Wildlife, critters, bears, deer, geese … birds, birds, birds!

Well, since getting back from the sunny south, our time has been spent mostly around home.  For a while it seemed like the snow would never end, with new dumps every few days, and night time temps dipping into the freezing range.  I had my bird feeders out the day after returning, but after a full month, I had not seen a single bird visiting them.  In spite of the snow, a bit of green grass had begun to sprout around the sides of the house, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the local whitetailed deer.  Some of this grass was right in front of a basement window, which resulted in a convenient and comfortable photo blind!

Eventually, the snow stopped coming, and the weather started to warm up a bit.  It even got nice enough to get me out for a few short hikes along the river.

There was a reunion of sorts back in Lake Louise a couple weeks ago that I decided to attend.  Got to chat with lots of old friends and acquaintances. 

Not all the old acquaintances were at the party.  Some had just woken up and were out looking for a meal somewhere.  This guy was not at all camera shy!

Eventually, the birds at home discovered the feeders and the word spread through the avian community.

A few tree swallows arrived a few days ago, and within hours they looked to be setting up house in one of my newly constructed bird houses.  And they sure looked happy to be back.

No sign of the cliff swallows or barn swallows yet …   And no action at the hummingbird feeder.

The newest bird feeder, that sticks right on the window is Hailey’s favourite.  She hides under the window sill and watches intently till she can’t take it any more, then leaps up and puts yet another nose-print on the window!

 

A few mountain bluebirds have appeared.  Common Nighthawks are around in the evenings, but haven’t seen any bats yet.  No bugs to speak of, and haven’t seen or heard a mosquito yet.

I had to pull the camper off the truck to haul some lumber, as I couldn’t find any more excuses not to re-build the deck railings.  I managed to get all the rails replaced and the decks front and back treated – just in time for the rain!

Lots of flooding happening in eastern Canada and in B.C., but our river here is well behaved, and is still low and well within it’s banks.  Fire season is underway, and there have been a few fires in the area, but mostly grass fires as the bush is still rather wet.  It was the anniversary of the big fire in Ft McMurray when I received my ‘personal’ letter from our Premier, with a certificate for my ‘extraordinary efforts’ and ‘outstanding service’, and a medallion.  I’m not working if fire control this summer, but I still hear much of the radio traffic in the area and spotted one of ‘our’ helicopters fly by on it’s return from a nearby fire.

Once I get a few more loose ends tied up here at home, and perhaps cut the grass for the first time, I think it will be time to hit the road again.