A Frog Emergency...

The moon was full and provided good light for our work.

...or maybe just an excuse to go out into the wild.

Did they say there would be snakes???

Yes. Yes, they did.

Finally spring rains brought a little relief from the drought conditions that had dried up ponds all over central Texas. The wet weather ponds just a few miles away from the house had shown a little movement towards recovery. Water birds have been returning and a frog call, a first for us, had been heard midday.*

Then we got the call (actually it was an email) from the Amphibian Watch gang. Numerous frogs, toads, and snakes had been observed at and near our regular sites. Water was standing in spots we had wanted to explore previously. People were concerned that we would miss them if we didn't take this opportunity. Plans were made. People signed up. We got in the car.

Friday evening took us to Devine Lake Park.** We arrived in time to see a number of rather stunted wildflowers where the mowers had been at work. The trees had been eating kites. People were fishing and milling around and threatening to drop from the sky.***

I've always called these wild verbena...it's officially something else, but I'm using common names for the flowers.

Blue-eyed Grass

Evening Primroses (Pink Ladies)

Wild Onion or Wild Garlic

We headed a few blocks over to a drainage structure at the back of some subdivisions and were immediately overwhelmed by the frog and toad calls. We heard Narrow-mouthed Toads, Rio Grande Leopard Frogs, Blanchard's Cricket Frogs, Cope's Grey Tree Frogs and Green Tree Frogs. We caught and/or photographed the RGLF, BCF, CGTF, and a couple of snakes.****

Rio Grande Leopard Frog

It was a decent size RGLF - note the broken dorsolateral fold.

Cope's Grey Tree Frog on the left/Blanchard's Cricket Frog on the right (I saw the cricket frog swim away and managed to scoop it up one handed - that's never happened to me before).

We heard the calls so knew it was a Cope's and not just the "Grey Tree Frog"

Red Stripe Ribbon Snake

Another Cope's

More identifying markings.

Blotched Water Snake

You can see this Blotched Water Snake was at a bit of a distance.

Detail of the above photo. We later watched this snake go streaking after a Rio Grande Leopard Frog.

This is a "throw away" photo. This frog came floating by as we headed back to the cars.

We then went back to the park where we heard Cope's Grey and Blanchard's Cricket Frogs, saw two more snakes (big ones), observed the Mediterranean House Geckos in their usual spot, and finally said our farewells. It was a long evening, but so productive. We all went home with audio tapes of the frog chorus.

We All Stand Together

Win Or Lose, Sink Or Swim
One Thing Is Certain We'll Never Give In
Side By Side, Hand In Hand
We All Stand Together

Play The Game, Fight The Fight
But What's The Point On A Beautiful Night?
Arm In Arm, Hand In Hand
We All Stand Together

Keeping Us Warm In The Night
La La La La
Walk In The Night
You'll Get It Right

Win Or Lose, Sink Or Swim
One Thing Is Certain We'll Never Give In
Side By Side, Hand In Hand
We All Stand Together

~ Paul McCartney (1983) ******

NOTES:

*It was a Spotted Chorus Frog. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10497605
[I had thought it was a Cajun Chorus Frog, but I was wrong. Either would have been a first. And for a nature nerd, it was a big deal.]

**We went to Berry Springs Park on Saturday, but only heard the regular cast of characters.

***Some guy in a "para-motor" was flying too low over the park and disturbing everyone. People are so inconsiderate. Then he came back with a friend.

****Leaches and a few other things. I ran out of power in my cell phone twice. I know better.

*****Our regular watch is scheduled for next week. We will have to go early...and maybe stay late.

****** Dear heavens! How did I ever miss this? http://www.mibepa.info/bv/bv903b.htm for lyrics and video clip of Rupert Bear and the Frog Chorus. It's worth the trip.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

WARNINGS: CREEPY STUFF INCLUDING SPIDERS

Leach - yuck

This was a gorgeous orb weaver.

It's the same spider, but the other side. I was surprised to see that the web showed in both photos.

Jasper to Banff to Calgary - A LONG Bus Ride

These Mountains are Our Sacred Places

The creator placed us at Wapta Mnotha (Crackling River), 

a favoured area that holds significant spirituality 

and a wealth of wildlife, food, and medicinal plants.

Long before European explorers, 

a Stoney party arrived at its traditional hunting encampment. 

They spotted bighorn sheep high on the mountain slopes. 

Although the sun was setting 

and elders warned him to wait for a new day, 

a skilled young hunter scaled the mountains 

and shot some sheep. 

That night they all feasted.

These are our homelands where we thrive, 

follow the sacred traditions of our ancestors 

and maintain our cultural beliefs 

and spirituality. 

~ Oral history shared by Rock Abraham, Jim Wildman, and the Stoney Mountain Traditional Knowledge Group. 

[From signed lookout between Jasper and Banff south of the Columbia Glacier]

The sun atempted to break through the clouds (and this was my view for miles - the sun filtering through the foggy mist just above the forest and mountains).

7:00 a.m. is early to get on the bus in Jasper, Alberta. It requires fully packing the night before, purchasing something for breakfast (including paper coffee cups we couldn't find in the room) and alarms - 2 alarms.*

The first bus driver, Chris, told us the roads had been pretty bad the day before, but he expected better today.** He warned us the Canadian police often stop buses to check that passengers are wearing their seat belts, but it was up to us (if we were caught there would be a fine).

The roads were not good, but Chris was a great driver and made good time. This is some of the most amazing country we've seen.

We hoped to see more wildlife, but that was limited to a couple of crows at roadside parks (hoping for snacks - crumbs left behind by people who stop - they stalk the trash bins).

Because his attention had to be on the road Chris provided little commentary until we passed a spot with a large frozen waterfall. "Do you see the climbers?" he asked. We all looked fast. We saw them, but the photos I tried for only recorded a blur.

If you look mid-photo on the left you will notice some dark spots on the snow. Those are people climbing the ice.

In Banff we changed to a different bus line.*** This bus was pretty fancy and I suspect we all slept a bit towards the end. It is hard to say that mountains and fir trees get boring, but 5 hours in a bus become hypnotic. Off and on the clouds dropped and the view disappeared.

We arrived at the Calgary Airport and checked into our hotel. It was the nicest yet**** and quite roomy for an airport hotel. We prepared for the second early morning in a row -  a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call as our flight home is at 6:20 and we must clear security/passport control/ and hopefully customs.

So, all is repacked again. Coffee pot is set for the first cup. Pastries await for breakfast. And the electronics are on their last Canadian re-charge.

Canada has been amazing. Overall the people are polite and helpful. But they are so laid-back that you have to ask questions. Once you ask they will help with directions and answer you - honestly and openly. What we saw of Canada was exceptionally clean and, even where there was construction, we found navigating pretty easy.

We were introduced to First Nations***** culture at the Anthropology Museum in Vancouver and saw art and crafts almost everywhere we went. Spotting an installation at the Calgary Airport that was clearly the work of a First Nations artist, we took photos. An airport/airlines employee (who is also an artist) stopped to discuss the work with us.****** We heard some of how the experience of First Nations peoples was parallel to that of Native Americans in the US. It seems that, in many ways, Canada is more active in its struggles to address the needs and concerns of First Nations peoples.

As we close this adventure, we leave you with our last looks at the Canadian Rockies (forgive me - many bad out-the-bus-window cell shots:

We stopped midway between Jasper and Banff and took advantage of the view.

At the overlook

NOTES:

*The first was my internal clock that had me up long before the phone alarm.

**At one point I looked at DH and asked if he was glad we did not rent a car "after all." There is no question the drive in the slush along the winding ICEFIELDS PARKWAY, where all the stopping places were closed for the winter, would have been unnerving.

Chris also warned us that he was allergic to peanuts and so opening a package would be detrimental to his health and us getting to our destination...so much for our snacks - peanut
butter crackers and salted peanuts (I had granola bars too, but those sometimes have peanuts. So we waited to eat.).

***SunDog and Brewster share the journey in this part of the year. You can plan your own trip, but you will need to do your homework. Trust me! Plan ahead. Read everything you can. Buy your tickets in advance. Ask questions!

****It was modern and minimalist...a bit of an inspiration. [But you had to hunt for the coffee pot and shampoo. Everything was hidden away.]

*****On the plane to Vancouver I had a long conversation with a Canadian woman associated with the justice system who commented on the explosion of work involving testimony of First Nations women. She did not go into detail, but I knew there would be much more for me to discover.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations

******She thanked us for noticing the art. She didn't know that seeking out art is one of the reasons we travel. We feel so fortunate to see public art being emphasized - all over Canada.

Detail of work

Detail of work

Work viewed from the front of the horse

Traveling shouldn't be just a tour, it should be a tale.

~Amit Kalantri

Only a partial view of "Buffalo" which depicted a small herd

Kissed by the Ice-King

The snow lay thick upon the ground, 

and upon the branches of the trees: 

the frost kept snapping the little twigs on either side of them, as they passed: 

and when they came to the Mountain-Torrent 

she was hanging motionless in air, 

for the Ice-King had kissed her.

~ Oscar Wilde, The Star-Child and Other Tales

 
The Maligne Canyon* walk in winter - and even on the cusp of Spring - is an amazing experience. We chose to travel with a guide,** for good reason. It can be a hazardous hike without the right gear and guide. 

Here is a little of our hike.*** I enlarged the photos for a better view. Some may be a little out-of-order.

It had snowed gently most of the night. The trees were now full of powdery flakes. It continued to snow until midday.

These photos are all in color, but this is how the forest looked in the snow.

Part of our group crossing 5th Bridge - there is color.

The Maligne River - looking upstream from 5th Bridge.

Alicia, our guide from SunDog Tours.

Bridal Veil Falls (there will be more photos)

We walked in the riverbed much of the time.

This is a wee bit of ice. Just wait.

This one is a bit bigger.

It was still snowing as we started through the canyon.

Alicia tested spots to ensure no one stepped into a "pothole." Our group mostly followed directions (there is always one - or two - who don't listen). It's the sign of a good guide to provide rules and structure and insist on compliance. Alicia was great.

There was a guy ice climbing on the other side.

This fellow was ice climbing. Alicia was firm about safety - calling a couple of our party away from below the climber. We then waited until he was in a spot where we were clear to pass by.

Here you can see some of the narrow spots and how there was a distinct path to follow.

Because we were stopped here for a bit (photos in addition to waiting for the climbers), I took a number of shots. It was hard to capture everything.

You can just see where we are going  - and a little bit of the climber.

It felt like the trees were leaning down to see us and whispered to each other about these silly humans.

The climber had cleared the ice.

Alicia is a "full service" guide. She would take as much time as necessary for us to get some special photos. She is a pretty good photographer! [DH, Walker, JRF]

It is hard to explain how strange and beautiful it was.

See, taking another group photo.

At one point people above started lobbing snowballs down on us. It was not a smart nor safe thing to do.

Not only was she concerned about safety, Alicia shared the geological history (and present) of the canyon and how the guides and trail volunteers work together to keep the trails in good shape for all seasons. It was definitely more than just a "Hey, step over here" kind of experience. And see that ice ax? It saw a bit of work, making steps in some ice formations and checking the depth of the slush/potholes.

Not a beaver dam. It's a pile of driftwood washed into the canyon and caught in a bend. It's been there a while.

This may have been where we turned back. There was no way to continue without more gear. So the rest of the photos will be a different view of things already seen...and the trail back.

That woodpile again.

Watch your step.

Bridal Veil II

A view fro the bus.

NOTES:

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maligne_Canyon

**https://www.sundogtours.com/package/maligne-canyon-icewalk/ Our guide was Alicia. She was amazing - personable, professional, experienced, engaging - perfect!

*** I am sure I missed a bit - talking or looking the wrong direction - or watching out for the "potholes" in the ice that could drop a few inches to a few feet. I need these ankles.

Other Stuff:

SunDog outfitted us with boots and ice cleats - we tried them on until we were satisfied with the fit (but we did have to give them back). 

While on the bus we were lucky enough to see elk and a coyote (in addition to all the crows/ravens).