the landscape that’s the attraction, but the wildlife too. I have been able to see large megafauna, the likes of goats and bears. As well, seeing birds and smaller mammals, including coming across a porcupine sticking its head out of the den. The day this picture was taken. I might have been the only one taking pictures of Cliff Swallows, flying and catching insects just over the lake’s turquoise waters.

But the craziest adventure was when the three of us scrambled to the summit of Mount Niblock in July. Clouds moved in with snow, but we also heard a buzzing sound. We quickly realized it was an electrical cloud and quickly ran downward. One of us got a nice electrical shock to the head, other than that, we were safe. We watched the clouds move away, followed by blue skies when we reached a safe spot. We then headed for Mount Whyte's summit. The best part of that day was descending toward the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. We slid on a long patch of snow leftover from the previous winter. A much bigger patch of snow is waiting for this hiking season.

Paintbrush Flowers

I wanted some quiet time on my day off. So, I left home early in the morning and decided it was going to be flower day. I found a place away from it all, surrounded by nature, with no planes circling overhead and most of all no cell coverage. Calls and texts from work had to wait until midday. With flowers, I wanted each image to be simple, it was just about the flower and the background. Seeing variations of the paintbrush flowers, they became the main subject. Looking at each flower from all directions, sometimes I was on my feet, other times on the ground. It all depended on the flower and what was around and behind it. When I was hiking in, I scouted the area where I wanted to stop to take the pictures. On my way back, with the camera in my hands, I took the pictures. Since the flowers were not moving, there was no hurry. Each picture was taken after I decided it was the best one of the flowers I was looking at. Calm comes over me whenever I look at the images taken that morning.

Long-billed Dowitcher

It was the second time in my life I had seen a Long-billed Dowitcher, the day before was the first. But during my second encounter, it was my day off and I was going to get a picture worthy of this beautiful shorebird with a long bill.

 This species breeds in tundra lowlands and foothills in wet sedge meadows. When we’re lucky, we get a rare look when one or two do a stop over in Banff NP on their migration route from southern to northern North America. Their long bill comes in handy as they forage for food in water that’s less than 7 cm deep.

 The conditions were perfect. I was alone and could take my time to get the pictures I wanted without the two dowitchers that ended up spending a few days in the Bow Valley, being scared off. There was enough light to show their colours, but there was a slight breeze to create ripples in the water. I was far enough from them to behave normally. I lay down on the grass next to the water to get a better background, to hide the ripples and to get them to pop in the picture from their surroundings. Then I waited for them to get into the right spot. They kept busy foraging for food, even after I got the picture and walked away slowly from the area.

Black Bear

Cubs are born in January and when we see them in the mountains, they are already four to five months old. They weigh less than a pound, have a very light covering of fur and crawl very slowly. The mother will eat their birth membranes, lick the cubs and warm them by placing them next to her less furred belly. She will move and adjust to her cubs’ comfort sounds and cries, always making sure not to place too much weight on the cubs. The nursing mother loses about a third of her body weight with full-time babysitting and nursing, compared to non-nursing bears, who lose 15 to 25%.

 The cubs, when getting out of their dens, can’t out-run predators, but can climb trees for safety. The cubs depend on their mother for food, as their chewing teeth don’t come out until later in spring. Until it’s time to nurse, the cubs will be busy hanging out, exploring near their mom or, like this cub, practising its climbing technique. Since the cubs are not able to eat at first, being up in a tree is a safe place to be. When the mother is ready to move or time to nurse, she will call them down. The mother may also climb up a tree when there is danger or just to be in a safe spot with their cubs.

 Around this time of year, if you see an adult female black bear, maintain a safe distance and scan nearby trees for little shadows.

Egg For Breakfast

The journey of a bird egg starts with a tiny ova, which grows into an egg yolk. When ready, the yolk is released along the oviduct. The egg white is first to be added at the start of the oviduct, which consists mainly of protein, water, and minerals. As the egg carries on along the oviduct, it grows two connecting strands, one at the top and one at the bottom. Which helps anchor the yolk to the shell and keeps it in the center of the egg. After this, the egg continues down into the uterus, where the shell is added. Which is made from calcium carbonate. In order for air and moisture to pass through the pores, it’s made up of a semipermeable membrane.

 Two pigments, one greenish in colour and the other is reddish-brown.  When used in different combinations with the white calcium carbonate of the shell, they can provide egg colours from greenish-white to rich brown and deep blue. And speaking of deep blue. A study was conducted to see how a male robin would react if its mate laid eggs that were a brighter shade of blue. The idea was to test if brighter egg colour was a signal of the quality and health of their mate, and in turn, the healthy mate would create healthier babies. In conclusion, the males whose nest contained the brightest blue eggs, fed their young twice as much. Thus resulting in healthier young.

 Biliverdin is the pigment that is responsible for the American Robin egg colour. It is possible that higher biliverdin levels in female robins indicate a healthier female capable of producing healthier young.

Now the next experiment should be, is eating brighter blue eggs healthier for you?

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Birding is never a quick walk. To be able to listen and see as much as one can, it involves slowly moving at nature’s pace. And a sparrow can never be just a sparrow. In Banff NP along we can see as many as 20 different types of sparrows. And a few others that don’t have a sparrow in their name, but are part of the same family. When most people think of a sparrow, they are thinking of the House Sparrow. A European species that was introduced to North America in the 1850s. Spotted just about anywhere humans reside.

 But in the spring and summer we get to see many other types of sparrows. Like the white-crowned, song, lincoln’s, savannah, white-throated, chipping, clay-coloured, and the Fox Sparrow to name a few. So when birding and you see what looks to be a sparrow moving on the trail looking for food. You want to stop and make sure you identify them. In my case, a few weeks back, it was the Golden-crowned Sparrow among the White-crowned Sparrows. It was not calling, just moving at the edge of the trail and flew up to perch on the willow branch as I stepped closer. I don’t get to see this species that often. I slowly moved, so as not to scare it away, but at the same time I had to act fast as hikers were coming my way on the trail. Just as I got the rare picture, the hikers unaware of the sparrow came through and the bird went into hiding. The memory and the pictures will do until perhaps next year I see one again passing through the area.

Eurasian Collard Dove

Every birding season there are a lot of frustrated birders, having problems identifying birds. And to think you’re getting out to enjoy nature and have some time to relax. But, learning to identify birds requires the same effort as mastering any other subject. If Malcolm Gladwell is correct about his “10,000-hour rule”, then 10, 000 hours are required birding to become a good birder. After that you know your birds inside out. Let’s say we have four good months of birding and you put in four hours at a time, and can get out two times a week if not retired. That can take 78 years to become an expert. But of course, you can get out in the evening or an hour or two before work. As well, there is some good birding to be had outside the birding season. But, not everyone wants to be an expert, most want enough knowledge to enjoy their walks. Where they are able to identify fair numbers of birds in their local area. Not everyone has enough time to become a good birder, not even a fair birder.

In the end, what I’m trying to convey is that people should go easy on themselves. If you are out there to enjoy the social aspect of birding, then there will always be a limit to how fast you learn. All the good birders I know became so by spending a lot of time alone in the field with a pair of binoculars and possibly a good guide book. I know of one birder friend who could hear the bird, but ended up spending nearly an hour or more trying to see it. He will never forget what LeConte’s Sparrow looks and sounds like for the rest of his life.  If you’re birding with a large group, it’s great for socializing, but not ideal for becoming a good birder. In a group, you never end up putting in the time to listen and look at the markings to identify the bird. Someone is always there to help fill in the blanks. Books, apps, websites, and birding groups are great aids for birding. But to get good, you have to spend a lot of time just walking with nature. Either way, have fun, no matter how you want to be birding. The more fun you have, the more you want to be outside. And that’s the most important goal.

River Otter

Apex predators have a major impact on an ecosystem, both from the point of view of controlling prey density and restricting smaller predators. They are crucial to the functioning of ecosystems, controlling disease and maintaining biodiversity. On land, in the air and in water. Some of the apex predators in the Canadian Rockies are bears, wolves, Bald Eagles, and more recently, in the rivers we’re seeing or coming across signs of river otter presence in the Bow Valley. The North American river otter is an apex predator. The otter population was nearly wiped out in southern Alberta. If their population keeps increasing, it will be a great success story for nature. Since their diet includes fish, frogs, birds, bird’s eggs, small mammals such as muskrats and young beavers and more. These species will be less happy with the river otter’s return. In the last few years those of us who spend lots of time outdoors have been experiencing a rare sighting of the otters. Hopefully, in the near future, it will be less rare.

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle’s eyeball is almost the same size as the human eye. Given their smaller heads compared to ours, the eyeballs fill most of their skulls. While most of us have 20/20 vision, eagles have an amazing 20/5 vision. That is, they can see a subject as clearly as we can from five feet away from a distance of 20 feet. We have a peripheral vision of 180 degrees, with eagle eyes fixed in their sockets, angled 30 degrees, and have a 340-degree visual field of view.  The eagles move their heads every five seconds to the left and right or straight ahead.  But after they locate their prey, they look straight ahead and dive for the kill. As well, to make it easier for the eagle to spot their prey. They are also able to spot a rabbit from as far as 3.2 km away. Like all birds, they also have much superior colour vision than we do. Able to see more vivid colours, better able to discriminate between more shades, and can also see ultraviolet light. This comes in handy when being able to detect UV-reflecting urine trails of a small prey. These and other vision features help them find food in extreme conditions to survive, and are able to see me before I even know that they are in the area.

Great Gray Owl

As the “The Teddy Bears Picnic” song goes, “If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise”. And I was when I came across the big guy, M122, last month. I saw fresh tracks going across my path. When I looked down the slope to my right. There he was slowly moving in the woods through the deep snow. He’s challenged by moving through deep snow, as we would be. With his lower height, he walks next to the trees when he can, where the snow is less thanks to the branches above. As well, trees being darker, heat is radiated from them. Which helps the snow melt under the canopy first. 

Been up since the middle of March and having to deal with a deep snowpack for a few months, every bit helps to conserve energy for the big guy. For wildlife, energy is money, and the goal is to save as much as possible until it’s needed. That could be escaping a predator or dealing with a bigger competitor. For M122, he might use his savings when there is a chance of catching prey or chasing competition away. But, one thing he does not have to worry about is being chased away. You just have to look at him to see he is good at saving.

But sometimes it pays not to be efficient. A Washington State University study was able to find the optimal speed of a bear at 4.2 kilometers an hour in a lab. But on the landscape it was calculated to be 2.2 kilometers an hour. It was concluded, the bears might forgo efficiency to take in the landscape and to forage for food. As well, it was learned from the same study that bears prefer slopes that were 10 percent grade or less. If the slope is steeper, they go up in a switchback pattern to maintain their grade preference. Plus, more opportunities to come across food. 

Oh yeah, there’s another mammal that prefers the same grade as the bears, us humans. The bears will take full advantage of the hiking trails when they come across one. Not only do many of our hiking trails have their preferred grade, they also have no trees and shrubs coming across their path. There’s a small chance for one to come across a bear while hiking. But, it’s always good to have bear spray all year on the trails and even more so during the bear-aware season.

Crowfoot Glacier

For this image of the Crowfoot Glacier or part of that glacier, it was a very relaxing experience. Sitting back and looking at the whole glacier. I watched the light and shadow change as the sun rose. Looking at the rock and ice in contrast to the exposed mountain side. Zooming in and out, trying to find a picture within a picture. A Common Raven was nearby, kept me company and hoped for food it never received. For a short period of time that day, the glacier had my full attention. As I thought about the first time I saw it and all the other times since, I have looked at it from below and face to face after hiking on the opposite side of the valley. Seeing it through all four seasons, winter time is the best by far. I love the colour of the old ice, somewhere between blue and green, and the warm colours in the exposed rocks. And those few trees on the right side, well, talk about growing in the extreme. I got the picture I wanted, and I had time for my mind to wander and relax.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Standing dead trees or dead parts of trees play an important role in the ecosystem, including providing places for nests for various birds. One of those birds are the nuthatches, which are one of the few non-woodpeckers that excavate their own nest cavities. With the Red-breasted Nuthatch, both of their sexes will help to build a nest, but the female will do more than the male. But the males will feed the females while the females work on the nest. Aspen trees, with their softer wood, are their preferred tree for nest building when available. The cavity can be up to 20 centimeters deep, taking up to 18 days to excavate. For the bed inside the nest, various materials can be used, including grass, bark strips, and pine needles and lined with fur, feathers and fine grasses and bark stripes. Both sexes will apply conifer resin to the entrance, sometimes with a piece of bark. It’s thought that this is done to keep out predators. The nuthatch avoids the resin by diving straight through the hole. With the resin, the home is ready for the family with a security measure.

Mount Rundle

For several days over the winter, we were getting great sunrises and sunsets. In the morning, as the colleagues would be arriving to work they would talk about the sunrise they saw on their way. Still, the best moment was one evening, when I noticed the clouds and let the team know we might be in for a treat after work. Instead of heading home, everyone found a high spot with a view and, for 15 to 20 minutes, watched the sky as nature puts on a show. Instead of me showing them pictures on my phone the next day, they got to watch it with their own eyes. It was hard deciding which way to look, let alone for me to decide what direction the camera was facing that evening.

During the morning of this picture, it was my day off, but I was not far from work, ready to enjoy another sunrise. Much of the sky was void of clouds, but I found a location where I was going to get my picture before going for a hike. I was hoping others were enjoying the sunrise as well, otherwise they would see the picture at a later time.

Bohemian Waxwing

There are three species of waxwings in the world, lucky us, we get to see two of them. Cedar Waxwing and, more so during the fall and winter, the Bohemian Waxwing. They love fruits, no matter if it’s in your backyard or in the wild. During fall and winter, the Bohemian Waxwings will find it, if it’s out there. As for their name; “bohemian” describes their wandering ways in search of food. The availability of which might change from year to year. They have red waxy wing tips and yellow on other wings, it’s the reason they are called waxwings. Waxy tips are a result of their diet, carotenoid pigments found in the fruit waxwings eat. From my firsthand experience of eating lots of fruits, this does not work on humans. Unless it ends up in our ears? In case you’re wondering, we don’t. 

The waxwings in the picture were five of a 250 plus strong ear-full, a group of waxwing is called “ear-full” and a “museum” of waxwings. I found them enjoying juniper berries, as well as some kinnikinnick berries. All while being harassed by two brave Townend’s Solitaires.  With a kilometer and half left for my hike one afternoon, I came across them on a south facing section of the trail. With little to no snow, the fruits were exposed for the waxwing to consume. Spent over half an hour surrounded by them and their high-pitched trills. 

Mallard Ducks

After I took pictures of the sunset, I packed up, and I started to make my way home. I was fifty meters into my walk when I noticed something was flying. Turning my head, I noticed it was five Mallard Ducks. I’m pretty sure they were the same ones I have been seeing in the area since last summer. They were born last summer, and they had decided to spend their first winter in the Canadian Rockies. They had survived a couple of cold spells, including the long one in December and early January. Either a predator got them into the air or perhaps they were moving to the bigger open water area for safety during the night. After they had made one circle, I thought it was too late to get their picture with the remaining sunset colours. But they decided to make one more circle, and this time I was ready with the camera in hand. As they started to descend, I got a picture of them and the warm colours of the sunset.

Sunset

As the world gets more out of control, the bigger role nature plays in helping bring calm. When I’m out there, it’s a time to relax, time to breathe and time to find answers to all those questions circling in the head. I dove into the parking lot as the remaining vehicles were on their way out. I grabbed my pack and hit the trail and let my mind wander to any issues that needed dealing with. Listened to the birds and watched the trees sway from side to side in the wind as I made my way to the spot where I wanted to watch the sunset from. When I arrived, I put my pack down and got the camera ready. I watched the surrounding light change, I still had about 20 minutes left for the warm colours to arrive. I started to relax as I leaned against a tree and watched the sky. For the half hour I was there, the world’s problems were pushed away by the wind. Once the show was over for the day, I made my way to my car with my mind in a better place.

Clark's Nutcracker

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977. An advisory panel to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, made up of wildlife biology experts from various backgrounds across Canada. They assign risk categories to flora and fauna included in its current mandate. In 2003, COSEWIC was established as an advisory body for the Species at Risk Act (SARA). When the official list of wildlife species at risk is established, the federal government will take COSEWIC designations into consideration. Thereby, wildlife species qualify for legal protection and recovery under the Species at Risk Act.

 Currently, limper pine has no status under SARA, but has an endangered status under COSEWIC as of November 2014. A pathogen by the name White Pine Blister Rust, Mountain Pine Beetle and climate change are the reasons behind this status. At the current rate of a one percent decline in its population per year, two thirds of mature individuals will be gone over the next 100 years.

 Education and conservation work are taking place to help the limper pine population. A keystone species that provides high-fat food sources through its pine nuts for small mammals, bears, and birds, including the Clark’s Nutcracker. This species has a mutually beneficial relationship with limber pine. Nutcrackers can collect as many as 35,000 seeds and carry and cache them in the ground as far as 10 kilometers away. Not all get consumed by the nutcrackers; some are taken by other animals, and the remaining may take root, resulting in new limber pine trees.