All the Elbow River Parks

With the temperature going back to normal winter cold, I decided to have a little walk/run today and for that reason I went to the banks of Elbow River this time, more specifically in the neighbourhood of Mission. Just across from Safeway supermarket where Elbow Drive and 4th St. collide, there's a bridge over Elbow River and different parts of the river's bank natural area are named differently. There's a set of stairs at the right side of the bridge which takes you down, by the river and that's where it's Elbow Islands Park. If you walk by the river and in opposite direction you will see a pedestrian bridge which was destroyed during the June-2013 Calgary Flood and has been recently replaced with a new one. A sign has been put on the top part of the bridge gate at both sides which is read: Rideau Park. You turn right from the bridge's end and here's a neighbourood with luxury big houses and continue where after a short walk by the river you find another sign which reads; Stanley Park! 

I was walking there and as I'm always looking around, I noticed a giant bird on a tree a few meters ahead of me. My original though was that it would be an Eagle because it was way bigger than the normal size bird you see in a city and then I said: What's an Eagle doin' here?! But when I got closer it appeared I was right. I tried to catch a shot with my small camera although I knew it would not look so good. When I got closer it flew while being escorted a smaller bird. I have seen something like this before once when we went to Eagle Lake near Startmore: A big bird and a small one together but those one where fighting and over there surprisingly the smaller one was after the big one! Here the same scenario but they seemed to enjoy each other's company. No fighting! Then I realized that the Eagle joined another one and then both flow away from me and I never saw them again. That was amazing! 

Altoght much cannot be seen clearly in this photo, the size of bird and its white head clearly shows its a type of Eagle. I have to get a good lens for the damn camera, the Cannon one of course. This with no doubt is much better than what I got in Squamish!

I carried on walking until I reached Elbow Drive at another intersection and then decided to go back. I was on my way back and having the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood, I noticed a light knocking on the woods and I immediately realized it must have been a Woodpecker! 

I was it was a beautiful Hairy Woodpecker taping on an old tree's trunk. I was able to take a few shots with my small camera and then left it alone with its tapping and went back toward where I had parked the vehicle. On the way I decided to run part of the way which was not too bad in that sub-zero temperature. I reached the car in nearly 14 min. 

(Photo: Utilizing the digital zoom of the small Sony Cybershot, I got this Woodpecker tapping on the wood. Had I have my big camera one me at the time, the story would have been different!)