Red-Tailed Hawk

The red-tailed hawk is interesting to watch. You often see them sitting on top of telephone poles or soaring high in the sky. We enjoyed watching this one high in the sky.

Hoodoos in the Badlands

The hoodoos outside of Drumheller, Alberta are an interesting part of the Badlands. Hoodoos are scattered throughout the Drumheller valley. We were able to visit the official protected Hoodoos site, which is now designated as a Provincial Historic Resource.  At this site, you are able to walk around the hoodoos without getting too close and causing damage to them. We hadn't seen them before, so this was a new experience for us.

 

The hoodoos are also known as fairy chimneys and earth pyramids. They are tall rock pillars made from soft sedimentary rock (sandstone) on the bottom part and capped or topped by a harder rock. This cap is more resistant to time and erosion and it protects the softer rock from eroding as fast as the rock that is surrounding it. Eventually, over time, 4 to 7 metre tall rock pillars the shape of mushrooms are created.

 

It sounds like the aboriginal peoples may have had different ideas about the hoodoos. Some thought they were petrified giants who came alive at night and threw rocks at people. Others thought they were giants who were turned to stone because of their evil deeds. Still others thought they were evil giant gods who were turned to stone by the Great Spirit.

 

The scenery in that area has such a different look than we see here in Ontario. The drive around Drumheller to the Hoodoos is very interesting.

Hoodoos. It's interesting looking at them and seeing how they have developed over the years. God has made an interesting world for us to look at and experience.

By faith we understand that the universe was created
by the Word of God, so that what is seen
was not made out of things that are visible.
Hebrews 11:3

Wapiti

At one time, elk (wapiti) were found across North America, but now are mostly found in western North America. By the late 1800's they were no longer in Ontario. However, in recent years, there have been shipments of elk from Elk Island National Park, Alberta, to areas in Ontario. The Bancroft North Hastings area received a herd in 1999/2000. This is the closest area to us, and even though we drive through this area many times a year, we have only seen them once.

This meant that I was quite interested in seeing some elk when we travelled west this fall. We were there during rutting season, and actually walked around in the Elk Island National Park for a bit ... and we still didn't see any there. I was glad we didn't see any when we were walking on the trails though.

When we were driving through Jasper, we were able to see this male (bull) on the side of the road. His herd was just down the road from him.

 

I was amazed at how close the people were to the elk, even though there were all kinds of warnings about getting too close and how dangerous it was, especially during rutting season when the bulls can be very aggressive. I felt much safer hiding behind our trailer and using my telephoto lens.

When we were at the BC Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, we were able to see another herd, and watch them up close.

We were able to see how aggressive the bull can be - "Thunder" definitely made sure his herd knew that he was in charge.

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I think the most fascinating one for me was the bull at Jasper. They are big - much bigger than deer. With the antlers, the bull can be 9 feet tall. I wouldn't want to meet one on a trail.

Another one of God's creatures for us to enjoy.