In terms of visibility the aurora have been few this year, heavy cloud has blocked out some stunning displays and frustrated me beyond imagining at times. I actually began to wonder if the aurora was somehow causing cloud as the two seemed to combine to frustrate me with such regularity. Tonight the opposite happened, predictions for solar activity were low, it was a bright solid 2/3 rd's moon, air transparency was not great owing to airborne water vapor and low cloud floated across the horizon. Just about every condition you wouldn't want when viewing the aurora.
Having said all of that my habit of checking the skies anyway paid off. I walked out onto the balcony and immediately saw that familier green glow on the horizon. I scurried off to grab the camera gear and was soon set up shooting that beautiful light. Once I had a few shots secured in camera, I went inside and put on a thick winter jacket and my thermal boots because the t-shirt and bare feet in flip flops were no match for the conditions. I made a few shots from the balcony and then went out into the snow to get a different vantage point. When I reached the fence the house no longer blocked the wind that was whistling around the yard, it was absolutely freezing. I carried on making shots with hands in pockets squeezing the remote trigger from the warmth of that impenetrable winter jacket. This wasn't the best aurora I've shot from the yard but it was beautiful to see after so long without it. Before going back indoors I made a quick shot of the moon over the house to show how bright it was, I have to say it did bring some excellent light to the foreground of the aurora shots.
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The cold winter still persists, leaving me reluctant to get out this week, though there are signs of a slight warming later in the week (fingers crossed). In the meantime here are a few nice shots of a lovely Northern Flicker, a Downy Woodpecker, Red Breasted Nuthatch and a little Chickadee that visited the feeder this afternoon.
The snow finally relented today so I loaded up and headed back to Kananaskis for some welcome outdoor wandering. The snow was very deep and light so snowshoes were needed for every step of the way. Though the sun tried it's very best to warm things up we never got above -15 and the wind chill dipped that further, but it was great to be out.
I made a good circuit on the lake and through the forest in the main shot below, killing time in the hope of the predicted sunset occurring later. Though the light was incredibly harsh I made a few images to record the day, the best part of which was those lovely little whiskey jacks (Grey Jay) coming to share my snack bars at lunchtime. I waited for the sunset but the clouds closed in and covered the area, there was some nice colour further away as I made my way home along highway 40, but by then I was absolutely tired out from hours of slogging around in snowshoes. Not the best day photographically but the whiskey jacks were worth the trip. With more snow in the forecast it looks like winter will be around for a good while yet and the stunning ice formations will remain buried for a few more weeks. Sarah and I were watching 3 deer trying to dig down to ground level in the back garden snow this evening. It was -25 at sunset when they jumped the fence and made inroads into the shrubs poking up through the deep snow. We stood at the window watching as they prodded around for food with their noses, we lacked the heart to scare them away even though they were stunting the shrubs. I made a few images just because it's been so long since my last post, winter has been harsh so far this year with record snowfall and prolonged cold preventing any melting. As I write there is no sign of an improvement in temperature but at least the snowfall predictions are much less over the coming days.
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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January 2024
The Shaman, West Texas
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