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GordonI

@gordoni.bsky.social

A proud Canadian (Calgary, AB) 🇨🇦 who enjoys photography (with no AI), reading, 🇨🇦tennis, trivia and kindness. All posted photos are mine unless otherwise credited. Let's stay positive, folks! 😊

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GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 19h ago

Happy Thursday all! With certain animals, such as this #jackrabbit & this #Eastern #Gray #Squirrel, we are used to them noticing us with one eye and then scurrying away. When they use both eyes and stare directly into my lens I feel perhaps they are peering into my soul. 😁 #photography #nature #wild

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 2d ago

Is #WapitiWednesday a thang? I do like the alliteration. 🙂 Here is a nice look at a North American #elk (#wapiti) I saw on a river bank near #Canmore, #Alberta 🇨🇦. In Canada, elk are mostly in B.C. & AB. A mid-2010s estimate has the national total near 72,000. #photography #wildlife #wild #nature

North American Elk total population is estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.22 with the Rocky Mountain subspecies dominating. The populations are generally ranked stable to increasing under active management. They truly are stunning animals. 🙂

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3d ago

Here’s a little known thing the province of #Alberta 🇨🇦 & the #City of #Calgary got right. I took this #photo yesterday in #Riley Park of #autumn #foliage on an American #Elm. Like almost all elms in Alberta it is #Dutch-Elm-Disease free. Click on the photo for more info. #photography #tree #fall

The province of Alberta and the City of Calgary have implemented sustained, coordinated measures that have helped keep Alberta mostly free of Dutch elm disease for decades. It is one of the last major regions in North America with this status. The province hosts one of the world’s largest remaining stands of Dutch-Elm-Disease free American elm trees. And by largest, we’re talking hundreds of thousands of American elms. 👍🏼

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 4d ago

Just another #MountainMonday. 😊 #Mount #Kidd is a #double-summit #massif located in #Kananaskis Country in the #Canadian #Rockies of #Alberta 🇨🇦. Snow has yet to grace their peaks and they, along with the #autumn #foliage, are reflected nicely in this calm lake’s surface. #photography #nature #fall

The more massive north peak of Mount Kidd is the true summit at 2,958 m (9,705 ft), whereas the lesser south peak rises to 2,895 m (9,498 ft).

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 5d ago

Happy Sunday all! 🙂 Taken #October 2nd, shortly after sunrise. We’re looking south at the #downtown #skyline of #Calgary 🇨🇦 from McHugh Bluff in the city’s #Crescent #Heights area. The #autumn #foliage nicely contrasts the blue #sky seen behind those dark clouds. #photography #urban #landscape #fall

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 6d ago

Happy first October weekend everyone! It’s #CATurday, so I’ll post a #photo I took quickly with my iPhone Wednesday morning. I saw this adult #Bobcat in an alley a block from my home in NW #Calgary. It was sauntering along, avoiding the noisy #magpies swooping near it. #photography #urban #wildlife

Bobcats have become quite common in Calgary in recent years. They regularly use alleys, green spaces, and residential areas where they hide, and there is an abundance of jackrabbits, squirrels and birds for them to prey upon. They are much larger than your average domestic house cat (an adult male can weigh 20 to 35 lbs). 😺

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 7d ago

Golden #aspens and #birch on top of #Nose #Hill #Park. One of North America’s largest #urban parks (11 km² of rare #fescue #grassland, ancient Indigenous sites, and #prairie views), the park sits entirely in north #Calgary. #Autumn is lovely on this hill. [click #photo for info] #nature #photography

Nose Hill Park in Calgary - 3x the size of New York City’s Central Park - was officially established as a park in 1980 after strong public advocacy in the 1970s saved it from residential development. The park protects one of the most significant remaining tracts of rough fescue grassland in the Canadian prairies.

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last wk.

Happy #October 1st everyone. 🙂 Here’s a #photo of the #skyline of my #hometown #Calgary 🇨🇦. It was taken from a bend in the calm #Bow #River, looking east towards #downtown. #Blue is the main colour, with the #fall #foliage adding nice orange framing. Oh yes, and paddle boarders. #photography #city

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last wk.

Taken in the early morning in late #September, looking south over the smooth surface of a river not far from #Calgary’s city limits. I’m a sucker for sunny #autumn days with no wind, especially when the #fall colours are reflected in water. Enjoy your Thursday, all. 🙂 #landscape #photography #nature

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 2w ago

For #MountainMonday here’s a September #photo of a #peak in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in #Alberta 🇨🇦 That is #Mount #Rae, the tallest peak in the immediate area (3,218 m/10,558 ft) & the highest front-range summit visible from #Calgary. [Click photo for more info] #photography #landscape #nature

Mount Rae was named in 1859 after Dr. John Rae (1813–1893), a Scottish surgeon, fur trader, & Arctic explorer. Employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company, he was renowned for his extensive surveying of the Canadian Arctic coast. Mount Rae makes a nice backdrop to Elbow Lake, the source of the Elbow River, one of the two main rivers (along with the Bow) which flow through Calgary.

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 2w ago

It’s the last Sunday in September. Time for an appropriate late-September #fall #photo I took south of #Calgary on a chilly, cloudy day. The mature #balsam #poplars and their hybrids dominate the yellow-gold #autumn this time of year. Have a great Sunday everyone! 🍂🍂🙂🍂🍂 #photography #nature

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 2w ago

Living in #Calgary 🇨🇦 means I am a 2 hour drive from the majestic #Canadian #Rockies. This is Mount #Caldron, overlooking a very turquoise #Peyto Lake in #Banff National #Park. Changing lens, I was able to photograph two hikers up close to where the glacial ice feeds the lake. #photography #nature

Mount Caldron (elevation: 2,911-metre / 9,551 ft) overlooks Peyto Lake in Banff National Park in the Alberta 🇨🇦 Rocky Mountains.

Two hikers checking out glacier-fed Peyto Lake near the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park. Throughout the summer, large amounts of glacial rock flour descend into the lake from a nearby glacier. The resulting suspended rock particles give the lake its bright, turquoise colour.

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 2w ago

My road trip to the Canadian 🇨🇦 #Rocky #Mountains gave me #photos for a (wait for it 🥁) #WhymperWednesday. 😁 Two of these are of #Mount Whymper and the other is Mount #Stanley, the 1st ascent of both was made by #Edward #Whymper 🇬🇧, at age 60(!) in 1901. (Additional info in pics) #photography #nature

Mount Whymper makes a lovely backdrop for this morning photo taken across Vista Lake in Alberta 🇨🇦. You can see the mist rising above the lake where the rising sun has yet to burn it off. With no wind the surface of the water nicely reflects the British Columbia mountain.

Another view of Mount Whymper. (Elevation: 2,845-metre / 9,334 ft).
It can be found in the province of British Columbia, in the Vermilion Pass area of Kootenay National Park. It was named after Edward Whymper (-1840 - 1911), English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for his 1865 first ascent of the Matterhorn.

Stanley Peak (Elevation: 3,155-metre / 10,351 ft) is located in the northeastern section of Kootenay National Park, directly across the signage denoting the Continental Divide. It was named by Whymper, who was the first to reach its summit in 1901.

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 2w ago

Happy end-of-summer, start-of-fall day everyone (#equinox today at 18:05 MDT). Although 3 months in length, #autumn in #Calgary can seem longer or shorter depending on the wind. Taken yesterday, this green #ash has turned #canary #yellow but has lost few leaves. That’ll soon change.🍃💨🍂 #Photography

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3w ago

Here’s another #MountainMonday post, this time from the B.C. #Rocky #Mountains. 🇨🇦 This is #Vermilion #Peak (Elevation: 2,647 m / 8,684 ft), named for the vermilion (red-orange) ochre historically used by Indigenous peoples. Taken from the boardwalk of the #Paint #Pots trail. #Landscape #Nature

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3w ago

For #MountainMonday #Storm #Mountain in #Banff #National #Park makes a nice background rising above #Vista #Lake in the #Canadian #Rocky #Mountains. Taken Saturday at 8:48am, capturing the #mist rising off the lake, which is very green this time of year (see ALT for why). #photography #nature 🇨🇦

Vista Lake appears emerald green due to suspended glacial silt (extremely fine rock particles ground up by glaciers and carried into the lake by meltwater). As glaciers grind against bedrock, they produce microscopic mineral particles which stay suspended in the water. Sunlight interacts with the particles, producing the luminous green colour. The effect is strongest in summer.

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3w ago

Today at noon I saw this #Brandon #Elm on the University of #Calgary campus. I don’t know if anyone has labelled #yellow as today’s colour in here, but with this #tree putting on such a great summer’s-end/early-fall display it certainly should be, no? 😉 #photography #summer #September #nature

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3w ago

Right now we’ve exactly 54 hours until the Sept. equinox, marking the start of astronomical autumn (Tue., 09/22/26 at 6:05pm MT). Monday I’ll post #mountain photos from Saturday’s road trip. Today? Here are Friday’s photos of #flowers at #Riley Park in #Calgary, where it’s still summer. #photography

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3w ago

Just got home today from a drive out to the #Canadian #Rocky #Mountains. I am standing on the shore of #Vista #Lake in #Alberta this #morning, but the #reflected peak in the background is #Mount #Whymper (2,845 metres or 9,334 feet) in #British #Columbia. More to follow. #Nature #Photography #mirror

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3w ago

This week last year I took this #photo not far from #Lake #Louise in the #Canadian 🇨🇦 #Rocky #Mountains. The spruce, pine and fir trees don’t change colour (you know - evergreen? 😉) but the ground cover can get some nice fall colours. I’m going there tomorrow. Photos to follow. 🙂 #photography #nature

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 3w ago

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Silhouette huh? Okay, I think the #shadows of this #Canada #Goose couple qualifies. Don’t be shy, Friends & Followers, please take a gander at my #photo. 😁 #Photography #bird 🪶 #birds #wildlife #nature #wild 🇨🇦

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 4w ago

A clear warm September day by a #lake with the #Canadian #Rocky #Mountains in the background. No wind, producing a mirror-like #reflection and a wisp of clouds in a blue sky. Someone somewhere bestowed on me the Right Place, Right Time moment of the day. 😊 #photography #nature #Alberta #Rockies 🇨🇦

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 4w ago

In #Calgary it was a nice warm #summer day, so I thought I’d share this photo I’ve not posted before. Taken in July, it’s a young whitetail deer buck, standing in an #Alberta #canola field where he had been grazing. Have a great Thursday, everybody! 🙂 #photography #nature #wild

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last mo.

so… @helenbennett.bsky.social has #BirdBuddies as a theme challenge - “Can you find two 'different' bird species sharing the same space!?” This #bald #eagle & #magpie on the south bank of the #Bow #River in #Calgary probably qualifies. (See ALT) #Photography #Nature #wild #bird 🪶 #birds #Canada 🇨🇦

So what’s happening here is the eagle takes flight, dives and snatches a fish out of the river, lands on these rocks and proceeds to feed on its catch. After eating the majority of the fish the eagle takes off, soars above the river and looks for a second course. When that happens the patient Magpie hops over and cleans up the scraps. It seems to be a good arrangement. 🙂

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last mo.

For #MountainMonday, here’s #Crowfoot Mountain (elevation: 3,055 m / 10,023 ft), and Crowfoot #Glacier on its flank, forming the backdrop in this #September morning #photo of #Bow #Lake in #Banff National #Park, #Alberta 🇨🇦 Happy Labour Day everyone! #Rocky #Mountains #Landscape #photography #Canada

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last mo.

Something different for Rob’s alternative #BirdOfTheDay theme of #SittingOnWater: a #summer #overhead of a young #Mallard #hen on a #pond on the #University of #Calgary. The sun’s #reflections and the #algae add help make it unique. 🙂 #duck #bird 🪶 #birds #photography #nature #wild

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last mo.

I see the #BirdOfTheDay theme is simply #flight. So here is my offering - a pair of #pelicans passed me while flying over #Frank #Lake, just east of #HighRiver, #Alberta #Canada 🇨🇦. They certainly are close to one another, no? Have a great weekend! #bird 🪶 #birds #photography #nature #wild #wildlife

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last mo.

Helen’s #BirdOfTheDay is #BirdNaps Any bird caught snoozing, napping or just looking incredibly sleepy! This lovely #mallard #hen is indeed napping with one eye open, thanks to a specialized form of sleep called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep (USWS) [see Alt]. #bird 🪶 #photography #nature #wild

In USWS, one hemisphere of the brain enters a sleep state (typically slow-wave sleep) while the other remains more alert or only lightly sleeping. The open eye is generally the one linked to the more awake hemisphere, allowing the bird to monitor its surroundings for predators or obstacles. The visual pathways in birds are largely crossed, so input from the open eye reaches the more vigilant side of the brain.

Birds often sleep with both eyes closed when they feel safe (e.g., in the middle of a flock or a sheltered spot). They switch to one-eye-open sleep when more vigilance is needed.

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · last mo.

So… the #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Contrast. Well then! I took this on a very cold #Calgary day in January. Common #Ravens are year-round residents across #Alberta, and they thrive in #cold #winter conditions. #bird 🪶 #birds #photography #nature #Canada 🇨🇦 #wild

GordonI @gordoni.bsky.social · 2mo ago

This is my own #BirdOfTheDay post. I’ve posted many American Pelican photos I’ve taken in the #wild, but this female #Dalmatian #Pelican I had to #photograph at the #Calgary #Zoo. Native to Asia & Eastern Europe, they are the largest pelicans in the world (wingspan of 10.5+ ft) #bird 🪶 #birds

The zoo introduced 4 female Dalmatian Pelicans in 2024 (Volga, Adria, Kerkini, and Tisza). This is Volga. What adorable little webbed feet. 🙂