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"NOT WIND IN THE WILLOWS BUT ... " - Muskrat

November 24, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"NOT WIND IN THE WILLOWS BUT..." Muskrat - 7 Photos Like "Ratty" in Wind in the Willows, the muskrat is a semi-aquatic rodent, not a rat. The muskrat (Photo #1 & Photo #2) is more closely related to "Ratty", who was, in fact, a water vole. Muskrats often share accommodation with beavers in their lodges. They were once thought to live rent free...

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"CHANGING OF THE GUARD" - Mule Deer

November 24, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"CHANGING OF THE GUARD" Mule Deer (Males) - 7 Photos With the end of November fast approaching, the contests for the male Mule Deer as to who will have the right to a selection of does for mating, are in full swing. One huge buck appeared to be the first on the scene (Photo #1), sniffing the grasses where the does had been but it wasn't long be...

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"TUFFY" - Mule Deer

November 20, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"TUFFY" Mule Deer (Male & Female) - 7 Photos I've named this Mule Deer buck - "Tuffy". He should always be easy to identify from others due to the slice missing from his left ear. Unlike antlers which are shed each year and other wounds that heal, this ear will be forever distinctive (Photo #1 through Photo #3). I assume it was damaged in one o...

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"LOGGING IN/LOGGING OUT" - Pileated Woodpecker

November 18, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"LOGGING IN/LOGGING OUT" Pileated Woodpecker (Male) - 8 Photos Logging in and logging out can refer to computers but it can also refer to a Pileated Woodpecker who went from perching against a tree to landing and excavating a cut down tree. There was some grooming involved prior to returning to work (Photo #1 & Photo #2). And yes, that is indeed...

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"HEAVENS TO BETSY" - Great Horned Owl (Female)

November 07, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"HEAVENS TO BETSY" Great Horned Owl - 5 Photos Taking the title from the country song by Jackson Dean & using an old expression of mild surprise or joy, this Great Horned Owl had taken refuge in a tree, somewhat sheltered by the trunk. The wind was gusting over 30 kilometres per hour, putting a chill in the air and creating quite the ruffling o...

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"LATE DEPARTURE" - Osprey

October 20, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"LATE DEPARTURE" Osprey - 4 Photos It's now almost the end of October and this Osprey is still fishing in Spring/Summer breeding grounds. I assume the Osprey is without a mate. A fully matured adult and would have left earlier this Autumn if there had been a mate and offspring. Calgary is currently experiencing a relatively mild Autumn thi...

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"TREE RECLINER" - Porcupine (North American)

October 14, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"TREE RECLINER" Porcupine (North American) - 5 Photos I believe most of us like to sometimes just kick back and relax, which is probably easier for us than wildlife. After all, we probably have a comfortable favourite chair or sofa that we can just sink into. But Nature has its own style of furniture. And for a porcupine on a sunny late af...

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"THE FINAL DAYS OF HARVEST" - Pika

October 12, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"THE FINAL DAYS OF HARVEST" Pika (Plus One) - 5 Photos Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada With Autumn here and Winter quickly closing in, particularly in the Rockies, it's probably the last days of harvesting this year for the Pikas (Photo #1 & Photo #2). Making quick trips from the rocky slopes to the meadow below and back, with as much vegetati...

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"GOLDEN GIRL" - Porcupine (North American)

October 12, 2025 • Leave a Comment

"GOLDEN GIRL" Porcupine (North American) - 5 Photos It's October and most likely the porcupines are looking for a partner with whom to mate, albeit a very short interval when they look for a companion. Other than the time when mothers and youngsters are together, porcupines lead solitary lives, except for this one brief period. The porcupine wh...

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