Today on BT I headed down to the Chateau Louie, to recap the sheer fantastic-ness of the royal wedding. To my dismay, the balcony kiss left a little bit to be desired… Well, when prompting a regal couple this morning… HA! No words needed! Check out the video below!

Happy Royal Friday!

-B

Duck! It's 2 Mallards!

I spy a couple of Mallards – as did Lynda in Vegreville.    Lucky for us she had her camera at the ready.    I don’t suppose these couple of quacks even noticed how they complete such a beautiful picture.    Check out the water shimmering in the sunshine, and how we can see the webbed-feet “wake” trailing behind!

DID YOU KNOW?    Mallards are dabbling ducks.    That means they do not dive underwater for their food, but feed at or just below the surface.    Mallards need wetlands.    They depend on wetlands to survive, but Canada’s wetlands is vanishing.    According to Ducks Unlimited Canada, up to 70 per cent have been lost in some areas of the country.     http://www.ducks.ca/resource/general/wetland/mallard.html

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I love passionate people.  I love people who love their jobs.  I love that people get angry and passionate when they stand up for what they believe in.  But in a historic building,  in what is supposed to be a dignified forum (the chamber of the legislature where non-politicians rarely get to go)…what happened in Question period on Wednesday was a side show.  It was funny at first…but eventually I found it sad.  ALL parties are guilty of it…debasing each other and the issues.

They are not getting attention for their issues acting like kids in the school yard…we are just laughing at their words and how Brian Mason grabs his head after David Swan talks about the Premier of Alberta’s testicles…or lack of them. What’s next?  Hair pulling?  Take a look at what I am talking about.

We have all heard of the Devonian Botanic Garden and today I enjoyed my first visit! I can’t wait until I can go back when the snow is gone!

Who's the Boss?

Talk about being “in a flap!”    Sonja was chuckling to herself while this Ring-billed Gull was giving everyone the business.    “I spent the day at Hawrelak Park, it was really beautiful.   People were having BBQs and even suntanning!”    It is common to see gulls thrive inland.    Ther are very opportunistic and will go anywhere that food may be available – whether that’s the ocean or a garbage dump … or your children’s lunch!

DID YOU KNOW?    Ring-billed Gulls do better with raising healthy chicks than many gull species.  They will often raise two chicks to flying age—five to six weeks.    And their life span is 10 to 15 years which explains the gull population explosion.    Hinterland Who’s Who has more information on these bossy birds:  http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=68

WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GO WITH YOU ON YOUR NEXT OUTING – BUT WE DO WANT TO SEE WHAT WE MISSED!   FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING ON BT AND ARE FEATURED RIGHT HERE ON THIS BLOG.     

Just over an hour?!  You will be amazed at how quaint and hospitable they are in Pigeon Lake! Luxurious treatments, backstreet finds, and the most wicked rides with three wheels are what you need to see here!

Brilliant Butterfly

Kinglsey shows us one of the best-known butterflies in Canada, the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail taking a rest in Lethbridge.    It is basic yellow with wide, black tiger stripes and a wide, black band along the hindwing.    The Swallowtail’s range takes it north of the Arctic Circle in Yukon, and to Churchill in northern Manitoba.    And they like mud puddles!    It has been reported that hundreds will gather in the same small puddle, jostling for position.

DID YOU KNOW?     The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail gets its name from the tails on its hind wings.    They look like the v-shaped tail of a barn swallow.

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