A Walk in the Ravine

Sunday May 15th dawned clear and sunny.  I was a little groggy from the night before.  Margarit and I headed over to our neighborhood pub and indulged a little while we watched the Oilers win the seventh game of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, over the Los Angeles Kings.

By early afternoon I decided that the day was just too nice to waste, so I went out with my camera.  I drove over to nearby Blackmud Creek Ravine and went for a walk.  There is a large off-leash dog area on top of the ravine, and with it being a Sunday, and such a nice day, there were a lot of people out with their dogs.  It was much busier than the last time I was here a few weeks ago... but that was a weekday, and only the old retired crowd, like me, were out and about.

As I was walking along the creek I first heard, and then saw a Belted Kingfisher.  I have only seen this bird once before in Alberta, and that was in the same location, Blackmud Ravine, about 30 years prior.  Obviously I can't do wildlife photography with a view camera, so I didn't get a any photos to prove my sighting.

There were a few Mallard ducks on the creek, but with so many dogs around, they were a little skittish and didn't stay put.  One actually paddled right though a composition I was setting up, but I wasn't ready, and wasn't able to capture him on film.  

I used to live just a few few blocks away from the ravine back in the 1980's and 1990's and often walked down here.  It is certainly much busier now, and the small trees that once dotted some of the meadows, are now consuming them.

There was once an old farm yard down in the valley, but nothing remains of it except for an occasional piece of scrap iron, an old foundation, and an old well.  That well still trickles water all these years later, and it is obvious that a large cone of ice built up around it over the winter.  There is still a small crater of ice remaining, despite the fact that it is now mid-May, and the temperature is finally up into the 20's.

Its great that spring seems to be finally arriving.  I really enjoyed the walk and ended up exposing about a dozen sheets of film.  Once I finished up, late in the afternoon, I made a stop at the grocery store.  I picked up the ingredients for fajitas, and made a batch for the girls.  For some reason it has been a number of years since I made these... they were really good...!