Just like clockwork it took all of 5 minutes of sitting along Akamina lake before I heard an animal moving through the forest on the opposite side of the lake and this moose appeared along the water’s edge. She moved around the lake towards me feeding along the way. Once she finally figured out that I was there she only briefly looked at me before going back to feeding on the plants around the lake.
After about 30 minutes of feeding by the lone female moose a yearling bull moose joined her in the water to feed.
Driving 6 hours from Edmonton and sleeping 2 hours in the back of the rental car was worth it to get back down to Waterton National Park for a day. I was surprised to find so many wildflowers still out along the roadsides and I finally managed to get some good photos of American dippers. Here are a few photos
Along the road leading from Waterton to Glacier National Park in Montana.
An unusual rock with raised ridges and shallow depressions that have been colonized by this bright orange lichen.
This photo was taken from just below the Prince of Wales hotel along the beach. The lone aspen tree has this unusual shape because of the severe winds that Waterton often experiences. Almost every tree in Waterton is tilted to the east and they have very short stunted branches on the west side of the tree due to the wind.
I have been trying unsuccessfully for over a year to get a decent photo of this bird. Finally I got this photo with the help of my parents who were driving (which makes it much easier to take pictures when you don’t have to do both at the same time!).
After eating breakfast at a B&B with my parents who were visiting from Ontario, we headed out to drive down the road that leads to Glacier National Park. Thankfully the sun had not burned off all the dew yet and I managed to get this photo of the water droplets on the aspen leaves with Sofa Mountain in the background.
This large adult male black bear was feeding on the last remaining berries of the season along the roadside in Waterton National Park.
This photo is from earlier in the summer before all the grass died and turned brown. Coyotes are one of the most adaptable, resilient animals and can be found in a variety of habitats including large urban centers where they prey on other urban wildlife and domestic pets.
It took about 30 minutes of sitting in my car with my camera pointed out the window with my finger held on the shutter release button to get this photo. Finally the kestrel flew off to go hunting and quickly returned with a large insect. This was one of many kestrels I saw flying around and hunting in the valley below Mt. Vimy.
Mom waiting for her calf to finish shaking the water off before moving on to feed farther down the lake. This particular moose is not bothered by my presence and I have learned that if I make myself visible to her instead of trying to hide in the trees she gets much more relaxed and will go back to feeding without paying much attention to me (except when the shutter makes a noise and then she will point one ear towards me, as you can see in this picture).
Taken just before entering the park gates. It is very rare in Waterton to have such calm water that you can get a reflection in the water as it is almost always windy. With most wildlife/landscape photography the earlier you start in the morning the better your chances.
Owen Slater Photography 