Photographer Mike Drew set out early on July 8, 2026, to capture the morning mist in the Bow River valley east of Calgary, only to find the mist elusive and teasing. Despite the challenge, he documented stunning dewy landscapes, spider webs, and wildlife along the way.
Elusive Mist and Dewy Discoveries
Drew left his home by 6:30 a.m., noticing a bit of mist hanging in the air along his mid-city street. Once at the edge of the city, he encountered patchy fog backlit by the sun, promising silvery fields and hazy horizons. However, the mist dissipated as he approached, leaving only dew and harsh morning light. "It lied," Drew wrote. "Yes, the fields were silvery and the roadside grasses were heavy with dew but misty landscapes never did materialize."
The harsh light became a bonus, illuminating dew on reeds, cattails, and grass. He found a set of spruce trees by a farmyard whose branches were laden with spider silk covered in dew and cottonwood fluff. At McKinnon Flats, a bit of mist lingered in the Bow River valley, softening the coulee slopes and riverine forest.
Spider Webs and Riverine Beauty
At the bottom of the steep road to the river, Drew discovered a tree backlit by the sun, revealing dozens of cobwebs woven among its bare branches. He photographed the webs, noting, "The way the silk catches the light is pretty much like nothing else in nature." The riverine forest was alive with bird songs, the roar of the river, and the buzz of mosquitoes. One mosquito flew into a web he was photographing, becoming lunch for the spider.
Drew observed the Bow River still in full flood but receding, with debris lines in the parking lot and willows bending back upright. A female goldeneye duck flew by, and pelicans soared overhead, prompting him to check on the pelicans at the Carseland weir.
Pelicans and Birds at Carseland Weir
At the weir, the river was high, submerging gravel bars where pelicans usually gathered. The pelicans were crowded onto patches of grass on the highest points of the bars. Drew noted dark topknots and brown neck feathers on some, identifying them as youngsters. "Though they spend the summer here in groups like this, these guys are just here to bide their time," he wrote. The breeding colonies are on larger lakes and river islands downstream.
Other birds were scarce due to limited roosting areas from high water. Drew saw ring-billed and California gulls, swallows, terns, and one cormorant, but no geese. Bankside flowers were plentiful, including yellow mustard, sweet clover, alfalfa, coneflowers, harebells, and snowberry. He found few saskatoon berries, wondering if rain affected the blossoms.
Mosquitoes and Goldfinches
Mosquitoes were aggressive, and Drew got bitten, allowing one to feed on his hand for a photograph. At a spot near Legacy Island, he found birds coming for a drink, including house sparrows, robins, catbirds, yellow warblers, and a spotted sandpiper. A bright-yellow male goldfinch landed at the water's edge, splashed, drank, and looked back. "Unlike the morning mist, it didn't tease at all," Drew said, calling it the perfect ending to his morning.
Despite the mist's teasing, Drew concluded, "It had fooled me and teased me and kept me chasing its ephemeral form. But next time, I'll know better. And, of course, get fooled all over again."
