Spent the whole day, from about 6:45 a.m.. (yes, A.M.!) till early evening, on a Christmas Bird Count east of the city, in the Drumheller area. I hadn't been out this way for maybe 12 years, so I REALLY appreciated the chance to be driven out there today! Not a bad day weather-wise, though it was very cold. Dropped down to -21C, but had soared to a balmy -4C when we got back to Calgary.

The sunshine made this attractive barn into a delightful scene, when we stopped to browse the area for bird species.

Tags:   Drumheller Alberta Canada barn farm winter snow scenery scene Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1020994 FZ18 annkelliott

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Spent the whole day, from about 6:45 a.m.. (to those of you who know me well, yes, A.M.!) till early evening, on a Christmas Bird Count east of the city, in the Drumheller area. I hadn't been out this way for maybe 12 years, so I REALLY appreciated the chance to be driven out there today! Not a bad day weather-wise, though it was very cold. Dropped down to -21C, but had soared to a balmy -4C when we got back to Calgary. Photographed these berries on a farm whilst looking to see what birds were around.

Tags:   Drumheller Alberta Canada Badlands shrub berries winter frost ice crystals Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1020987 FZ18 annkelliott

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Spent the whole day, from about 6:45 a.m.. (to those of you who know me well, yes, A.M.!) till early evening, on a Christmas Bird Count east of the city, in the Drumheller area. I hadn't been out this way for maybe 12 years, so I REALLY appreciated the chance to be driven out there today! Not a bad day weather-wise, though it was very cold. Dropped down to -21C, but had soared to a balmy -4C when we got back to Calgary.

"Rolling fields suddenly give way to steep, dry coulees ridged with the strata of hundreds of years of erosion by time, wind and water. Through it all, the tranquil Red Deer River gently makes its way through parkland and myriad of recreational opportunities." From www.dinosaurvalley.com. The excavation of many dinosaur remains here and in the Dinosaur Provincial Park is known of world-wide. I had never seen this area covered in a light dusting of snow before. I posted a couple of photos ages ago, showing the eroded Hoodoo formations.

"Drumheller is a town (formerly a city) on the Red Deer River in the Badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located 110 kilometres (68 mi) northeast of Calgary.

Drumheller has been the filming location for more than 50 commercials, music videos and cinematic productions including Shanghai Noon, Unforgiven, Knockaround Guys and Rat Race.

South of the traffic bridge on Highway 9 north and south one can find the World's Largest Dinosaur, a 26.2 metres (86 ft) high Tyrannosaurus rex that can be entered for a view of the Badlands, including the adjacent 23 metre (75 ft) water fountain, again one of the largest in Canada.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is a museum that hosts Canada's largest collection of dinosaur fossils. It boasts 350,000 visitors a year, the largest of all provincial museum attractions. The Royal Tyrrell Museum is located in the northwest quadrant of the Town of Drumheller, in Midland Provincial Park." From Wikipedia. Actually, I dashed into the Museum and bought my grandson a black T-shirt with a Glow-in-the-dark dinosaur skeleton design on it in white : ).

Tags:   Drumheller Alberta Canada Badlands dinosaur hills erosion coulee hoodoos snow winter Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1020994 FZ18 annkelliott

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Spent the whole day, from about 6:45 a.m.. (yes, A.M.!) till early evening, on a Christmas Bird Count east of the city, in the Drumheller area. I hadn't been out this way for maybe 12 years, so I REALLY appreciated the chance to be driven out there today! Not a bad day weather-wise, though it was very cold. Dropped down to -21C, but had soared to a balmy -4C when we got back to Calgary.

We were lucky to see two groups of these rabbits today, two in one group and three in the other. I don't remember ever seeing a Nuttall's Cottontail before, so that was exciting. This photo shows the rufous nape and black eyes.

"The Nuttall's Cottontail, also known as the Mountain Cottontail, occurs in the Red Deer River valley at Drumheller and the Bow River at Carseland. It is most common along the Milk River. The species was first recorded in Alberta in 1917 and may still be expanding its range northward, perhaps due to global warming.

It is mainly an inhabitant of coulees and river bottomlands, rocky valley sides, scrubby bush lands or arid sagebrush areas. It finds shelter in banks, badger or ground squirrel burrows, among rocks or under human-created brush or lumber piles or abandoned machinery. It prefers edges where it can feed in the open, and if necessary, quickly dash into protective brushy cover. It often spends the day resting in a sheltered ‘form', usually in dense, shrubby vegetation.

Unlike hares which change colour with the seasons, the Nuttall's Cottontail retains a greyish pelage all year. Its sides are paler than the back. The nape of the neck is rufous, as are the back of its thighs. The short, powder-puff tail is grey on top, white below, as is its underside. The endearing eyes are coal black. The rounded ears are usually shorter than those of the somewhat similar-sized Snowshoe Hare, whose range it seldom overlaps." From www.weaselhead.org.

Tags:   Drumheller Alberta Canada Badlands animal wild animal Rabbit Nuttall's Cottontail Mountain Cottontail Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1030027 FZ18 annkelliott Sylvilagus nuttallii AnimalPlanet AnAwesomeShot Talkaboutwildlife.ca

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A fairly typical Prairie view, seen in the morning sun and with a light dusting of snow. Spent the whole day on Saturday 22nd December, from 6:10 a.m.. (to those of you who know me well, yes, A.M.!) till early evening, on a Christmas Bird Count north-east of the city, in the Drumheller area. I hadn't been out this way for maybe 12 years, so I REALLY appreciated the chance to be driven out there! Drumheller is a fascinating area, out in the Prairies, and is the land of the badlands and the dinosaurs. Not a bad day weather-wise, though it was very cold. Dropped down to -21C (-5.8F), but had soared to a balmy -4C (24.8F) when we got back to Calgary.

Tags:   Alberta Canada North-east of Calgary Drumheller area Bird Count nature Prairie fields Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1020973 FZ18 annkelliott winter snow

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