Above the Clouds

One thing about hiking, scrambling, or climbing is that you need to make sure you not only reach your destination safely but also come back safely as well. Sometimes that means turning back before reaching your goal. This was on my mind when my original hiking plans changed a couple of weeks ago. I had instead decided to head up to the Big Beehive above Lake Louise. It had snowed the day before, and I would be encountering snow and ice on the trails as I got higher. The lake’s elevation is 1,731 meters, and the Big Beehive viewpoint is 2,164 meters. There were low clouds covering the valley, and my hope was to be above them to enjoy the views. But the first goal was to reach Lake Agnes for the sunrise and then deal with the possible tricky and exposed switchbacks back of the lake to the Big Beehive in the morning light. Two-thirds of the way up, I started encountering snow and some ice on the trail. The ice was thin and broke up as I stepped on it. I reached Agnes easily in time to set up for the sunrise. I was in the upper part of the low clouds, it cleared up enough to see the peaks in the back and the setting moon was as well. I started chatting with two friends who were visiting from Oregon as the clouds rolled back in. They were visiting the Rockies for a few days.

We talked about the local area and Banff NP before I packed up and said goodbye. I headed for the back of the lake to see if I was going to make it to the Big Beehive viewpoint. Before I even got to the switchbacks, there was more snow on the trail and thicker ice. That area does not get too much direct sunlight at this time of the year. The switchbacks were good for ascending but looked risky for the return trip. I started going up, deciding I would go down on the least used, longer, and safer trail located on the south side. As hoped, the viewpoint was above the clouds and the views were great. I stuck around there for half an hour or more, enjoying the sights, taking pictures, and having a snack while preventing two Clark’s Nutcrackers from taking my food from my hands. Much of the ground and the trees were covered with snow, it was a winter wonderland at the top, with larches showing their fall colours under the snow. As expected, no problems while coming down. As well, part way down, I was also able to get a nice black and white picture of the peaks on the other side of Lake Louise. Perhaps something to share in the future. While walking along the shores of Lake Louise, I was thinking about doing another short hike in the area. But after seeing the day before "Christmas shopping" like crowd, I decided I would spend my energy somewhere else.

Yellow_rumped Warbler

The fall migration of birds started in late August. Many species have moved on to their winter homes, some are on their way and others will start that journey soon. Timing depends on the food they require on their journey, how far they must go and how cold weather they can stand. Last week I saw an Orange-crowned Warbler and a few days ago, a Wilson’s Warbler. But the warbler I’m more likely to see around this is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. They are not as common as they are during late spring and summer, but with a little effort I’ll come across one or two. Just yesterday I heard its familiar chipping sound. One was moving among the branches of a balsam poplar, looking for insects to feed on. Not a lot of live insects around this time of the year, but many dead ones are stuck to the branches. When I got this picture, there were several birds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Mountain Chickadees and at least one Ruby-crowned Kinglet that almost made a complete call that we are used to hearing during spring and summer. Probably a juvenile that was practicing for a later time. And this being the fall colour season, I had to try getting some of the colours in the background.

Elk

We are midway through the elk breeding season, or as it’s most often called the rut. As the days start getting shorter, it affects the melatonin levels in the elk.  Melatonin is a hormone that the brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with our internal clock and with sleep. This in turn causes hormone changes in both bulls and cows. For the males at the start of the rut, the antlers mineralize and they shed the velvet. The males will start rubbing trees, to get rid of the velvet. They become more aggressive thanks to the higher testosterone levels during the rut and will start sparring with other males, against trees, shrubs and more.

This is why it’s even more important to be a safe distance from bulls during the rut season. By mid October, the bull’s testosterone level will go back to normal and once again the males will start hanging out with other males to pass the winter. This large bull was making sure I got home safe after work as he watched me through the woods.

Mount Temple

You do all the planning to go for a hike, with the hopes of coming back with a few good pictures.  Load up the camera equipment, a few extra layers, food and water, first aid kit and some odds and ends. You get an early start to the hike. But once you get there, as often happens, the weather has other plans. The hike was great but no pictures were worth saving. Then there are those days when the hike starts late due to weather. On your way to the trailhead you see the fog start to burn off as the light starts coming through the clouds. And then the right parts of the mountains light up to get the pictures you want to keep before you even start the hike. Once again, nature decides when to put on the show and you just have to be ready to click. 

Grizzly

Out here in the west, where black and grizzly bears live on the same landscape. Trying to tell them apart from the fur colour, when you have never seen them or perhaps just a few times can be challenging. Particularly if you’re thinking black bears are black and grizzly (brown) bears are brown. About 70 percent of the black bears are black, in the Rockies, 50 percent are black. They can be white, blonde, cinnamon, light brown, chocolate brown or black. And the fur colour of grizzly bears varies as well, from white to blond to almost black.

So, in the Rockies, you might have to use other physical characteristics of the bears to figure out if it’s a black or grizzly bear. One can easily get that information on the internet. This dark eight-month-old grizzly cub was hanging out with its mom and her brown-coloured sibling. When someone asked out loud, "what is a black bear doing with two grizzly bears?" They got a quick answer with the correct information, leaving them with more knowledge than when they arrived. Giving them greater appreciation for bears.

Bald Eagle

Out of the two eagles that we can see in the Canadian Rockies, most of us will see the Bald Eagle. To see the Golden Eagle, you must spend a lot of time at higher altitudes. Bald Eagles can live 20 to 30 years in the wild, with some weighing near 6 kg and having a wingspan of 2 meters or more. They are impressive birds to see up close. The same can be said about their nest. The largest Bald Eagle nest on record was 2.9 meters in diameter and just over 6 meters tall. And the weight was almost 2 metric tons. That’s around 4409.25 pounds. 

Several years back, a nest that was being used by a mating pair stopped being used. They started using a new nest they built. The eagles knew something was up because it was long after the tree holding the nest came down. Even with the old nest spread out from the fall, it still came up to my waist. I can still recall looking at all the branches they had gathered over the years lying on the ground.

This mating pair was done with the nesting for the season and were hanging out last month. For a couple of hours, I watched them through my binoculars, every now and then pulling out the camera. Together, the called out several times, watching them react to other birds, including a close flyby of an Osprey. It’s not too often you get to watch a pair of Bald Eagles from forty meters away in the Rockies. Time just flew by.

Sundance Range

After taking pictures in the direction of the sunrise, the sun was still rising behind the mountain range to the east. I did a 180 and looked toward the Sundance Range. There it was, a picture of a light blue sky, clouds covered with warm morning light and mountain range lit by the reflective light. The sunrise I hoped for. After taking the pictures, the camera was put away. All bundled up from the cold air, with the exception of the face feeling the cold wind passing by. I spent some time watching the surroundings wake up to the rising sun, before deciding to head down.

Grizzly

Last year, in May, F142 came out of her den with her second set of cubs, three of them. A rare sight, to see a grizzly with three cubs. But the large family was not going to last. A month later, a large male grizzly, M136, tracked her down at Lake Louise. Popped out in the open where you rent the canoes, swam across the lake and chased the cubs below Lake Agnes. When the dust had settled, F142 had made her way to the back of Lake Louise, only to be joined by just one of her cubs. It is easier to raise one cub than two or three.  But this female now not only has to show the cub where to find food and how to be safe. But also be a playmate to its cub. The female would be spending time playing with all her cubs, but would get a break when the siblings play among themselves. Also, the cubs are less likely to get hurt when playing with someone in their weight class. No major injuries are likely to occur, just cuts and bruises that heal fast. Play fighting is an important part of a cub’s life. It gets them ready when the fights are no longer part of the play.

This picture was taken in the middle of June, when both were taking it easy. Enjoying all the dandelions they could eat. She, while eating in a small meadow, first smelled and then saw a large male grizzly approaching them. She wasn’t taking any chances. They both ran for cover in the nearby woodland. For a mother grizzly, rest never lasts too long. Always must be on the move to be safe in the wilderness.

Least Chipmunk

The least chipmunks are the smallest species of chipmunk. Their total length is between 16 to 25 cm and they weigh between 25 to 66 grams. They are active during the day, feeding on seeds, berries, nuts, fruits, and insects. If you had a chance to see them, you would have noticed they can be very agile. Being able to run up to 7.7 km/h when needed. And because of their size, they have a few predators; hawks, owls and members of the weasel family. Least chipmunks do not hibernate, instead during winter they go into a torpor state. Becoming less active, with reduced temperature and metabolic rate. Waking to eat cached food when needed. Mating takes place between March and May, gestation lasting 28 to 30 days. A single litter consists of 3 to 7 young, each one born hairless and blind and only 5 cm in length. If the female loses her litter soon after birth, sometimes they can breed again the same year. They can live two to three years in the wild and up to six years in captivity.

This one had no family concerns, as it was busy feeding on chokeberries along with a couple of robins and a thrush.

Bow Lake

We are well into the hiking season now. But also, in the warmer part of the summer. One way to avoid the heat is to start the hikes early and be at the highest point before the middle of the day. And when possible, be near an icefield. I met all three requirements last week when hiking near Bow Summit/Pass. Taking off from the new Peyto Lake’s parking lot, which had few vehicles when starting out. Visitors were heading for the lookout for the famous alpine lake as I made my way to the top of the summit trail. With the cooler temperatures in the morning, no marmots were heard or spotted. But few pikas were active and a handful of bird species were spotted. Great views from the top, which got even better when the clouds started to move in. I sat back and ate, while enjoying the views and the single digit temperatures before others would be hiking in my direction.

Bighorn Sheep

Many mammals, like the bighorn sheep, have lost or are in the process of losing their winter coat. Before winter arrives, they grow thick fur to survive the long winter. And for the summer, so they don’t overheat, they lose their winter coat. During hikes, you will often come across clumps of fur that have fallen off the animals. Some birds will use the fallen fur for the nest building. I have seen chickadee take fur from dry wolf scats to help build their nest. Certain mammals not only grow thicker fur for the winter but, like snowshoe hares, arctic foxes and some weasels go from a darker summer coat to white for the winter. For the prey, it makes it easier for them to hide in the snow and for the predators, it makes it easier for them to hunt. For some of the mammals, they will have a topcoat called "guard hair" and a much thicker layer of underfur. This adult male bighorn sheep was at the bottom of the valley looking for minerals to lick, and its mates who had already gone back up the slopes for safety.

Mallard Duck

Mallard Ducks are found across North America and Eurasia. With Mallard being so widespread, leading to a number of populations around the world. Some of those populations have changed enough to be considered separate species. Two examples are the Mexican Duck and the Hawaiian Duck. Mallards tend to pair well before the spring breeding season. With Mallard Ducks, only the female incubates the eggs and looks after the ducklings. As this female does with eight ducklings. Mallards are strong fliers, reaching 90 km per hour. The Mallard’s sound or quack, we are so familiar with is the sound of a female Mallard. Males have a much quieter sound. This female was quiet when I would see her sitting on the nest, watching me across the water as I walked by on the trail. Only five days earlier, she was still on the nest. The morning of this shot, the family was resting under the warm morning light.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Around this time of year, it’s so easy to get distracted when outside. There is no better time to observe nature’s diversity in flora and fauna. Providing so many options for subjects to take pictures of. And I am a person who can be easily distracted by nature. I remember coming across a large adult moose when, from the side of my eyes, I saw something in the air. I had to take a break from the moose to have a better look to identify the ducks flying over my head.

The other week I was out birding and kept getting distracted by all the insects I was seeing, particularly the butterflies.  With variety and quantity. I came across several meters of wolf willow shrubs, with various insects and several western tiger swallowtail butterflies attracted to their flowers. Birding came to a quick stop as I started taking pictures of the large butterflies. About 15 to 20 minutes in, I noticed another large insect was moving among the flowers. Not one but two hummingbird clearwing moths. Last year I thought I had one in front of me, only to later learn it was a beautiful, white-lined sphinx moth.

These clearwing moths have a wingspan that’s up to 5.5 cm long. From a distance, they move around the flowers like hummingbirds do and part of their wings are clear. That’s how they got their name. Unlike many other species of moths, these are active during the day. Making it a lot easier for me to spot them and get all the pictures I needed.

Great horned Owl

There are not a lot of opportunities to spot an owl in the mountains. Any help from others is appreciated. Help for me often comes from wildlife, particularly from the birds. They are always helpful letting me know what else is going on. Just in the last few days, thanks to the birds like the robins, chickadees and juncos mobbing. I got to see a Barred Owl and a goshawk. The more you understand what is going on around you and what different calls mean. The more chances you have of seeing the uncommon. 

For this picture, it was another day for birding, getting my camera ready before following the trail into the woods. I could hear magpies and crows calling out. By their calls, it sounded like they were mobbing a predator. Slowly and carefully, I moved closer until I could see an adult Great horned Owl. After a few minutes, the owl had enough, it tried to fly away from the other birds. In pursuit were the crows and magpies. Just then, I realized there were two adult Great-horned Owls. The second was out of my view at first, but when it flew after the first owl, I got to see it. It looked as if both owls had enough and wanted to get away. The calls of the crowns and magpies got fainter and fainter as the owls got farther and farther away from where I was still standing. 

Black Bear

When out on the trails in the mountains, even if birding. You must be ready to deal with bear encounters. For this encounter, it was about an hour into the morning. The birding was going well. With the warmer temperatures, the camera was in my hands, ready to take pictures at any opportunity. After watching for birds across a small pool of water, I decided to head into the nearby woods to see what I could hear or see. I was about ten meters from the woods when I heard a sound to the left of me. I looked in the direction, one of the local black bears was sitting on the edge of the woods. It seemed he was having a nap and my approach to the woods had awakened him. I backed up until he lowered his alert head and then lowered his head to his paws to get his remaining beauty sleep. This adult male has been collared and tagged by the Banff’s Parks Canada wildlife team to make sure he does not get into trouble. The collar is sending out a signal to the satellite, spaced out so the battery does not drain too fast. But the collar is also sending out a radio signal, helping the wildlife team locate him as needed. With me being out regularly, I have already seen him a few times this season. It’s best to stay calm during these encounters. With a bear spray next to me, the best option was to give him space until he stopped focusing on me and then for me to find a different route for my purpose.

Say's Phoebe

I was coming toward the end of a long bird walk, when I noticed Say's Phoebe. If you’re going “say what?”. Say’s Phoebe is a bird that is a member of the flycatchers.  In the picture, it was trying to catch a fly just out of the frame. This bird breeds farther north than any other flycatcher. Breeding range goes from central Mexico to the arctic tundra. We normally see one or two passing through during spring migration. Say’s Phoebes are not picky when they decide where to build a nest. Machinery, mailboxes, old nests by other species and even on top of an oil pipeline. When I first saw this phoebe midday, it was mostly spending its time perched. But when I popped back out early in the evening, a light rain was falling. It was hanging out with a few Yellow-rumped Warblers. They all put on a great show, catching insects in the air.

Long-toed Salamander

Banff National Park has one reptile, the western terrestrial garter snake. Most are found on the slopes of Sulphur Mountain, thanks to the several thermal springs keeping the ground warm. And Banff has four amphibians; boreal toad, columbia spotted frog (I still have not seen one), wood frog and the long-toed salamander. The salamander in the pictures was trying to cross the road to get to the water. For the last number of years, there have been signs placed on the Bow Valley Parkway, asking visitors to slow down from 60 km/h to 30 km/h for a few hundred meters. Below the road is the wetland and above the road is where the salamanders go to hibernate during the winter. Surviving on energy stored in their skin and their tail over the cold months. Already a vehicle had whizzed by, doing more than the normal speed limit as the salamander was about to go over this human path. I parked at the nearby pull-off and decided this little one was going to get across. Already I could see what looked to be the outline of one who did not survive the tire that went over it. And another that was just starting its journey on the road when it met a bike tire from the looks of it.

But this little friend was moving well, no thoughts about stopping until it was in the grass. Any incoming vehicles were easily going to see me, even if they were not going to stop for a salamander. The sight of a person with a camera in hand on the side of the road. Well, that’s a clear sign that there is wildlife in the area. The salamander made it across and rested in the grass before going down the slope to the water. Long before the road was built, this salamander’s ancestors were making the same journey, minus the asphalt. This and many other salamanders today have the same instinct to go up the slope to survive the winter under dead vegetation and back down without getting eaten by predators in the spring. Even if the road is empty, they still deal with hotter than normal temperatures on the road and are easily spotted by birds. Slowing down to 30 km/h or more is a very small price to pay for this small species.

Red-breasted Merganser

Handful of times I have come across Red-breasted Mergansers in Banff National Park, as they make their way north to their breeding territory. As this migration season, I normally come across one Red-breasted Merganser, but in 2020 there were 7. In the fall they migrate in larger groups, up to thousands at time. Unfortunately we don’t get to see them in the fall. In the thousands would be quite the site.

Grizzly

One of the animals sleep researchers are looking at to get a better understanding why they don’t have to deal with the negative effects from long terms of inactivity, is the bear. How are they able to sleep for months with no negative effect on their muscles and bone mass? A possible answer could be shivering in the den, which might help maintain muscle tone and a way to avoid bedsores as well. We humans deal with rapid bone loss due to inactivity. For example, when recovering from an injury, when a tiny few of us spend time in space or when some of us just sit around and eat chocolates. Researchers have found bone degeneration does occur while the bears are in deep sleep, but they do not deal with bone loss. Likely because they recycle calcium and phosphorus right back into rebuilding bone. 

On March 23, 2023. This big guy was the first bear spotted in Banff NP this year. Probably got up to make sure he did not miss the Northern Lights that night. He slept for about three and half months. I got to see him when there was plenty of snow in the valley, well rested and ready to battle it out for another season.

Tundra Swans

A week before this picture, I was looking at four Trumpeter Swans in the same open water. I did not have my camera gear on-hand, so I watched them take off and circle the water before gaining enough altitude to fly away. Then a few hours later, three trumpeters came down in the same area. I had my camera with me this time, but the three decided to stick around.  A week later, I spotted the other species of swan we see here during migration, Tundra Swans. Unlike the Trumpeter Swans, who have a much broader latitude in terms of where they nest. The Tundra Swans nest on arctic tundra. We get to see both species passing through Banff NP during spring migration and sometimes during the fall as well.

As soon as I saw the Tundra Swans about 100 meters from me, some of them were bobbing their heads up and down, they wanted to fly. But it took them about fifteen minutes to reach a consensus, they all moved to the very east of the water and started flapping their wings and running on the water. Due to the heavy winds from the west, they were quickly in the air. I got this picture when they were deciding whether to go left or right with the snow-covered mountain range in the background. For a few weeks, I was trying to get a black and white picture of the swans and the snow in the background. Having them in the air was a bonus.