Not On This Day

Knowing that I had work around home that needed completing, I knew that I could not get to far away from home on this day. It was a beautiful morning as I left home at 7:00AM with just a hint of dawn in the eastern sky. I thought that a visit to a special place of mine was in order on such a fine morning. This proved to be a good move as the morning was moving in the right direction when I left my truck in the parking lot at the end of 9th ave in Inglewood. Mornings are proving to be somewhat cooler with morning temperatures around the freezing mark making a jacket a necessity. I found myself shooting photos of the grasses in a open field bordering the large cotton woods along the banks of the bow river. The early morning light reflecting off of their coats of dew was wonderful.

I had checked the rare bird hot line for any sightings of interesting birds about. I was in the area that a Long-eared Owl had been spotted and I kept scanning the tree tops in anticipation of spotting this owl and maybe getting a photo or two. A few bird-watchers were also looking for this owl but when I asked, they said that they had not seen the owl either.

I may have not seen any sign of the Long-eared Owl, however I did have some success with some of the other residents that call this bend in the bow river home. This muskrat had no time for me as he hurried to his den with this branch held firmly in his mouth, getting ready for winter no doubt.

I had been so busily looking for sign of the Long-eared Owl that I almost missed this shot as these ducks fed on grasses just below the surface of the lagoon. Actually it was the early morning sun reflecting off of the water that made the scene surreal with this beautiful golden hue that was due to the yellow-orange leaves still hanging on to the trees that line the lagoon.

After catching this female Mule Deer bedded down, I knew that I had over-stayed my welcome and headed for my truck as by now the Long-eared Owl would be on his roost.