I saw only a few interesting birds and animals in the late part of the autumn birding. This Mountain Chickadee is an unusual sight as they usually stay to the west of Calgary up toward the Rockies. These little birds move so quickly that it is hard to catch one Mountain Chickadee among all of the Black-capped ones, so this was a treat.
The other fun birds were all larger ones. An American Bald Eagle posed obligingly while it kept an eye on a variety of ducks down in the river. A male Goldeneye showed his running take-off technique while some Mallards and Canada Geese went about their business unimpressed. On another day, a male Wigeon came close enough to be photographed. So many of the male birds are especially beautiful when the sun is on them bringing up their colours.
The most interesting animal sighting was a group of industrious Muskrats. I didn’t know how to tell the difference between a muskrat and a beaver until I had these images. One difference is the size of the animal, of course, but also the tails. Look how thin and long the muskrat tail is, not at all like the wide, flat tail of a beaver.
