Last shot (for now) of the wild, remote southern portion of the national park. I shot this view a few minutes before the previous two, partway up the access road, looking back to the Frenchman River Valley below. You can catch a glimpse of the river, behind the cone-shaped hill.
One great advantage of winter is that the river freezes, so it can be crossed with dry feet and no chance of stepping into deep mud. Therefore it's possible to access areas I usually can't get to, even taking into account the limitations of old age and diminishing energy reserves.
Tomorrow, while many of my American friends will be migrating to various places for their holiday, I will be starting a new series on migrations - the avian kind.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape snow valley hills late fall late autumn beauty rugged wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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For those who viewed yesterday's shot of a winding road across the high lonesome prairie, this was made from the same spot. That's the road at the upper right. Interesting to see it in context...
There is no way to get up here, well above the main road through the valley bottom, following a big snowstorm. It's also impassible after rain, and Parks Canada will close access in both these situations. I love this part of the park, above Otter Basin, but I'm careful to not get stuck out there, because it's a long, long walk to get help.
Fortunately, most winters we don't get much snow. We do get periods of deadly cold, though, so I'm careful to not go too far in these conditions.
Cell phone coverage is spotty, too. And after losing two cell phones in succession, I am taking a break from that piece of technology - and not missing it whatsoever. I go to these places to get away from the "civilized" world, not to bring it with me. I am grateful to have found a place where I can escape into solitude without having to backpack for two days.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape panorama pano snow grass view road remote beautiful rugged erosion drainage wild prairie Otter Basin Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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It was only five days ago but already feels like history. Which, I suppose, it is. A cold white blanket now lies across the prairie, and I don't think it's going to melt before the spring. I know this land could use a good snow pack over the winter, so this is good. But I won't be driving this road again until the wind has done its work and cleared away the drifts.
Five days ago, it looked great. Only a dusting of snow. Morning shadows revealing the contours of this rolling prairie in a remote corner of our nearby national park. Earlier that morning, I had found some Mule Deer back in the valley, and photographed a handsome buck interacting with his harem - yes, the rut is on. The uphill hike to get close enough left me gasping for oxygen, but I was nonetheless grateful to still have the capacity to do it.
Here, on the high lonesome prairie, it was all shadows and light, the rolling hills and curving backroad. Only -10°C (about 14°F) but the breeze effectively dropped that another ten degrees, I kept my excursions brief. Get out, set up the tripod, be decisive, get the shot, get out of the wind, warm up numb fingers with a good blast from the car's heater..
Once again, despite the map's insistence, I did not leave my country to make this shot.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape road winding rolling prairie brown yellow curves backroad windy cold late fall stark beauty wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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There are famous horseshoe bends on the world's rivers, and obscure ones, such as this. I may be the only photographer who has ever photographed this one, in a remote part of Grasslands, far from the nearest road. The day was virtually cloudless, so I composed to minimize the sky and allow the river to dominate. I wasn't totally confident that this would work, but ended up liking the outcome.
I really like fall on the northern prairie, after the summer heat has departed, before the winter cold arrives. I tend to run late with my latest images, in part because I like to sit with them a while to find out whether they're just a flash in the pan or have some long-term merit. If a photo still interests me after a month or two, it goes into the queue.
And so, a new image set starts today, with a couple of shots from two months ago and then two more from 13 years ago. Seriously. I'll try to explain when I get to them.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape river water hills grasses fall autumn pano panorama wild prairie Frenchman River Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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In June this Loggerhead Shrike was looking very spiffy in its breeding plumage. Photographed from the rolling red Toyota blind, and upscaled slightly in ON1 Resize.
I made this shot in the valley bottom, just down the hill from my position in yesterday's photo of the speed zone sign. If you scroll back one day, you will see just how good the artist's depiction of a shrike really is. Stylized but still realistic.
The Loggerhead Shrike is considered endangered in Canada and is listed under the federal Species at Risk Act.
Bird shots from this summer to be continued tomorrow...
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus wildlife bird songbird passerine butcher bird predator perching wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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