Musings of an Old Guy
May 5, 2010
May 5, 2010
Well, I guess this is the first day of the rest of my life as far as blogging goes. This idea of blogging is definitely not something I'm really comfortable about, however, I thought it might be an interesting experience, so, here goes.
Who am I ?
I am a 65 year young pensioner who has survived a heart attack, had bypass surgery, and came out of it feeling healthier both mentally and physically. I have been married to a wonderful lady for 45 years and am enjoying my retirement immensely. Some of my current and past interests have been, hockey, skiing, tennis, reading, hiking, golfing, birding, gardening, fishing, badminton, camping, collecting, etc. as well as using the computer for almost anything. I don't want to write a great long biography about myself so will leave it at that, except to say I am willing to do or learn almost anything.
Wings over the Rockies
I decided to attend a number of events at wings this year, experiencing it from the perspective of a tourist. I have attended 3 events so far and have had a great time. I have met some wonderful people and have experienced a lot of exciting and interesting things.
The Old Coach Road event on May 4
We started out from the Radium Hot Springs visitor centre and walked 9 kms along the Old Coach Road. The first km out we seen a group of Bighorn Sheep rams and got I got a few photos of them. Ross M (the group leader) pointed out quite a number of interesting things as well as giving us an idea of the history of the area. Some of the view points were spectacular. While we did not see birds in any number due to the time of day and the size of the group I would recommend attending this event if it is available in the future and this is coming from a local guy thats been in the valley more then 40 years. Ross did a great job in leading the group and Greenways is one organization I am considering supporting. You should do the same. Thanks, Ross M
Wetlands Discovery
This morning we met with the group leader John P and went down to the Radium Mill Pond. We observed quite a variety of waterfowl such as, Mallards, Hooded and Red Neck Mergansers, Wood, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Ringneck, and Shoveler ducks, as well as a few I have forgotten. We also seen a Redwing Blackbird and a Sparrow whose name I've forgotten. And of course we seen a lot of Canada Geese. We then went on a woodlands walk and seen a Grouse not 5 ft from us. We also seen Chickadees, Ravens and heard a Nuthatch singing. We were very exited to see 2 Great Horned Owls that seemed to be harassed by a Raven. Every place the Owls flew and landed, the Raven would follow and land nearby. We also seen a pair of very vocal Canada Geese that were reluctant to leave the area. My suspicion is they had a nest nearby. Our next stop was another viewpoint on the pond, where again, we observed a large number of waterfowl. We then moved on to a view point across the Columbia river. On our way over we observed a immature Bald Eagle that gave us a great photo op. At the viewpoint we seen a mother Bald Eagle feeding her young and had a spectacular view of the valley. John P did a great job leading us, pointing out many interesting facts about the area and of course assisted in identifying the critters we seen. I again, would highly recommend this outing to anyone. Thanks, John P
Well, I guess this is the first day of the rest of my life as far as blogging goes. This idea of blogging is definitely not something I'm really comfortable about, however, I thought it might be an interesting experience, so, here goes.
Who am I ?
I am a 65 year young pensioner who has survived a heart attack, had bypass surgery, and came out of it feeling healthier both mentally and physically. I have been married to a wonderful lady for 45 years and am enjoying my retirement immensely. Some of my current and past interests have been, hockey, skiing, tennis, reading, hiking, golfing, birding, gardening, fishing, badminton, camping, collecting, etc. as well as using the computer for almost anything. I don't want to write a great long biography about myself so will leave it at that, except to say I am willing to do or learn almost anything.
Wings over the Rockies
I decided to attend a number of events at wings this year, experiencing it from the perspective of a tourist. I have attended 3 events so far and have had a great time. I have met some wonderful people and have experienced a lot of exciting and interesting things.
The Old Coach Road event on May 4
We started out from the Radium Hot Springs visitor centre and walked 9 kms along the Old Coach Road. The first km out we seen a group of Bighorn Sheep rams and got I got a few photos of them. Ross M (the group leader) pointed out quite a number of interesting things as well as giving us an idea of the history of the area. Some of the view points were spectacular. While we did not see birds in any number due to the time of day and the size of the group I would recommend attending this event if it is available in the future and this is coming from a local guy thats been in the valley more then 40 years. Ross did a great job in leading the group and Greenways is one organization I am considering supporting. You should do the same. Thanks, Ross M
Wetlands Discovery
This morning we met with the group leader John P and went down to the Radium Mill Pond. We observed quite a variety of waterfowl such as, Mallards, Hooded and Red Neck Mergansers, Wood, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Ringneck, and Shoveler ducks, as well as a few I have forgotten. We also seen a Redwing Blackbird and a Sparrow whose name I've forgotten. And of course we seen a lot of Canada Geese. We then went on a woodlands walk and seen a Grouse not 5 ft from us. We also seen Chickadees, Ravens and heard a Nuthatch singing. We were very exited to see 2 Great Horned Owls that seemed to be harassed by a Raven. Every place the Owls flew and landed, the Raven would follow and land nearby. We also seen a pair of very vocal Canada Geese that were reluctant to leave the area. My suspicion is they had a nest nearby. Our next stop was another viewpoint on the pond, where again, we observed a large number of waterfowl. We then moved on to a view point across the Columbia river. On our way over we observed a immature Bald Eagle that gave us a great photo op. At the viewpoint we seen a mother Bald Eagle feeding her young and had a spectacular view of the valley. John P did a great job leading us, pointing out many interesting facts about the area and of course assisted in identifying the critters we seen. I again, would highly recommend this outing to anyone. Thanks, John P
Posted by John Hague. Posted In : Wings
