Susan, awesome photos!

Wow, I'm just amazed how much s**** you got! Look on the bright side how much moisture it will be for your garden, at least weÂre not in a drought ;)

Sharon

Lovely photos. One thing is missing in the second last picture, on a nice day like he is enjoying he needs to have a beer when relaxing!!!LOL.
Also I think that the bird in the fourth picture is a nuthatch not a chicadee, they are about the same size and coloration but the head is held differently with a longer beak. Also the chicadee has a black chin and a shorter beak.

Cheers Al

Here is a link that might be useful: Nuthatches in Alberta

Sharon - You're right, I would rather have the moisture - but I am getting impatient to get out there in the dirt.

A1 - You must be familiar with the species in that lounging picture :-) If you look closely just behind the head of the furry one you will see one of these:
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I think you are right about the nuthatch and thanks for the link to that website. I grew up not far from Glenmore park and my parents still live in the area. My dad walks there in the Weaslehead a few times a week. We have photos of him hand feeding chickadees down there (or are they nuthatches?).

Susan

Well I think everyone must have spring fever because the critter sightings continued today...

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Susan

Great pictures Susan! I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of that camera. I sure hope all that snow melts REALLY quickly for you. I really love the first pic with the owl.....it reminds me of a Robert Bateman print. And your tall 2 legged species sure looks like he may be a handy one to keep around......make sure you keep those 6-packs around for bait to lure him in! ;^)

You're right Laurie, the tall one is definitely a keeper! I actually have a dedicated 'bait' fridge for him and any of his burly friends who are willing to handle gardening tools...

Lovely pictures Susan. Hopefully the snow is going going gone for you and your species "Snowblowermansapien" you have baited in the back yard can now put away the snowblower...lol..savona

Savona - The snowblower is away but not too far away. In the past we have had to cancel our mid-May garden planting party more than once because of May showers (of the white type that is...)

Susan

I love your pictures Susan! Especially that owl, it looks like a Great Horned?...Congratulation on your camera, this is a awesome camera for the money!...My wife has the same one, 1 year older version S2 IS, she shot this red breasted nuthatch in our yard.
We often white breasted ones as in your picture, this red breasted one was only the second sighting in 25 years here in Beaumont, so we are so thrilled they have chosen our nesting box.
Konrad
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This one with my camera, also Canon, Rebel XT.

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LOVE those pictures - I'm going to show them to my kids. That last photo is remarkable! They all are, but the last one is over the top!

Carol

Susan,

Glad to hear you did purchase a Canon S3 1S! I love the image stabilizer combined with the zoom and high MP abilities on these Canon cameras. Boy, has the price come down in the last 2 years since I purchased my S2 1S!

Wonderful pictures everyone!

Brenda

Konrad - I think that is a Great Horned owl but I haven't had time to research it to confirm. I haven't really used the new camera to it's full potential yet but I have to say that so far I am thrilled. I'm also pleased to get feedback from another person using it - your wife's photo shows me what I can look forward to (BTW your photo is also stunning!).

Brenda - Thanks again for your input to my decision. The zoom is amazing for the price (compared to an SLR type camera) and the extra features (yet to be explored) make this all the camera I'll ever need.

Susan