A warm wind blew in yesterday and whispered in my ear “Go for a walk along the river and check out the ducks”. I am constantly impressed by the tenacity of the Common Goldeneye ducks that swim, fly, dive and thrive in the open water on the South Saskatchewan river as it pours through Saskatoon. Can you picture yourself diving down and coming up with a Crayfish for your supper?

Using my rudimentary echolocation skills I was able to locate the source of a dull drumming noise and focus on this Hairy Woodpecker as it flicked bits of spruce bark off a branch.

Ice formations thrive on the cold weather of the last week. There is a never ending variation of sweet curves, bubbles and hidden faces as the water rises and falls near the edge of the river.

The lure of a dive into ice cold water cascading over the weir was apparently too much for this tennis ball and its forsaken coffee cup. You can see how sad the tennis ball looks as it struggles to maintain buoyancy and realizes it may be crushed by the joyously bouncing ice chunks.