BT Edmonton Blogs

Quit Grousing!

Many people have cabins tucked away in the woods far from telephones, traffic and tension.    Mick & Candy have an escape about as far north as you can go in Alberta:  ”Check out this Spruce Grouse that was hanging out near our cabin on North Leland Lake“.    I wonder if it was the red comb over her eye that caught Mick and Candy’s eye.

DID YOU KNOW?    The Spruce Grouse is a large chicken-like bird.    The male has mostly black feathers – leading me to believe that this is a Ms. Spruce Grouse (say THAT 5 times fast).    And here’s something really cool:  to help them walk in the snow they grow “snow shoes” in the fall.    They are short extensions that increase the surface area of their toes.    They shed their little ’shoes’ in the spring.    As you can see – they have camouflage down to a fine art.    When they sense danger – they can stay incredibly still for a lonnnng time, and then all of a sudden take off!    That behavior has earned them the nickname “fool hen”.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spruce_Grouse/id/ac

SPEND A LITTLE QUIET TIME IN THOSE GREAT OUTDOORS WHERE THE ONLY SOUND IS OF THE BREEZE, THE CRICKETS, AND MAYBE YOUR SHUTTER AS YOU CAPTURE OUR NEXT FRESH AIR PHOTO.    UPLOAD YOURS TODAY!

M-u-s-t get in to the feeder!!!

Those of you who have bird feeders in the backyard might grumble a bit when the furry fiends start stealing seeds.    Paul witnessed a bit of a crime himself:  ”While at Hawrelak Park in early January, I took a cool photo of a little bandit trying to break in to the bird food”.    Most times squirrels are a welcome addition to your backyard, but not when they scare or chase birds away from their birdy-buffet.    One expert tells me to feed the birds suet blocks and safflower seeds because squirrels don’t eat either.    Below, I have included some things you should not do (but might be tempted to do) – when it comes to repelling the little rodents.

DID YOU KNOW?    DO NOT:

•Hunt:  Shooting squirrels is illegal in many areas, and you might injure birds when aiming for squirrels.
•Poison:  Poisoning seed or setting poisoned bait for squirrels could kill birds(& other creatures) that sample the bait.
•Cats:  Do not release a cat to hunt squirrels.  The cats are as much of a threat to the neighbourhood birds as they are to your feeder guests.
•Grease:  Adding grease to a pole or hanger to make it too slippery is ineffective.  It can also coat the animals’ (& birds’ feathers)–causing illness and vulnerability to predators.

For more info click here:  http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeeders/a/squirrelprooffeeder.htm

Arctic Fox

Rick lives on the shore of the Arctic Ocean in Tuktoyaktuk.    He writes:  “Wild life?   A few years ago this would be a rare sighting from a distance.  These days while walking the streets of our town you can get within a few feet of a red fox.    I was about 4 feet away when I took his picture”.

DID YOU KNOW?    A female fox is called a Vixen.    A male fox is called a Reynard, a Dog or Tod.    Babies are Cubs, Pups, or Kits.    A group of foxes is called a Leash, Skulk, or Troop.    Most foxes hunt alone and hunt mostly at night.    As you can see with its pretty and warm, fluffy, long coat – the Red Fox is popular with the fur industry, and has been since the 1830s.    The red fox has a long body and relatively short limbs.    Its tail is longer than half its body length and when standing, the tail touches the ground.    Typical colouring of the red fox is evident in the photo that Rick took in Tuk — its chin, throat and chest are white and paws -black.

SEEN ANY CRITTERS LATELY?    CAMERA CAPTURE ONE – OR OF A SCENE SHOWCASING MOTHER NATURE, AND WE WILL AIR IT ON BT AND PRESENT IT ON THIS VERY BLOG.    OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY!

Sunrise of serenity

This scene must have stopped Christeena in her tracks.    There are many reasons I love watching the sky as the sun rises.    The colours can be vibrant and bright or blended with the prettiest of pastels.    And the sky has such incredible dimension!    Christeena shows us some tricks of the photography-trade by including all the important elements without overdoing a single one.

DID YOU KNOW?    I was doing a little search – looking for advice on how to take better winter pictures.    The number one suggestion that came up again and again was to find an object “other than the sun” to use.    An object can be a tree or a silhouette of a person .. something that adds value to the photo and attracts the eye.    And if you are brave enough, brave the elements!    Jack Frost paints a pretty picture of his own – it’s up to you to capture it on camera.      http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/sunset-sunrise-photography.html    

YOUR ASSIGNMENT, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT IS TO FOCUS .. ON ANYTHING THAT MOTHER NATURE OR OLD MAN WINTER MAY HAVE CREATED.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY, SEE IT ON BT AND THIS BLOG – TOMORROW!

Alberta

I have seen this vista myself north of Airdrie, and I love Rod’s story about how he drove by many times and was one day inspired to stop:  ”This was taken one March morning when we were travelling from Red Deer to Calgary.   I had passed the exact same area earlier in the fall.   At that time there was a farmer out combining the field, the mountains were in perfect contrast, and the gas plant was also in the picture.   I thought; what a perfect postcard for Alberta’s main industries, but at that time I did not have my camera.   Since then, I have travelled QE 2 many times - looking for that “perfect shot” again, but this was the closest I have come”.

DID YOU KNOW?    When you think of the discovery of oil in Alberta, you might think “Leduc” back in 1947.    But around 1910, an Okotoks farmer named William Stewart Herron discovered gas at Turner Valley, southwest of Calgary.    And then in the early 1930s, oil was uncovered beneath the field’s gas wells.    In 1923 and 1939 international oil companies Imperial Oil and British American Oil built refineries in Calgary.

IT MAY TAKE A WHILE TO SINK IN, BUT ONCE IT DOES WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GRAB THE CAMER AND SEIZE THE MOMENT!    ON OUR MAIN WEBPAGE CLICK ON ‘CONNECT WITH BT’.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO AND PREPARED TO AMAZE YOUR FRIENDS, RELATIVES, AND VIEWERS OF BT.

Looking for lunch

Talk about head turning beauty!    Don was the one with the eagle, … uh, I mean perceptive, owl-like eye.    “Snowy Owls are here from points north in the Arctic.   This is a female I photographed on Sunday, January 8, 2012 on the east side of Sherwood Park along Highway 21.   Take a look now because they leave when summer arrives”.

DID YOU KNOW?    Most owls are nocturnal, but snowy owls are diurnal—that means they hunt and are active both day and night.    They spend their winters in Alberta and when it warms up – head back to the Arctic tundra to find a mate, raise a family, and dine on their favorite and abundant meal – the lemming.    An adult may eat three to five every day.    When they want a little variety, they will hunt rabbits, birds, and fish.    Snow owls are able to fend off the incredible cold because they have a thick layer of down underneath their many layers of feathers.    http://www.srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/WildSpecies/Birds/Owls/SnowyOwl.aspx 

THE WORLD IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS .. GET OUT THERE AND TAKE A PICTURE.    FRESH AIR PHOTOS AIR EVERY MORNING ON BT AND ARE ENJOYED BY THOUSANDS ON THIS BLOG.    OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY, UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY!

Hey Nayyyy-bour!

When I see this picture I think “Alberta” and our western heritage.    When Keven sees this picture he is most likely thankful of living in the country:  “These horses  – and the people who tend them - are my neighbours.    Their ranch is directly to my north – and they are my only neighbours”.    I have never owned a horse, but have always loved them because:  they are graceful - have such beautiful coats, velvet noses, and I love the way they smell.    To me, each one is a character with a dash of attitude.

DID YOU KNOW?    From the 15 hundreds – stories told and passed from generation to generation include how horses played an integral part of the Plains Indian life.    Around 1630 the first horse was brought back into what is now Alberta by the Blackfoot.    Then. First Nations people like the Cree from the foothills and north; the Kotenai, from south-eastern British Columbia also began to integrate horses in their lives.    You have probably heard about Horse Whisperers.    Horses use ear and head position, showing of teeth, swinging of hips, and many other gestures to communicate.    Their stress level escalates quickly if their warnings are not heeded.    Horse whisperers say it is possible to learn and use body language to communicate with a horse.    I found a great link with more info about handling/training horses in a way that is “firm but fair”.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_horsemanship

SADDLE UP!    IT’S YOUR TURN TO SNAP AND SEND A PHOTO SHOWING MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES.    BT VIEWERS AND READERS OF THIS BLOG ARE STANDING BY!

Snake in the Grass ... on the rocks

Garter Snake on the recoil!    I wonder what happened to cause such a commotion .. I think Kim knows:  ”One morning, my dog Dryad and I were walking along the bank of the North Saskatchewan River near Hermitage Park.   As we approached an outcropping of rocks I spotted the snake.   At first I thought it was dead - but then it started to wriggle, no doubt thinking:  “if ONLY I could slither away!”   And then it pulled itself together and made the toughest hiss it could muster.   And I am sure it considered itself quite terrifying….   I thanked it for being my model and we carried on.   When we walked back that way, the snake had managed to relocate itself to a spot with less  foot traffic“.

DID YOU KNOW?    The Garter Snake is one of the most familiar snakes in North America.    With 3 long yellow stripes on its back – it resembles the garters that some men wear/wore to hold up their socks … hence the name.    Garter snakes cannot kill humans with their venom.    They do ’have’ venom, but it is a musky-scented secretion and is non-toxic.

WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A CAMERA.    ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR FRESH AIR PHOTO, HEAD TO OUR MAIN WEBPAGE, CLICK ON “CONNECT WITH BT” AND BAM – INSTANT FAME WILL ACCOMPANY YOUR NAME!    OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY.

He sits with spitz

How wonderful to have such colourful visitors!    Thanks to Murray who takes incredible care feeding the fine-feathereds:  “This is a pair of American Goldfinches having dinner outside our kitchen window last fall.   Some stay in Alberta during the winter.   These are males on the eclipse of changing to winter plumage - & then all the goldfinches look the same.   We seed the sunflowers every year just for our avian friends“.

DID YOU KNOW?    If  you want to attract and offer fine dining for Goldfinches, take Murray’s advice and supply hulled sunflowers and niger seed.    They also love dandilion and thistle seeds.    In fact, abundant and nutritious seeds are so important to these little beauties, that if they find an area with lots of food, they will delay their migration and stay over-time to eat and enjoy.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WILDLIFE VISITORS IN “YOUR” BACKYARD?    NO, WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT UNCLE ELMER OR COUSIN CLEM,  -WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE FOUR-LEGGED OR FINE-FEATHERED CREATURES.    FLORA OR FAUNA WILL DO AS WELL.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY, SEE IT ON BT AND THIS VERY BLOG TOMORROW!

Life's a beach in BC

Crofton puts the beautiful in BC and Ali is the one behind the lens:  “It was my first ever trip to B.C – as an Alberta girl!   My good friend took me because she is a Duncan native.   We saw the sunrise at this very spot and then returned to capture another image around lunchtime!”

DID YOU KNOW?    Crofton, population 2,500 is on the southeast coast of Vancouver Island between Victoria and Nanaimo.    Those who love it – do so because of the easy-going attitude and environmental gratitude.    If golfing, swimming, fishing, hiking, or wildlife viewing sound too strenuous, you can always just relax and watch the sun rise over Saltspring Island.    Crofton was named after an Australian Henry Croft.    He developed a very successful and prosperous mine that in 1902 – was producing more ore than railway cars could load and haul away to Ladysmith and Nanaimo.    But it all came to a crashing halt in 1908 when world copper prices plummeted and the mine shut down.    It was a struggle but miners found work in the logging and fishing industries.    And then in 1956, a large pulp and paper mill was built on the outskirts of town, attracted by Crofton’s deep-sea port.    Plan your trip to Crofton here:  http://www.croftonbc.com/