The horrific destruction of the town in Jasper National Park by wildfire yesterday makes me feel mournful not only for the human loss of homes and businesses––25,000 residents and visitors have evacuated, many with no homes to return to––but also for the majestic, natural beauty and the wildlife dwelling there. How do animals and even birds escape the engulfing fire, with flames reaching 100 metres high? The drive from Banff to Jasper is one of the most beautiful Parkways in Canada. As I write this, one third of the historic town of Jasper has been burned or damaged. The fire is still going, actually, hundreds of wild fires are still burning in Alberta and BC.
The posting of my birding experience on Ripple Effects seems to have taken a new purpose now:
to preserve memories, my very own encounter with Nature and the raw, authentic moments, for I know, these too are ephemeral.
The following are some of the visual memories I’ve gathered in the past month near the Pond. First off, the summer wild flora, blooming bright and colourful are the Alberta provincial flower, the Wild Rose. If you can ID the other ones, do let me know:
Snow in July? Fortunately not. Thanks to poplar cotton, a monotonous stream now looks dramatic:
It’s always a pleasant surprise to see a deer suddenly appear nearby, and this is a handsome, young one:
A favourite sighting any time… the Belted Kingfisher, not easy to spot, but their distinct rattle calls give them away:
High up on a tree branch, the Osprey is chomping its prey. You can see half a fish under its claws:
For these two hungry baby European Starlings, it’s door dash delivery by Mama Starling, not fast enough as always:
As for Mama, she just can’t wait to see babies grow up to search for their own food, just like these lovely Yellow Warblers:
or this hungry Robin, swallowing whole a worm as long as its own body:
The ephemeral nature of life… the worm sure knows what that means.
Ripple Effects 
Such tragic consequences from the fires that leave such sadness.
Your photos of your summer woods are lovely. The Kingfisher shot is sweet! Ha! door dash delivery. What a great capture. Hope your last weekend in July is a peaceful one.
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Thanks Ellen! I know there are wildfires along the west coast and in the Seattle area. The best to you for a peaceful summer as well.
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The fires are a tragedy for humans and more-than-humans that will likely continue as such because we haven’t bothered to make the changes needed to limit climate change. It breaks my heart every day.
Your photos are always great and I love that you managed to capture the worm going down the robin’s throat! I can’t tell the details of the mass of white flowers and their leaves in the one photo but they look like some kind of meadow rue or possibly wild onion. The single white flower looks really familiar to me but my brain is not pulling out any possible names to attach to it at the moment.
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Indeed, we all need to be faithful stewards of our environment. As for the photos, they’re all quite blurry I admit, except the Robin which didn’t care that I was so close by, just about 5 feet! Too focused on its lunch. 🙂
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I’m so sorry to hear about the fires. They’ve started up in California, too, which surprises me, because spring was so wet this year; I thought the grass would stay green longer. But no, the rain probably caused more quantity of grass to grow, so that when it dries out, it means more tinder.
So far, nothing in my town. But you remind me that I want to check the fire news in the whole state. May God bless and keep us all.
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Be vigilant, be safe, and pray for rain. 🙂
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Such heartbreaking events in your province. So many factors are at play, it’s impossible to focus on one as the cause. In truth, if there were a single obvious cause, mitigating future disasters would be far easier.
Down here, many of us are documenting a different kind of ‘disaster.’ As the suburbs and commercial developments spread, beautiful pieces of prairie and virgin land are plowed under, only to see the rise of strip malls and houses built ‘on spec.’ Never rented or leased, they sit empty as the fields that surround them.
I got such a kick out of the photos of the robin and its worm. We called the worms ‘nightcrawlers,’ and they were highly regarded as fishing bait. I can’t remember how many worms we needed to collect, but we were paid 25¢ for each batch.
I’m pretty sure your yellow flower is western salsify, or western goat’s beard. The white one might be Canadian anemone. It’s quite different from our native anemones, but equally pretty!
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Yes people here use worms as fishing baits too. Don’t know much about fishing but I remember seeing people selling “live baits”. And thanks for the flora ID.
As for the factors for all these wildfires, more frequent in recent years, I’m sure there are various ones. A complex issue. Unlike the one in California now which was started when a guy pushed a burning car into the ditch! Heard that on the radio news. I think they have arrested the man.
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Is Jasper a park where you shoot your photos? I’ve been reading about the fires but not sure of the geography. It really is heartbreaking. And yes, your photos to preserve the beauty of these areas is important for your children and grands and someday. Fire is such a huge challenge — it moves so fast.
You had some amazing sightings, especially the bird and the worm. Sometimes it all comes down to being in the right place at the right time.
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The town of Jasper is inside the Jasper National Park, which is about 350 miles northwest of my home here in Calgary, Alberta. (BTW, we are the northern neighbour of your Montana State.) Jasper National Park offers some of the most majestic natural beauty not only in Canada but the world… lakes and glaciers dating back to millions of years. Banff National Park is closer to me, about 80 miles. The highway from Banff–>Lake Louise–>Jasper has been called one of the most beautiful highways in the world. Where I go birding is much closer to me, Fish Creek Provincial Park right in Calgary. This is where I call “The Pond”, not just one pond but the stream and creek that flow out of the Bow River, and the surrounding woods. All the photos here in this post were taken there, my neck of the woods.
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Beautiful photos, Arti.
I’m very sad to hear about this fire and the disaster it brought upon the Jasper area.
I spent part on my honeymoon there and I have very fond memories of the Jasper National Park, of Lake Louise, Banff and Peyto Lake.
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How wonderful to have spent your honeymoon there, Emma! I’m sure you have some beautiful memories. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience. 😉
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