Not a great photo (from inside the car), but this sighting of a Grizzly Bear sow and her big cub amongst the Paintbrush flowers was such a thrill yesterday. Just 5 minutes to take a few shots and we left them in peace.

On 26 June 2023, my daughter had a free day and asked if I felt like going out for the day. She suggested maybe we could head out to the mountains and, as I hadn't been out there for a long time, it sounded a great idea.

Setting out at 9:00 am, we headed south on Highway 22 until we met the highway that runs through Kananaskis, Hwy 40. The morning was hazy and the distant mountains did not look too inviting. Thankfully, the weather cleared up somewhat, until around mid-afternoon, when we had some rain.

Our first stop was to see if we could see a Hummingbird. Had just a quick look at a Rufous Hummingbird and was happy to get a couple of distant shots. The Barn Swallows were busy nesting, as usual each year.

Further north, we had a very quick stop to see if there was any sign or sound of a tiny Pika. I had not intended to follow my daughter over the rocky ground, especially as I am still dealing with the various injuries from my bad trip and fall, back in the city, in September 2022. That experience has made me really nervous about walking anywhere, and has kept me at home or else out on an occasional drive. So, I only climbed up a few feet and just caught sight of one Pika - and got only one rapid, totally blurry shot. My Pika album contains many better images, so I won't post this recent one. Nice to see the various wildflowers - and a pile of bear scat!

Eventually, we reached our destination and stopped to eat a bit of lunch. The spectacular mountain range that I love to see, was in shadow, though it slowly brightened up. While we were eating, a White-Spotted Sawyer Beetle flew and landed on my daughter's arm. This was great, as I hadn't seen a Sawyer Beetle for ages.

From that location, we headed back south the same way we came. Much as I would love to have taken a gravel back road instead of the highway, I really did not want to risk repeating the bad experience I had just a matter of days earlier, when I ended up on a different gravel road and collected a LOT of gravel and rocks in my wheels. Had to take my car in to be fixed!

My daughter suddenly spotted two Grizzly Bears in the far distance, feeding amongst the beautiful, bright red Paintbrush flowers. A quick 5-minute stop to take a few (blurry!) photos and we left them in peace and continued the drive home. So very thankful to have seen these bears, though Mom was the main one as her big cub had already disappeared into the bushes and trees.

Back in the city. we had already decided to call in at Fish Creek Park to see if we could see a family of Pileated Woodpeckers. The three youngsters had already just fledged, but we did see a couple of them. I hadn't seen a Pileated in quite a while.

A throroughly enjoyable day - my favourite kind of day, when my daughter is free!

Tags:   Alberta Canada Kananaskis SW of Calgary nature wildlife wild animal bear Grizzly Bear Urus Arctos front view hump over shoulders feeding foraging plants wildflowers Paintbrush red grass bushes outdoor summer 26 June 2023 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2023 © All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved

On 26 June 2023, my daughter had a free day and asked if I felt like going out for the day. She suggested maybe we could head out to the mountains and, as I hadn't been out there for a long time, it sounded a great idea.

Setting out at 9:00 am, we headed south on Highway 22 until we met the highway that runs through Kananaskis, Hwy 40. The morning was hazy and the distant mountains did not look too inviting. Thankfully, the weather cleared up somewhat, until around mid-afternoon, when we had some rain.

Our first stop was to see if we could see a Hummingbird. Had just a quick look at a Rufous Hummingbird and was happy to get a couple of distant shots. The Barn Swallows were busy nesting, as usual each year.

Further north, we had a very quick stop to see if there was any sign or sound of a tiny Pika. I had not intended to follow my daughter over the rocky ground, especially as I am still dealing with the various injuries from my bad trip and fall, back in the city, in September 2022. That experience has made me really nervous about walking anywhere, and has kept me at home or else out on an occasional drive. So, I only climbed up a few feet and just caught sight of one Pika - and got only one rapid, totally blurry shot. My Pika album contains many better images, so I won't post this recent one. Nice to see the various wildflowers - and a pile of bear scat!

Eventually, we reached our destination and stopped to eat a bit of lunch. The spectacular mountain range that I love to see, was in shadow, though it slowly brightened up. While we were eating, a White-Spotted Sawyer Beetle flew and landed on my daughter's arm. This was great, as I hadn't seen a Sawyer Beetle for ages.

From that location, we headed back south the same way we came. Much as I would love to have taken a gravel back road instead of the highway, I really did not want to risk repeating the bad experience I had just a matter of days earlier, when I ended up on a different gravel road and collected a LOT of gravel and rocks in my wheels. Had to take my car in to be fixed!

My daughter suddenly spotted two Grizzly Bears in the far distance, feeding amongst the beautiful, bright red Paintbrush flowers. A quick 5-minute stop to take a few (blurry!) photos and we left them in peace and continued the drive home. So very thankful to have seen these bears, though Mom was the main one as her big cub had already disappeared into the bushes and trees.

Back in the city. we had already decided to call in at Fish Creek Park to see if we could see a family of Pileated Woodpeckers. The three youngsters had already just fledged, but we did see a couple of them. I hadn't seen a Pileated in quite a while.

A throroughly enjoyable day - my favourite kind of day, when my daughter is free!

© All Rights Reserved

The distinctive white spot between the 'shoulders' of this beetle can't really be seen from this angle.

On 26 June 2023, my daughter had a free day and asked if I felt like going out for the day. She suggested maybe we could head out to the mountains and, as I hadn't been out there for a long time, it sounded a great idea.

Setting out at 9:00 am, we headed south on Highway 22 until we met the highway that runs through Kananaskis, Hwy 40. The morning was hazy and the distant mountains did not look too inviting. Thankfully, the weather cleared up somewhat, until around mid-afternoon, when we had some rain.

Our first stop was to see if we could see a Hummingbird. Had just a quick look at a Rufous Hummingbird and was happy to get a couple of distant shots. The Barn Swallows were busy nesting, as usual each year.

Further north, we had a very quick stop to see if there was any sign or sound of a tiny Pika. I had not intended to follow my daughter over the rocky ground, especially as I am still dealing with the various injuries from my bad trip and fall, back in the city, in September 2022. That experience has made me really nervous about walking anywhere, and has kept me at home or else out on an occasional drive. So, I only climbed up a few feet and just caught sight of one Pika - and got only one rapid, totally blurry shot. My Pika album contains many better images, so I won't post this recent one. Nice to see the various wildflowers - and a pile of bear scat!

Eventually, we reached our destination and stopped to eat a bit of lunch. The spectacular mountain range that I love to see, was in shadow, though it slowly brightened up. While we were eating, a White-Spotted Sawyer Beetle flew and landed on my daughter's arm. This was great, as I hadn't seen a Sawyer Beetle for ages.

From that location, we headed back south the same way we came. Much as I would love to have taken a gravel back road instead of the highway, I really did not want to risk repeating the bad experience I had just a matter of days earlier, when I ended up on a different gravel road and collected a LOT of gravel and rocks in my wheels. Had to take my car in to be fixed!

My daughter suddenly spotted two Grizzly Bears in the far distance, feeding amongst the beautiful, bright red Paintbrush flowers. A quick 5-minute stop to take a few (blurry!) photos and we left them in peace and continued the drive home. So very thankful to have seen these bears, though Mom was the main one as her big cub had already disappeared into the bushes and trees.

Back in the city. we had already decided to call in at Fish Creek Park to see if we could see a family of Pileated Woodpeckers. The three youngsters had already just fledged, but we did see a couple of them. I hadn't seen a Pileated in quite a while.

A throroughly enjoyable day - my favourite kind of day, when my daughter is free!

Tags:   Alberta Canada Kananaskis SW of Calgary nature wildlife insect White-spotted Sawyer Monochamus scutellatus Spruce Sawyer wood-boring beetle native to North America on edge of picnic table back view very long antennae table outdoor 26 June 2023 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2023 © All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved

On 26 June 2023, my daughter had a free day and asked if I felt like going out for the day. She suggested maybe we could head out to the mountains and, as I hadn't been out there for a long time, it sounded a great idea.

Setting out at 9:00 am, we headed south on Highway 22 until we met the highway that runs through Kananaskis, Hwy 40. The morning was hazy and the distant mountains did not look too inviting. Thankfully, the weather cleared up somewhat, until around mid-afternoon, when we had some rain.

Our first stop was to see if we could see a Hummingbird. Had just a quick look at a Rufous Hummingbird and was happy to get a couple of distant shots. The Barn Swallows were busy nesting, as usual each year.

Further north, we had a very quick stop to see if there was any sign or sound of a tiny Pika. I had not intended to follow my daughter over the rocky ground, especially as I am still dealing with the various injuries from my bad trip and fall, back in the city, in September 2022. That experience has made me really nervous about walking anywhere, and has kept me at home or else out on an occasional drive. So, I only climbed up a few feet and just caught sight of one Pika - and got only one rapid, totally blurry shot. My Pika album contains many better images, so I won't post this recent one. Nice to see the various wildflowers - and a pile of bear scat!

Eventually, we reached our destination and stopped to eat a bit of lunch. The spectacular mountain range that I love to see, was in shadow, though it slowly brightened up. While we were eating, a White-Spotted Sawyer Beetle flew and landed on my daughter's arm. This was great, as I hadn't seen a Sawyer Beetle for ages.

From that location, we headed back south the same way we came. Much as I would love to have taken a gravel back road instead of the highway, I really did not want to risk repeating the bad experience I had just a matter of days earlier, when I ended up on a different gravel road and collected a LOT of gravel and rocks in my wheels. Had to take my car in to be fixed!

My daughter suddenly spotted two Grizzly Bears in the far distance, feeding amongst the beautiful, bright red Paintbrush flowers. A quick 5-minute stop to take a few (blurry!) photos and we left them in peace and continued the drive home. So very thankful to have seen these bears, though Mom was the main one as her big cub had already disappeared into the bushes and trees.

Back in the city. we had already decided to call in at Fish Creek Park to see if we could see a family of Pileated Woodpeckers. The three youngsters had already just fledged, but we did see a couple of them. I hadn't seen a Pileated in quite a while.

A throroughly enjoyable day - my favourite kind of day, when my daughter is free!

Tags:   Alberta Canada Kananaskis SW of Calgary nature scenery landscape view mountains range folds erosion tree line trees forest clouds lake water outdoor 26 June 2023 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2023 © All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved

On 26 June 2023, my daughter had a free day and asked if I felt like going out for the day. She suggested maybe we could head out to the mountains and, as I hadn't been out there for a long time, it sounded a great idea.

Setting out at 9:00 am, we headed south on Highway 22 until we met the highway that runs through Kananaskis, Hwy 40. The morning was hazy and the distant mountains did not look too inviting. Thankfully, the weather cleared up somewhat, until around mid-afternoon, when we had some rain.

Our first stop was to see if we could see a Hummingbird. Had just a quick look at a Rufous Hummingbird and was happy to get a couple of distant shots. The Barn Swallows were busy nesting, as usual each year.

Further north, we had a very quick stop to see if there was any sign or sound of a tiny Pika. I had not intended to follow my daughter over the rocky ground, especially as I am still dealing with the various injuries from my bad trip and fall, back in the city, in September 2022. That experience has made me really nervous about walking anywhere, and has kept me at home or else out on an occasional drive. So, I only climbed up a few feet and just caught sight of one Pika - and got only one rapid, totally blurry shot. My Pika album contains many better images, so I won't post this recent one. Nice to see the various wildflowers - and a pile of bear scat!

Eventually, we reached our destination and stopped to eat a bit of lunch. The spectacular mountain range that I love to see, was in shadow, though it slowly brightened up. While we were eating, a White-Spotted Sawyer Beetle flew and landed on my daughter's arm. This was great, as I hadn't seen a Sawyer Beetle for ages.

From that location, we headed back south the same way we came. Much as I would love to have taken a gravel back road instead of the highway, I really did not want to risk repeating the bad experience I had just a matter of days earlier, when I ended up on a different gravel road and collected a LOT of gravel and rocks in my wheels. Had to take my car in to be fixed!

My daughter suddenly spotted two Grizzly Bears in the far distance, feeding amongst the beautiful, bright red Paintbrush flowers. A quick 5-minute stop to take a few (blurry!) photos and we left them in peace and continued the drive home. So very thankful to have seen these bears, though Mom was the main one as her big cub had already disappeared into the bushes and trees.

Back in the city. we had already decided to call in at Fish Creek Park to see if we could see a family of Pileated Woodpeckers. The three youngsters had already just fledged, but we did see a couple of them. I hadn't seen a Pileated in quite a while.

A throroughly enjoyable day - my favourite kind of day, when my daughter is free!

© All Rights Reserved