Taking a pause
Mom and her yearling pause as they move through our area.
Keeping up
A yearling keeps up with Mom as they cross a field in Sturgeon County.
Leading the way
Mom leads her yearling across a field in Sturgeon County.
It's time
It's time for the Pileated Woodpeckers to establish a new nesting site. It was one year ago tomorrow I took this; https://www.wildstalbert.com/A-year-in-the-wild/Latest-St-Albert-and-area/i-txgnbH6/A
Hanging out
This Red-shafted Northern Flicker was in close proximity to a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers.
Barred Owl
In typical habitat of mixed forest in a river valley.
After occasionally hearing a pair calling to each other over the last few weeks during my daily walks through the forest I was finally able to track one of them down. It stayed put long enough for me to get a few shots.
Woodpecker on a fallen tree
Taken on the bank of the Sturgeon River.
Lost feather
Left on a dogwood bush in the forest.
Feather in the forest
A Barred Owl has had a run in with a bush, presumably while hunting, as evidenced by the feather it left behind.
Problem solving
Having moved away from my position (sitting in the snow) Mom allows her yearlings to catch up before deciding which direction to take. Snowmobile sounds were coming from the direction they are looking here so eventually the decision was to turn and move directly away from me (into the photo).
Twins
Following Mom across a field in Sturgeon County.
Catching up
Mom is studying my intentions as she waits for her yearlings to catch up with her after the three of the emerged from the tree line.
Squirrel bark
A squirrel makes its displeasure known as I watch it devour the seeds from a pine cone.
Drifts
Scoured from the frozen surface of Big Lake, snow drifts have collected at each bank of reeds,
Big Lake in early morning sun
The rising sun illuminates Big Lake on a cool winter morning.
Moose in the snow
This moose was feeding on the dogwood along the trail in Lois Hole park.
Lone Tree in the snow storm
On the floodplain of Big Lake
Windfall
A chickadee picks a seed from a cluster of pine cones that have fallen into a cranberry bush.
Silverback
An overnight cooldown gave this moose a frosty back which glistened in the low morning light while it browsed on the banks of the Sturgeon River for the second day in a row.
Browsing
A moose continues to browse the brush on the banks of the Sturgeon River after acknowledging my presence with a good "look".
Cache
A Squirrel is chomping through its cache of pine cones leaving a pile of cone flakes which doubles as a handy dining area on the forest floor.
Bull moose
This male hung around in the Sturgeon River valley with a female for a couple of days.
Foraging in fresh snow
A male and female foraging on the dogwoods after an overnight snowfall on the banks of the Sturgeon River.
