Cute animals, often standing erect on its hind legs surveying its surroundings. Because of that it is especially attracted to cut lawns. Multiply at an alarming rate if left unchecked. They are considered a pest on farmland, and are often referred to as gophers.

When we were building the house there were gophers everywhere. My wife thought they were cute. We moved in and the next year in spring there were four gopher dens on our property. The young ones came out and their parents were moving them around. My wife thought they were cute. My wife started a vegetable yard. Somewhere we had read that when you planted marigolds on the outside of the vegetable yard, that it would keep the gophers out. Next thing you know the gophers were having a feast eating lettuce. My wife thought they were cute, but not anymore. We had to surround our vegetable yard with mesh wire fencing and dig that into the ground.

The picture is of a very smart gopher which I have not been able to catch. Here he is peeking from under a deck support column.

Pretty big suckers at 16 to 24 inches (40 to 60 cm). A common sight where there is water like in the pond on our property and the ponds in our neighbourhood. They are harmless creatures. Can often be found on the edge of our pond eating fresh grass, or "carrying" grass to their den.

No a very good picture, but it will have to do until we get a better one. This coyote was on the other side of our frozen pond hunting for mice, but no luck as far as we could see. An hour later it was back again; this time harassing the three dogs of our neighbour. The coyotes have every year a den on the farm land West of us. They usually have 6 to 8 pups in spring, and most of the time we see them for several months.

Around noon this mule deer suddenly showed up, but this time it stayed on our neighbours property and eventually dashed away together with its mate. In the winter we have seen plenty of wildlife tracks in the snow from coyotes, deer and even moose. While several people in our neighbourhood told us many stories about deer eating their bulb flowers, shrubs, and trees, we had never problems until two years ago.

That winter the deer did lots of damage to our American Mountain Ash and May Day trees. In spring the buds of our tulips were nibble off before they had a chance to flower. The end of that summer we had still some lettuce and a second late harvest of strawberries. We were just holding out as long as possible until the first frost. Well we waited too long. One morning all the lettuce heads were eaten, while the strawberries and leaves had served as dessert for one or more deer. Next year we lost the top of all our green peas.

The fence around the vegetable yard is only 2 feet high, and only intended to keep the gophers (Richardson Ground squirrels) at bay. As the deer "attacks" have gotten worse, we have decided to raise the fence around our vegetable yard. The fence will then be too high for us to step over, and a garden gate is needed. Hence the garden gate project.

Early December 2004, at dusk, we noticed a doe and fawn eating whatever green was left in one of our flowerbeds. I scare them away, but five minutes later I looked and now there were three having a meal at the same patch. And again, some 20 minutes later the first two were back. It is clear that the Dianthus Sweet William (perennial) we planted this year, is not the right choice for our area.

Large, graceful flier. Can stand a long time still without moving a "feather", and then strikes out at its prey almost elegantly. We have seen it eating salamanders and mice. There is no fish in our 2 feet deep pond!

Here you see mom with her two young ones which we saw growing up. We always laugh at the way they walk when they come on land; they look like an old man bended forward, with his hands on his back and walking fast as if ready to topple over.

The Ruddy Duck is very easy to recognize with its light blue bill. One of favourite ducks, because when they are displaying tthey bob their head up and down, and that looks so comical.

We were having dinner when suddenly a gaggle of geese landed in our seasonal pond. We counted 42 of them. They stayed for about 2 hours splashing in the water and grooming themselves. And what a splendid sight it was when they all took of together.

Canada Geese return every year to our area. Several couples end up with up to seven goslings. When the mating season start the adults are fighting each other, but once the goslings are there it is one big happy family. You should see the "fertilizer" they leave behind everywhere.

This grebe is easy to identify. That is why it is so easy to spot when it accidentally lands in one of the ponds in our sub-division. Yes, I cheated once more. This picture was not taken on our property, but in Fishcreek Park in the South of Calgary.

(2-May-2005) The female mallard have been walking around our property for days, and sat several times on our front steps, much to the delight of our cats. Today I was cleaning our main flowerbed (top tier, South West) when our cat Softie walked into the old growth of the Yarrow. Next a mallard flew out of it. A closer look revealed a mallard's nest with four eggs. I cleaned the rest of the flowerbed, but left the old growth of Yarrow. It will look bad, but it is for a good cause. Wonder when we should give the baby shower. Sure enough the mallard layed three more eggs and then went on "holidays". It was in the pond and ventured out onto our other neighbour's property, but never sat on the eggs.

(8-Jun-2005) We left the nest untouched until today. The past week we did seen a Common Crow sitting on the model windmill that is about four meters away from the nest. Today we actually saw the crow feasting on an egg. Later on the crow came back to have another bite or two.

A rare sight on the ponds in our sub-division, but we have seen it. This picture was taken in Fishcreek Park in the South of Calgary.

The male looks a bit like the Mallard, but when you see a large duck skimming the top of the water with his large wide shovel-like bill then that is the Northern Shoveler. A common sight in our pond.

Teals are a common sight in our pond, and so is the Blue-winged Teal.

(15-May-2006) I was mowing the lawn when I discovered a Killdeer leaving the mulch under one of our Saskatoon Berry shrubs. On closer inspection I found a nest with four greenish eggs with black speckles. The eggs are a little over 1 inch long (2.5 cm). From the house we were spying on them through our binoculars and after dinner I noticed that the parents were not on the nest so I grabbed my camera and made some pictures of the eggs. As I was making the picture one of the parents showed up, making a hell of a noise pretending that it was badly wounded by hobbling and dragging its wings. When I walked towards it with the intension to make a picture of the bird, it each time went away a bit further and in that way getting me away from the nest. The bird kept doing that until we were almost at the house and then it flew away. I have seen this behaviour many times before, but each time it fascinates me again.

(28-May-2006) When watching for the killdeers on this rainy day I found the nest empty. Sudden I caught some movement through the binoculars and saw both parents and two of their offspring. The search was on, and after half an hour we spotted all four youngsters. They are an exact carbon copy of their parents. The grass needed mowing and the little ones keep tripping over the tall grass. They stayed mostly on the bark cover under the trees and shrubs. The next day I had to mow the lawn, and sure enough they were smack in the middle of it. Luckily the parents warned me, so I stopped the riding mower, and after a a while their tiny heads poked up throw the tall grass. Later on the whole family moved and spent the afternoon on the edge of our pond.

(2-Jun-2006) The killdeer family is back again. The four youngsters are doing well. They walked up the gardenpath past the front window and over the driveway. We had a nice close look. Their wing feathers are not yet developed. The tip of their tail feathers are downy curls.

While the Killdeer are seen throughout the whole season, the phalaropes prefer our pond when it is just a bit dried up and has a nice edge of mud. That is the domain that most of the sandpiper-like birds enjoy.

A common sight around the edges of our seasonal pond. Difficult to get up close to for a good picture.

A member of the Sandpiper family. Our shallow seasonal pond fills up after the winter when the snow melt and the spring rain in May and June. In August the water evaporates creating the ideal environment along the edges for these types of birds.

My brother-in-law, Jo, captured this falcon with his new digital camera, while it sat on a fence post in our backyard.

A front and side view would help a lot in the identification.

We like birds and, with all the water around us, swallows are very important to keep the mosquitos under control. They use our house to build their nests against. Peaked awning is their favorite spot, but they build really at any spot around the house against our yellow stucco. Cute? Yes, but the problem is that it is not one or two nests, but a whole colony of some 50 to 60 nests every year. You should see the mud mess under their nests on our steps and against the windows. Also four picture of a cliff swallow young resting on our steps.

In 2006 we put netting under the eaves around the whole house to create a physical exclusion of these swallows. You can read background information and how to do that in Swallow Control, Agdex 685-7. We also have Tree Swallows (Iridoprocne bicolour) on our property. Much less of a problem, but they occupy the nest boxes that are intended for the Mountain Bluebirds.

Swallows are very important to keep the insects under control. Apparently one swallow eat up 800 insects a day. That is one reason that all swallows are internationally protected.

We have two nest boxes placed on the fence posts along the back of our property. The boxes were intended for the Mountain Bluebirds. Right from the beginning the Tree Swallows have occupied them. This year (2006) we have put the two nest boxes further apart and sure enough, one box is now used throughout the spring by Mountain Bluebirds and the other by the Tree Swallows. When we work in our orchard the swallows sit on the barbwire fence close to the nestbox with hedged youngsters, and that is how we were able to make these pictures. The first picture is a swallow coming in for a landing. Just a lucky shot I guess.

This year (2006) we have lived in this location 10 years. Only once I have seen a hummingbird on our Maltesse Cross perennials in our flowerbed. Jo Penders, brother of my wife, comes here on vacation and within days he sees them regularly, records them on video and make photographs of them. Okay, he also breeds exotic birds in captivity, and has done that his entire life. In other words, he is much more than just an amateur like me. Enjoy the results of his work.

The Red-winged Blackbird is a member of the Orioles family. They build their nest on the edges of the ponds in reed and bulrushes. They have a loud voice that is very distinctive, as is their red and white "sergeant" stripe on each wing. When they come in on a glide path to land, those red patches are very well visible and is one of my favourite sights. The sunflower seeds in our bird feeder is highly appreciated.

The spotted bird is the female, but the immature birds look also like the female. The juveniles can be recognized by their behavour, like begging for food.

The Yellow-headed Blackbird is also a member of the Orioles family. They build their nest on the edges of the ponds in reed and bulrushes. They have also a loud voice that is completely different from that of the Red-winged Blackbird. Their white wing patches are very clear in flight. When they come in on a glide path to land, those white patches are very well visible and is one of my favourite sights. The sunflower seeds in our bird feeder is highly appreciated.

When they are threatened by predators the Yellow-headed and Red-wing Blackbirds join force to defend their territory.

(24-Mar-2004) I was in my office in the basement when there was a tapping sound on my window. I opened the blinds to look -- I suspected that it was my wife -- and right then a male Mountain Blue Bird flew up to the window tapped on it and flew away to rest on the wishing well. Next the female Mountain Blue Bird did the same. Then I saw them doing the same at the other windows on that side of the house. We suspect that they where attacking their own reflection in the window as there were no insects at all.

It took me a while to recover from my surprise though, but then I went upstairs to tell my wife. We both enjoyed their performances. Finally my mind got working again and I dashed downstairs, grab my digital camera and positioned myself at the window. I made the above two lousy shots, when I realized that the screen was still in front of the window, and then... the batteries where empty. Arrggghhhh.

Taking a bath is all part of the daily routine. When you see a bird hovering absolutely still some 6 to 8 feet above the lawn then that is for sure a Mountain Bluebird looking for insects.

The female is less colourful and is more grayish, while the male is beautiful blue. Juveniles are grayish-brown with only a shine of blue.

A member of the Titmice family. A very active little bird which we often only see in a flash. Their rapid "chicadee-dee-dee" song is unique.

Okay, so I cheated. This picture was not taken on our property, but in Fishcreek Park in the South of Calgary.

I always have to look twice before I realize that it is the brown-headed cowbird. It is smaller than the Red-winged Blackbird, the Yellow-headed Blackbird and the Magpie.

Southern Alberta is its Northern most range. We have seen them flying by in a flash for many years, but since we planted corn flowers they take the time to eat, and that gives us the time to watch and make a picture.

The picture here was not taken on our property, but is indeed the Dark-eyed Junco. The bird that we do see from time to time on our property is the Slate-coloured Junco. These are dark slate gray on head, upper breast, flanks and upperparts. Their tail is dark gray with white outer tail feathers. Belly and lower breast are white. Their bill is pink. We see these juncos often together with the House Sparrows.

A noisy, daring bird often seen in groups of two or three or in company of common crows. They eat rodents and dead gophers, and complete their meal with some berries from our orchard. In the proper light their long black tail can have a beautiful dark green-blueish sheen.

(12-Oct-2006) Around dinner time there were three magpies in our yard. We thought that one had a reddish sheen on its normally white breast. And sure enough through the binoculars we could see that it had lots of pink-reddish feathers on its breast and belly. On its back the normal green-blueish sheen was now a rusty kind of gloss. When the magpie flew away the normal white wing ends were brown-reddish. A very unique sighting. I remember seeing a magpie in our backyard some 6 or 7 years ago that had all pale red feathers instead of the normal white ones. When you see it for the first time you cannot believe your own eyes.

Unfortuantely, we don't see this bird very often. Actually, you often hear it well before you see it. One day I was working in the back yard picking thistles from our lawn, when a meadowlark sat on a fence post. I just sat on the lawn for at least 15 minutes listening to its songs. Just a day I will never forget.

This picture was not taken on our property though.

The robin, a member of the thrush family, is a common sight in our yard. When I am mowing the lawn there are always a few walking around looking for a juicy morsel to eat. Here a robin is sitting on top of a vane of our model windmill.

The robins with the brown spots on their breast are the juveniles.

(4-Jul-2008) Got even more appreciation for my little friends. We have three long rows with fruit shrubs and trees. The rows are covered with cedar bark. I was mowing the grass between the rows when suddenly a savannah sparrow dashed out from the edge of a row, less than 2 feet (60 cm) in front of the riding mower. Sure enough there was a small grass lined nest with 5 blue-green eggs, spotted and speckled with dark brown. The nest was further hidden by overhanging tall grass and close by a raspberry bush. In the meantime the male savannah sparrow sat singing on a nearby fence post, while the female circled around me in the hope to attract my attention away from the nest. She even used the lame wing display like the killdeer do. I got out of the way quickly. Next week same thing happened when I was mowing there and the 5 eggs were still there. Today, 2 weeks after I saw the nest for the first time, I had to mow again, but this time I took my digital camera with me and had it ready for close-up picture taking.

The round thing in the top right corner is a Canadian quarter as a size reference with a diameter of 24 mm (15/16"). I calculated the eggs to be 13 by 15 mm (1/2 by 19/32").

(7-Jul-2008) I was curious how the eggs were as there are lots of scavengers around like crows and magpies. Surprise, surprise, all the eggs have hatched and the parents kept away as much as they could. Today (the 8th) they are still doing fine after a bad thunderstorm last night with heavy rain and big hail.

(9-Jul-2008) As soon as I approached the nest the female savannah sparrow dashed away from the nest and immediately started her lame wing display. The youngsters reacted to me making noise by opening their beaks. I only counted 4 of them, but I did not want to disturb them too much. Will have to do another check in a few days.

Pictures made on 12-Jul-2008 and 14-Jul-2008. The five youngsters are growing well. On the last picture the colours in the feathers become visible. Mom and dad are getting used to me when I quickly go to the nest to make a few pictures. What I also noticed in the last 2 or 3 days is that there are up to 4 adults close by on the fence or in the bushes, as if there is an aunt and uncle helping out with the feeding.

On 16-Jul-2008 the nest was empty. Incredible, less than 12 days from eggs to fledging. Only saw the parents who were clearly warning the youngsters, but I could not locate them. The next day my wife noticed lots of little birds in the back of the yard and sure enough there were lots of savannah sparrows hopping around. In the afternoon I was mowing the lawn and the youngsters were everywhere. They are slightly darker than their parents, and were somewhat clumpsy in their efforts to find insects. What really gave them away was that they did not fly very far, and they were clearly not afriad of the lawn mower as they walk right in front if it. I am quite proud being able to record all this.

We have hundreds of House Sparrows around the house, but in order to see a Savanah Sparrow or a White-crowned Sparrow you have to pay attention, otherwise you think that it is just another House Sparrow.

From time to time a group of Cedar Waxwings descend on a shrub or tree with berries in our yard. They eat their fill within a few minutes and are gone again. We have seen them also often in Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, just North of Cochrane in Alberta. These pictures where actually taken there.

One day I had just mowed the lawn when I walked passed the Shubert Chokecherries. One cedar waxwing had been indulging too much on the berries and forgotten to watch out for predators. All I found was a bunch of feathers, including these tail feathers with the distinctive yellow tip.

These frogs are very common on our land. In spring they can make a hell of a noise. I like it, but it keeps my wife awake at night when the bedroom window is open. In the summer they are absolutely silent, and can be found in the wells around our trees and shrubs which are 2 to 3 meters away from our seasonal pond. Their body is barely one inch long (most likely the young ones), and they jump between 6 inches to a foot. Their colour varies from green-yellow with darker stripes/spots to brown-black with dark stripes/spots.

We are not yet 100% sure that this is indeed a Leopard Frog.

Here is a picture to give you an impression of our South side neighbour. The lawn is our yard. The dandelions are my neighbour's. (22-Jun-2005)

Funny thing is that two days after this picture was taken, the neighbours pulled out all the dandelions. After that there was a row of nine large, orange garbage bags lining their driveway for a while.

The weeds are now regularly controlled with heavy spraying with herbicides, which is liberally sprayed on our grass as well. Isn't it nice to have lovely neighbours. (20-Aug-2005)