Southbound ...

Here I am!!!  I know ... it would appear I am missing a month's worth of images.  To say "life" this Fall has been hectic would be a bit of an understatement ... so, before I get even further behind, here are a couple of shots from today.  The Snow Geese were on the fly ... which they have been for awhile but today seemed so different ... their flight pattern so intent on a "non-stop, southbound" direction!   I reiterate ... I love migration except when you are saying "good-bye!"

** With any luck, I'll update that missing month before the snow flies!**   

September Hues ...

The beauty of a late summer evening ... and a prairie slough! 

Migration Is In The Air ...

... Or, migration is stopping for a snack before heading further south ... at least it was for these Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis).  Seeing these beauties during their "Fall Migration" is just another sign that Autumn is encroaching on our summer!!!

Cloudy Skies ...

And the snow geese were certainly on the fly.  Yes, it was another grey day and more geese were saying "hasta la vista" as they flew over heading south.  I guess this means winter truly is on its way ...   :(

Not Ready ...

Nope!  I am just not ready for all of our feathery friends to fly south for the winter.  Can we have a "redo" on Spring and Summer?  

Forecast ... Snow

Snow Geese That Is!

  Hmm ... it would appear the snowies are a bit more on the move.

They Are Coming ...

What is not to love with snow geese on the fly,

Especially on the prairie with that big ole' dramatic sky?

*Sigh* ... life is good when you can witness such beauty! 

Flight of the Honkers

I love migration, although I admit I prefer spring migration and the 'welcome back' in comparison to fall migration and the 'good bye!'  Either way, I find migration fascinating.    As each bird comes and goes, I would just love to know where they've been or where they are heading!  Aaaah ... the travel journals locked in their brains and the stories they could tell!  Although the big groups of birds from the 'great white north' are not yet heading south (at least not in big droves), the local birds are filling the air while moving from their feeding grounds to the safety of water.  There is something to be said about a sky filled with early morning 'honkers' ... it beats the large urban centre honking any day!

The Honking Arrival of Autumn

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.  

~Author Unknown

As the moon set for the day, Autumn officially arrived!  The landscape is full of delicious golds and the sky is beginning to fill with the 'honking' of migration.  

A Frosty Prairie Landscape ...

I was hopeful but alas ... still no sun!  However, the landscape is amazingly beautiful when covered in hoar frost and apparently the last of the snow geese have finally decided that it's time to head south for winter!  There were quite a few large flocks flying south today.

Tundra Swans on the Move

Not the best but I wasn't actually prepared to capture Tundra Swans migrating south today!  However, I snapped a couple of quick ones as this group flew over!  I have really noticed that the swans have started making their way south yet I'm amazed at how many American Coots (Mud Hens) and Mallards are still paddling around the sloughs.  Hmm ... it will be interesting to see how much longer they stick around before heading south!  I'm assuming they know something about the weather that we will NEVER know!

A Warbler in October?

These are horrible photos but when I spotted this little bundle of feathers in my bare maple tree I bolted outside without a tripod ... and I really needed a tripod this late in the day combined with the wind!!!  However, I thought I would still share them because, if I'm correct, this would be a female 'Yellow-Rumped Warbler' (Dendroica coronata) ... in particular, the Audubon's Warbler!!!  She looked frozen and I was shocked she was still here!  Most warblers have long headed south by September and I'm certain she is migrating south from a more northerly destination but yesterdays snow and the -10C with windchill today certainly had her taking a break!  I did notice she wasn't far from my bird feeders!  The weatherman has predicted the return of double-digit fall temperatures for this weekend so hopefully she can resume her migration south in much warmer temperatures!  By the way, if it's not a Yellow-rumped Warbler and you do know what it is ... please feel free to correct me!!  :)

Greater White-Fronted Geese

Forgive me ... late with another post!  I have no excuse, other than my wool blanket, my cat 'Clara,' and the couch have called my name at about the same time I usually post my blog!  Pure laziness on my part!  However, here it is ... a flock of Greater White-Fronted Geese (Anser albifrons).  Cousins to the Canada Geese, they migrate through Alberta, usually in flocks with their cousins!  Lately, these slightly smaller geese have been enjoying 'feeding' in our pea stubble!

Oh ... and some good news for me, I have some photos published!  Check out the Carseland Connection, a community newspaper in southern Alberta (http://carselandconnection.net), as they utilized my Old School House photos for their September issue and I think there will be some harvest photos in their October issue.  The Carseland Connection can also be found on Facebook!

A Duck ... Or Two!

With Fall Migration in full 'wing,' there is always something to see and hear in the sky!  This evening, there were no shortage of ducks on hand for viewing!  

The Great 'Gather' Has Begun!

Although it is not officially 'autumn or fall' until the 22nd of September, the fall migration of migratory birds has definitely begun!  Everywhere, you can see and hear small and mid-sized flocks of geese gathering about the countryside!  It won't belong before the large flocks start arriving or passing over!  With our pea crop on our home-half off, we might have a 'few' geese flying overhead these days!  This lil' flock flew in from our big slough!  Perhaps it's 'Mama and Papa' goose along with their young?

Hundreds of "Honkers!"

"There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds... 

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter..."
-- Rachel Carson

And with Fall Migration ... I am assured that winter will be arriving after Fall!  In the meantime, there is something magical about snow geese during their migration.  It's such an incredible sight!  Perhaps it's how the sun reflects off of their white plumage, giving them a stark contrast against a blue sky or a golden stubble field.  Perhaps it is the incredible sound of hearing hundreds of them communicating to each other.  Or maybe, it's just because their migrations mark another journey and another season on the calendar for us ... and at that (WINTER) ... we look forward to their return!

Heading South!

All I can say is ... in a months time, I am really going to wish I had packed my suitcase and gone with!  I could easily adjust to being a 'snowbird' in the south during the winter months!  Haha!