I find it amusing that we sometimes ignore beauty that’s close to home.

Our family moved to Lanigan, SK before I started grade nine but I had never been to the nearby Quill Lakes area to check on their abundant bird population. I had driven by the signs, been mildy curious but never made it a priority. Two days ago I fixed that.

I heard through the grapevine that pelicans graced the area and I definitely had not filled my quota for that majestic bird this year.

My mom and I headed out to Mud Lake which lies between the two massive Quill Lakes – only a 75 km drive from Lanigan. As we approached what we thot was the lake, there was water everywhere. It’s hard to believe that the pioneers who broke the area called it a dust bowl.

There were round bales deliberately placed on either side of the road as a water break to stop the water this spring. It made for a grand entrance!

We stopped at the side of the road to take a look and stepped into a wonderful quiet scene. The temperature was finally cooling after a hot day, it was calm and, surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes.

As we drank up the atmosphere we noticed pelicans in the distance. Before we knew it, one floated by as only pelicans can. Awesome.

A little further down the road, another group of pelicans were preoccupied with preening. Our mission was a success.

As the sun headed for the horizon and storm clouds gathered, we found a large group of pelicans. A few shots later, it was time to head back, leaving the rest of the road to be explored another day. Some herons and many other birds bid us farewell but I’ll be back.

On the drive home, the storm clouds let loose a pounding rain. At the same time a rainbow formed to our left while a sunset cast beautiful colours on the right. Another reminder of the beauty close to home.

The photos below are my reminder of a great evening. All photos can be enlarged by clicking.