Album Horses from Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/album/439777 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg Album Horses from Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/album/439777 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 01:43:58 +0000 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 01:43:58 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com Horses (Percherons?) pulling wagon, Bar U Ranch https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50576402/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-08-30,doc-50576402 Fri, 30 Aug 2019 06:07:47 +0000 2019-08-27T14:33:25-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50576402/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/64/02/50576402.84bcc944.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Well, I certainly didn't get very far with editing and posting photos taken on 25 August 2019, when a group of us took part in a bioblitz (mainly to see the amazing number of fungi!) of a wonderful old forest, in order to compare it to what was now growing in a large area that had been clearcut logged around three years ago. On 27 August, I finally made myself do a new drive that I hadn't had the courage to do before, going south of the city. The five photos posted tonight are from the drive on 27 August. After posting several fungi photos yesterday from the forest/clearcut outing, I decided that there are only so many fungi photos at a time that people will want to see here.<br /> <br /> The trip down south was not a huge drive and many of the roads were familiar ones. Just the last part was what made me afraid to try. I am so glad I did this, as I had longed to go to this particular Ranch for years. A couple of years ago, a friend and I drove south from the city to get to Kananaskis. Somehow, he missed a turn-off and we ended up going some distance south instead of west. I loved the scenery that we were driving through and I was determined that, one day, I would drive there myself. Done!<br /> <br /> The Ranch I wanted to see was the Bar U Ranch. I have seen so many photos online of the scattered sheds/barns and I was sure I would find plenty to photograph.<br /> <br /> "Bar U cattle literally fed the world. The ranch fed workers building the first transcontinental railway and waves of immigrants flooding to a new land.<br /> <br /> It fed Canada’s first Indian reservations, the first patrols of Northwest Mounted Police, our nation through the Great Depression and our soldiers through two World Wars. Bar U Percherons, “the work horses that powered North America,” built our cities and roads and pulled our trolleys and fire wagons, from New York City to Victoria, British Columbia. <br /> <br /> One of the first, most successful, most enduring large scale cattle ranching operations in Canada, the Bar U in its hay day ranged 30,000 head of cattle on 160,000 acres of grassland, and was world renowned for its stock of 1,000 purebred Percherons.<br /> <br /> Located deep in the southern Alberta foothills, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the Bar U, from 1882 to 1950, was a force to be reckoned with. While other large Alberta ranches succeeded for a time only to go out of business, especially after the killer winters of 1886 and 1906, the Mighty Bar U persevered to eventually become a kingpin in a business empire that included a variety of ranches and farming enterprises, as well as meat packing plants and flour mills."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm</a><br /> <br /> By the time three and a quarter hours had passed by at the Ranch, including sitting on a log around a camp fire, drinking hot coffee and chatting with a couple of ladies who were telling us about camp life in the old days, I felt it was time to start heading back home. I returned via the rough, gravel, very dusty backroad that I use when I drive to Kananaskis, hoping that I might just see something of interest, but out of luck. <br /> <br /> Thank goodness for Albums to keep photos together, and thank goodness Camera Roll is now finally back and working. Thank you, Flickr staff, for rebuilding this very useful tool for us.</div> Horses (Percherons?) pulling wagon, Bar U Ranch <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50576402/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/64/02/50576402.84bcc944.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Well, I certainly didn't get very far with editing and posting photos taken on 25 August 2019, when a group of us took part in a bioblitz (mainly to see the amazing number of fungi!) of a wonderful old forest, in order to compare it to what was now growing in a large area that had been clearcut logged around three years ago. On 27 August, I finally made myself do a new drive that I hadn't had the courage to do before, going south of the city. The five photos posted tonight are from the drive on 27 August. After posting several fungi photos yesterday from the forest/clearcut outing, I decided that there are only so many fungi photos at a time that people will want to see here.<br /> <br /> The trip down south was not a huge drive and many of the roads were familiar ones. Just the last part was what made me afraid to try. I am so glad I did this, as I had longed to go to this particular Ranch for years. A couple of years ago, a friend and I drove south from the city to get to Kananaskis. Somehow, he missed a turn-off and we ended up going some distance south instead of west. I loved the scenery that we were driving through and I was determined that, one day, I would drive there myself. Done!<br /> <br /> The Ranch I wanted to see was the Bar U Ranch. I have seen so many photos online of the scattered sheds/barns and I was sure I would find plenty to photograph.<br /> <br /> "Bar U cattle literally fed the world. The ranch fed workers building the first transcontinental railway and waves of immigrants flooding to a new land.<br /> <br /> It fed Canada’s first Indian reservations, the first patrols of Northwest Mounted Police, our nation through the Great Depression and our soldiers through two World Wars. Bar U Percherons, “the work horses that powered North America,” built our cities and roads and pulled our trolleys and fire wagons, from New York City to Victoria, British Columbia. <br /> <br /> One of the first, most successful, most enduring large scale cattle ranching operations in Canada, the Bar U in its hay day ranged 30,000 head of cattle on 160,000 acres of grassland, and was world renowned for its stock of 1,000 purebred Percherons.<br /> <br /> Located deep in the southern Alberta foothills, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the Bar U, from 1882 to 1950, was a force to be reckoned with. While other large Alberta ranches succeeded for a time only to go out of business, especially after the killer winters of 1886 and 1906, the Mighty Bar U persevered to eventually become a kingpin in a business empire that included a variety of ranches and farming enterprises, as well as meat packing plants and flour mills."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm</a><br /> <br /> By the time three and a quarter hours had passed by at the Ranch, including sitting on a log around a camp fire, drinking hot coffee and chatting with a couple of ladies who were telling us about camp life in the old days, I felt it was time to start heading back home. I returned via the rough, gravel, very dusty backroad that I use when I drive to Kananaskis, hoping that I might just see something of interest, but out of luck. <br /> <br /> Thank goodness for Albums to keep photos together, and thank goodness Camera Roll is now finally back and working. Thank you, Flickr staff, for rebuilding this very useful tool for us.</div> Anne Elliott What a poser https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49909990/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-08-09,doc-49909990 Fri, 09 Aug 2019 18:30:09 +0000 2019-08-08T13:50:41-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49909990/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/90/49909990.69cfdf38.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 8 August 2019, was more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if I could tell which ones were missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and I had a problem with heat distortion yesterday. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention yesterday had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip yesterday. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, nearby. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy.</div> What a poser <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49909990/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/90/49909990.69cfdf38.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 8 August 2019, was more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if I could tell which ones were missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and I had a problem with heat distortion yesterday. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention yesterday had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip yesterday. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, nearby. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy.</div> Anne Elliott A would-be photographer&#039;s dream https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043306/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-29,doc-48043306 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 06:06:56 +0000 2019-01-28T14:41:25-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043306/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/06/48043306.d873f72d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are the only four photos that were worth saving from today's drive east of the city. I was beginning to wonder if I might end up going home with an empty memory card. I was totally out of luck with getting photos of the birds I had hoped to see close, but instead only saw from a great distance. For the last few years, I have longed to see and photograph a Short-eared Owl perched on a close fence post. It appears that "everyone" has been successful in doing this. <br /> <br /> This is my least favourite direction to drive out of the city. On the return drive, there are so many huge road signs and a few days ago, for the third time, I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up heading way south of the city on the major highway, Deerfoot Trail. The afternoon sun is absolutely glaring and then, later afternoon, the light starts fading and I have to be really careful about getting back before it gets dark, thanks to lousy nght vision. I also don't like feeling I should go east again, just in the hope of seeing owls. There have only been a few people in the area when I have been out there.<br /> <br /> Quite a lot of my time was spent driving some of the back roads and I was happy to come across the horses and old barns/sheds in these four images. My photos were not as sharp as I would have liked, so I have added a touch of filter in post-processing to a couple of them. I would love to have been able to wander round these old sheds and photograph them from different angles.<br /> <br /> The weather was again absolutey gorgeous - what a wonderful contrast to last winter! Also very different from yesterday (Sunday, 27 January 2019), when we had very strong winds and blowing snow. A birding walk I had planned on going on yesterday morning suddenly lost its appeal, and, after my alarm clocks woke me up early, I decided I would climb back into bed instead.</div> A would-be photographer&#039;s dream <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043306/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/06/48043306.d873f72d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are the only four photos that were worth saving from today's drive east of the city. I was beginning to wonder if I might end up going home with an empty memory card. I was totally out of luck with getting photos of the birds I had hoped to see close, but instead only saw from a great distance. For the last few years, I have longed to see and photograph a Short-eared Owl perched on a close fence post. It appears that "everyone" has been successful in doing this. <br /> <br /> This is my least favourite direction to drive out of the city. On the return drive, there are so many huge road signs and a few days ago, for the third time, I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up heading way south of the city on the major highway, Deerfoot Trail. The afternoon sun is absolutely glaring and then, later afternoon, the light starts fading and I have to be really careful about getting back before it gets dark, thanks to lousy nght vision. I also don't like feeling I should go east again, just in the hope of seeing owls. There have only been a few people in the area when I have been out there.<br /> <br /> Quite a lot of my time was spent driving some of the back roads and I was happy to come across the horses and old barns/sheds in these four images. My photos were not as sharp as I would have liked, so I have added a touch of filter in post-processing to a couple of them. I would love to have been able to wander round these old sheds and photograph them from different angles.<br /> <br /> The weather was again absolutey gorgeous - what a wonderful contrast to last winter! Also very different from yesterday (Sunday, 27 January 2019), when we had very strong winds and blowing snow. A birding walk I had planned on going on yesterday morning suddenly lost its appeal, and, after my alarm clocks woke me up early, I decided I would climb back into bed instead.</div> Anne Elliott Textured https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043298/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-29,doc-48043298 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 06:06:01 +0000 2019-01-28T14:40:28-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043298/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/98/48043298.fcac559c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are the only four photos that were worth saving from today's drive east of the city. I was beginning to wonder if I might end up going home with an empty memory card. I was totally out of luck with getting photos of the birds I had hoped to see close, but instead only saw from a great distance. For the last few years, I have longed to see and photograph a Short-eared Owl perched on a close fence post. It appears that "everyone" has been successful in doing this. <br /> <br /> This is my least favourite direction to drive out of the city. On the return drive, there are so many huge road signs and a few days ago, for the third time, I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up heading way south of the city on the major highway, Deerfoot Trail. The afternoon sun is absolutely glaring and then, later afternoon, the light starts fading and I have to be really careful about getting back before it gets dark, thanks to lousy nght vision. I also don't like feeling I should go east again, just in the hope of seeing owls. There have only been a few people in the area when I have been out there.<br /> <br /> Quite a lot of my time was spent driving some of the back roads and I was happy to come across the horses and old barns/sheds in these four images. My photos were not as sharp as I would have liked, so I have added a touch of filter in post-processing to a couple of them.<br /> <br /> The weather was again absolutey gorgeous - what a wonderful contrast to last winter! Also very different from yesterday (Sunday, 27 January 2019), when we had very strong winds and blowing snow. A birding walk I had planned on going on yesterday morning suddenly lost its appeal, and, after my alarm clocks woke me up early, I decided I would climb back into bed instead.</div> Textured <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043298/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/98/48043298.fcac559c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are the only four photos that were worth saving from today's drive east of the city. I was beginning to wonder if I might end up going home with an empty memory card. I was totally out of luck with getting photos of the birds I had hoped to see close, but instead only saw from a great distance. For the last few years, I have longed to see and photograph a Short-eared Owl perched on a close fence post. It appears that "everyone" has been successful in doing this. <br /> <br /> This is my least favourite direction to drive out of the city. On the return drive, there are so many huge road signs and a few days ago, for the third time, I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up heading way south of the city on the major highway, Deerfoot Trail. The afternoon sun is absolutely glaring and then, later afternoon, the light starts fading and I have to be really careful about getting back before it gets dark, thanks to lousy nght vision. I also don't like feeling I should go east again, just in the hope of seeing owls. There have only been a few people in the area when I have been out there.<br /> <br /> Quite a lot of my time was spent driving some of the back roads and I was happy to come across the horses and old barns/sheds in these four images. My photos were not as sharp as I would have liked, so I have added a touch of filter in post-processing to a couple of them.<br /> <br /> The weather was again absolutey gorgeous - what a wonderful contrast to last winter! Also very different from yesterday (Sunday, 27 January 2019), when we had very strong winds and blowing snow. A birding walk I had planned on going on yesterday morning suddenly lost its appeal, and, after my alarm clocks woke me up early, I decided I would climb back into bed instead.</div> Anne Elliott The new and the old https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043280/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-29,doc-48043280 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 06:04:08 +0000 2019-01-28T14:39:45-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043280/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/80/48043280.3e08efdb.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="183" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are the only four photos that were worth saving from today's drive east of the city. I was beginning to wonder if I might end up going home with an empty memory card. I was totally out of luck with getting photos of the birds I had hoped to see close, but instead only saw from a great distance. For the last few years, I have longed to see and photograph a Short-eared Owl perched on a close fence post. It appears that "everyone" has been successful in doing this. <br /> <br /> This is my least favourite direction to drive out of the city. On the return drive, there are so many huge road signs and a few days ago, for the third time, I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up heading way south of the city on the major highway, Deerfoot Trail. The afternoon sun is absolutely glaring and then, later afternoon, the light starts fading and I have to be really careful about getting back before it gets dark, thanks to lousy nght vision. I also don't like feeling I should go east again, just in the hope of seeing owls. There have only been a few people in the area when I have been out there.<br /> <br /> Quite a lot of my time was spent driving some of the back roads and I was happy to come across the horses and old barns/sheds in these four images. My photos were not as sharp as I would have liked, so I have added a touch of filter in post-processing to a couple of them.<br /> <br /> The weather was again absolutey gorgeous - what a wonderful contrast to last winter! Also very different from yesterday (Sunday, 27 January 2019), when we had very strong winds and blowing snow. A birding walk I had planned on going on yesterday morning suddenly lost its appeal, and, after my alarm clocks woke me up early, I decided I would climb back into bed instead.</div> The new and the old <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48043280/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/80/48043280.3e08efdb.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="183" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">These are the only four photos that were worth saving from today's drive east of the city. I was beginning to wonder if I might end up going home with an empty memory card. I was totally out of luck with getting photos of the birds I had hoped to see close, but instead only saw from a great distance. For the last few years, I have longed to see and photograph a Short-eared Owl perched on a close fence post. It appears that "everyone" has been successful in doing this. <br /> <br /> This is my least favourite direction to drive out of the city. On the return drive, there are so many huge road signs and a few days ago, for the third time, I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up heading way south of the city on the major highway, Deerfoot Trail. The afternoon sun is absolutely glaring and then, later afternoon, the light starts fading and I have to be really careful about getting back before it gets dark, thanks to lousy nght vision. I also don't like feeling I should go east again, just in the hope of seeing owls. There have only been a few people in the area when I have been out there.<br /> <br /> Quite a lot of my time was spent driving some of the back roads and I was happy to come across the horses and old barns/sheds in these four images. My photos were not as sharp as I would have liked, so I have added a touch of filter in post-processing to a couple of them.<br /> <br /> The weather was again absolutey gorgeous - what a wonderful contrast to last winter! Also very different from yesterday (Sunday, 27 January 2019), when we had very strong winds and blowing snow. A birding walk I had planned on going on yesterday morning suddenly lost its appeal, and, after my alarm clocks woke me up early, I decided I would climb back into bed instead.</div> Anne Elliott Friends https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47978386/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-14,doc-47978386 Mon, 14 Jan 2019 05:46:40 +0000 2019-01-13T12:10:23-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47978386/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/86/47978386.43fa8c8d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description"></div> Friends <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47978386/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/86/47978386.43fa8c8d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description"></div> Anne Elliott Foggy day https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47970742/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-08,doc-47970742 Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:08:13 +0000 2019-01-05T11:38:31-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47970742/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/42/47970742.8872dae9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Posting the last handful of photos from my drive in dense fog on 5 Januaty 2019. My computer, which is driving me nuts, has worked long enough for me to upload these.<br /> <br /> The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise on, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east of the city on 4 January, after already waiting a couple of months to get out east and northeast. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day on 4th January, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud on 5 January, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely be able to see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. <br /> <br /> I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.</div> Foggy day <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47970742/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/42/47970742.8872dae9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Posting the last handful of photos from my drive in dense fog on 5 Januaty 2019. My computer, which is driving me nuts, has worked long enough for me to upload these.<br /> <br /> The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise on, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east of the city on 4 January, after already waiting a couple of months to get out east and northeast. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day on 4th January, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud on 5 January, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely be able to see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. <br /> <br /> I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.</div> Anne Elliott Horse and hoar frost https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47970730/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-07,doc-47970730 Mon, 07 Jan 2019 04:34:28 +0000 2019-01-05T11:39:44-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47970730/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/30/47970730.f375827f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise yesterday, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east of the city on 4 January, after already waiting a couple of months to get out east and northeast. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day on 4th January, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud yesterday morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely be able to see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. <br /> <br /> I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned some white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.</div> Horse and hoar frost <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47970730/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/30/47970730.f375827f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise yesterday, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east of the city on 4 January, after already waiting a couple of months to get out east and northeast. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day on 4th January, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud yesterday morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely be able to see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. <br /> <br /> I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned some white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.</div> Anne Elliott Frosted chin whiskers https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47959452/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-06,doc-47959452 Sun, 06 Jan 2019 03:48:11 +0000 2019-01-05T11:40:20-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47959452/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/94/52/47959452.23a6b986.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise today, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east and northeast of the city yesterday, after already waiting a couple of months. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight last night, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud this morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. <br /> <br /> I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.</div> Frosted chin whiskers <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47959452/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/94/52/47959452.23a6b986.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The trees at the very edge of the roads were quite visible, but practically everything else disappeared in a dense fog that caught me by surprise today, 5 January 2019. I had hoped to finally drive east and northeast of the city yesterday, after already waiting a couple of months. Then I saw in the weather forecast that it was going to be a very windy day, so my plans changed. When I checked the forecast around midnight last night, we were supposedly going to have sun with some cloud this morning, clearing to a nice sunny afternoon. Yeah, right!! The thick fog had developed way before I left the eastern edge of the city and, though I was so tempted to turn around and head for home, I kept going, hoping that the fog would clear further east. Just the opposite! Most of the drive was in very poor visibility, barely able to see the road I was on and not seeing cars in the distance. Once my eyes looked further than the fences along the road edges, I could barely see anything at all, just dense fog. A far cry from an ideal day for looking for Snowy Owls! Everything was a pale grey or white and I would never have been able to see a distant owl and would barely see an owl perched high up on a power pole. After roughly almost five hours of dangerous driving conditions and 235 km travelled, I just had to give up and head for home. <br /> <br /> I did manage to find a few odds and ends to photograph, but nothing too inspiring. Post-processing turned white photos into images that had some colour and detail - not at all how things looked in reality.</div> Anne Elliott One of Barb&#039;s horses https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47902370/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-23,doc-47902370 Sun, 23 Dec 2018 15:36:25 +0000 2018-12-22T11:15:11-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47902370/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/23/70/47902370.9c4d7b3b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 22 December 2018, was the very first Priddis Christmas Bird Count. We unofficially tallied 28 different species, 520 individuals. Twenty participants turned out for this Count, which was great. The most impressive part, though, was that a 15-year-old (in Grade 9) decided to organize a Count for this area. Great initiative - well done, Gavin! You certainly have a huge knowledge about birds. <br /> <br /> We split up into various groups and basically drove wherever we chose within the boundaries of the Count circle. The start time was 8:30 am and we ended roughly around 4:00 pm. This whole area is the area I usually drive to when I need to get out for just a few hours - which doesn't happen very often these days, unfortunately. That really needs to change next year, if possible.<br /> <br /> One of our stopping places was at Barb Castell's. She has a great collection of bird feeders in the garden on her acreage and has a good variety of birds coming to feed each day. Seeing Evening Grosbeaks was a real treat. Thanks so much, as always, Barb, for letting us invade your property : ) Always much appreciated. Ha, I discovered that taking photos through a window that has a fine netting over it, did not work, at least not with my camera. Just about managed to rescue a handful of the shots. When we all had to come inside to shoot, it did allow all the birds to fly down and feed, though. What a glorious, colourful sight. Evening Grosbeaks always make me smile, because the males, especially, tend to tilt their head and have such an angry look on their face. Sadly, their Status is Vulnerable.<br /> <br /> "The scientific name, Hesperiphona vespertinus, means “sound of the evening,” although the idea that they are mainly crepuscular is mistaken. They were apparently first named by French explorers who probably first observed them in the twilight hours. They should actually be called the Morning Grosbeak." The alternative scientific name is Coccothraustes vespertinaus. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/</a> <br /> <br /> With so many birders getting on in age, it is always a delight to see any young person who is passionate about our feathered friends. Hopefully, Gavin's success will encourage other youngsters to get involved.</div> One of Barb&#039;s horses <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47902370/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/23/70/47902370.9c4d7b3b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 22 December 2018, was the very first Priddis Christmas Bird Count. We unofficially tallied 28 different species, 520 individuals. Twenty participants turned out for this Count, which was great. The most impressive part, though, was that a 15-year-old (in Grade 9) decided to organize a Count for this area. Great initiative - well done, Gavin! You certainly have a huge knowledge about birds. <br /> <br /> We split up into various groups and basically drove wherever we chose within the boundaries of the Count circle. The start time was 8:30 am and we ended roughly around 4:00 pm. This whole area is the area I usually drive to when I need to get out for just a few hours - which doesn't happen very often these days, unfortunately. That really needs to change next year, if possible.<br /> <br /> One of our stopping places was at Barb Castell's. She has a great collection of bird feeders in the garden on her acreage and has a good variety of birds coming to feed each day. Seeing Evening Grosbeaks was a real treat. Thanks so much, as always, Barb, for letting us invade your property : ) Always much appreciated. Ha, I discovered that taking photos through a window that has a fine netting over it, did not work, at least not with my camera. Just about managed to rescue a handful of the shots. When we all had to come inside to shoot, it did allow all the birds to fly down and feed, though. What a glorious, colourful sight. Evening Grosbeaks always make me smile, because the males, especially, tend to tilt their head and have such an angry look on their face. Sadly, their Status is Vulnerable.<br /> <br /> "The scientific name, Hesperiphona vespertinus, means “sound of the evening,” although the idea that they are mainly crepuscular is mistaken. They were apparently first named by French explorers who probably first observed them in the twilight hours. They should actually be called the Morning Grosbeak." The alternative scientific name is Coccothraustes vespertinaus. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/</a> <br /> <br /> With so many birders getting on in age, it is always a delight to see any young person who is passionate about our feathered friends. Hopefully, Gavin's success will encourage other youngsters to get involved.</div> Anne Elliott One of Barb&#039;s horses https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47902340/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-23,doc-47902340 Sun, 23 Dec 2018 15:34:23 +0000 2018-12-22T11:04:12-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47902340/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/23/40/47902340.ff689a18.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 22 December 2018, was the very first Priddis Christmas Bird Count. We unofficially tallied 28 different species, 520 individuals. Twenty participants turned out for this Count, which was great. The most impressive part, though, was that a 15-year-old (in Grade 9) decided to organize a Count for this area. Great initiative - well done, Gavin! You certainly have a huge knowledge about birds. <br /> <br /> We split up into various groups and basically drove wherever we chose within the boundaries of the Count circle. The start time was 8:30 am and we ended roughly around 4:00 pm. This whole area is the area I usually drive to when I need to get out for just a few hours - which doesn't happen very often these days, unfortunately. That really needs to change next year, if possible.<br /> <br /> One of our stopping places was at Barb Castell's. She has a great collection of bird feeders in the garden on her acreage and has a good variety of birds coming to feed each day. Seeing Evening Grosbeaks was a real treat. Thanks so much, as always, Barb, for letting us invade your property : ) Always much appreciated. Ha, I discovered that taking photos through a window that has a fine netting over it, did not work, at least not with my camera. Just about managed to rescue a handful of the shots. When we all had to come inside to shoot, it did allow all the birds to fly down and feed, though. What a glorious, colourful sight. Evening Grosbeaks always make me smile, because the males, especially, tend to tilt their head and have such an angry look on their face. Sadly, their Status is Vulnerable.<br /> <br /> "The scientific name, Hesperiphona vespertinus, means “sound of the evening,” although the idea that they are mainly crepuscular is mistaken. They were apparently first named by French explorers who probably first observed them in the twilight hours. They should actually be called the Morning Grosbeak." The alternative scientific name is Coccothraustes vespertinaus. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/</a> <br /> <br /> With so many birders getting on in age, it is always a delight to see any young person who is passionate about our feathered friends. Hopefully, Gavin's success will encourage other youngsters to get involved.</div> One of Barb&#039;s horses <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47902340/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/23/40/47902340.ff689a18.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 22 December 2018, was the very first Priddis Christmas Bird Count. We unofficially tallied 28 different species, 520 individuals. Twenty participants turned out for this Count, which was great. The most impressive part, though, was that a 15-year-old (in Grade 9) decided to organize a Count for this area. Great initiative - well done, Gavin! You certainly have a huge knowledge about birds. <br /> <br /> We split up into various groups and basically drove wherever we chose within the boundaries of the Count circle. The start time was 8:30 am and we ended roughly around 4:00 pm. This whole area is the area I usually drive to when I need to get out for just a few hours - which doesn't happen very often these days, unfortunately. That really needs to change next year, if possible.<br /> <br /> One of our stopping places was at Barb Castell's. She has a great collection of bird feeders in the garden on her acreage and has a good variety of birds coming to feed each day. Seeing Evening Grosbeaks was a real treat. Thanks so much, as always, Barb, for letting us invade your property : ) Always much appreciated. Ha, I discovered that taking photos through a window that has a fine netting over it, did not work, at least not with my camera. Just about managed to rescue a handful of the shots. When we all had to come inside to shoot, it did allow all the birds to fly down and feed, though. What a glorious, colourful sight. Evening Grosbeaks always make me smile, because the males, especially, tend to tilt their head and have such an angry look on their face. Sadly, their Status is Vulnerable.<br /> <br /> "The scientific name, Hesperiphona vespertinus, means “sound of the evening,” although the idea that they are mainly crepuscular is mistaken. They were apparently first named by French explorers who probably first observed them in the twilight hours. They should actually be called the Morning Grosbeak." The alternative scientific name is Coccothraustes vespertinaus. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ornithology.com/the-evening-grosbeak/</a> <br /> <br /> With so many birders getting on in age, it is always a delight to see any young person who is passionate about our feathered friends. Hopefully, Gavin's success will encourage other youngsters to get involved.</div> Anne Elliott Friendly horse https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47601442/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2018-11-03,doc-47601442 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 15:26:36 +0000 2018-10-25T14:24:26-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47601442/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/14/42/47601442.fde4728d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.<br /> <br /> There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was. <br /> <br /> Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!<br /> <br /> Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.<br /> <br /> In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.</div> Friendly horse <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47601442/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/14/42/47601442.fde4728d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.<br /> <br /> There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was. <br /> <br /> Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!<br /> <br /> Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.<br /> <br /> In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.</div> Anne Elliott Multi-coloured mane https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47579658/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2018-11-01,doc-47579658 Thu, 01 Nov 2018 16:25:09 +0000 2018-10-25T14:23:38-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47579658/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/96/58/47579658.da6034c3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A week ago, on 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.<br /> <br /> There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing this image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was. <br /> <br /> Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!<br /> <br /> Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.<br /> <br /> In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a large Pot-bellied (?) Pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.</div> Multi-coloured mane <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47579658/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/96/58/47579658.da6034c3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A week ago, on 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.<br /> <br /> There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing this image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was. <br /> <br /> Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!<br /> <br /> Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.<br /> <br /> In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a large Pot-bellied (?) Pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.</div> Anne Elliott Horse + texture https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47367430/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2018-09-22,doc-47367430 Sat, 22 Sep 2018 14:48:18 +0000 2018-09-20T12:26:12-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47367430/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/74/30/47367430.745b2369.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'VE BEEN SCAMMED!!! My son informed me that the whole computer VIRUS thing that I mentioned the other day was a SCAM! My Bank said the first step is to phone the company and cancel the 5-year Protection I paid for and to ask for a refund, which I have just done. Doubt that will happen. Also have to now take my computer in to be cleaned of all the malware, etc. they have installed on my hard drive. What a PAIN! I'm always very careful of scams, but I sure fell for this one.<br /> <br /> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> Our weather forecast for this morning gives a temperature of -2C (windchill -4C). We are under a Freezing Drizzle Advisory, too. Whatever happened to sunshine and warmth? Recently, we have been having rainy, dreary (and the day before yesterday, very foggy!) weather. A decision needed to be made - to go or not go on a birding day trip east of the city. Usually, people don't have to register for most outings, but the trip on 20 September 2018 was different, thanks to a change in how outings will be run in the future. I had registered, which helped push me out of the door on a day with a forecast for rain all day. So glad I did go, though, as once the dense fog eventually pretty much lifted half way through the day, the sun came out and it was beautiful. <br /> <br /> Our route took us to places such as (very foggy) Weed Lake and, much further east, Marsland Basin. I love our trips in this direction from the city, even more so because I very rarely do the drive myself. <br /> <br /> As for birds, 56 species were spotted, most at extremely far distances. As usually happens, I only saw some of them, but was happy with the ones I did see. Not much chance to take photos of birds, but as usual, my camera lens turned to everything else around me - scenery, wildflowers, insects, old barns and sheds, and a few beautifully delicate spider webs covered in dew, rain or fog drops. I loved finding these! I wish I knew what kind of spiders create the much more random webs - different from the full-circle ones I normally come across. I can only imagine what these webs might have looked like in sunshine, instead of heavy fog. Still, I'm happy that a few photos are fit to post, to remind me of nature's beauty this day.<br /> <br /> After our first stop, we decided to have an early coffee break, in hopes that the fog would improve. Eventually, it did, slightly. Fog is definitely not what one wants on a birding trip! I think we had seven stops in total, including one at Marsland Basin, our most distant destination. Such a great place to visit and enjoy. While everyone else was peering through their binoculars at the distant wetland, I was wandering through the trees and grounds surrounding Lynn and Sue's home, catching a Sunflower shot here and a donkey shot there, and so on. One of my favourite places. Sorry we missed you, Lynn!<br /> <br /> Many thanks as always, Andrew, for yet another very enjoyable trip. Thanks, too, for everyone combining to create the list of total species. So many great pairs of eyes. It felt so good to be away from my computer for hours, too, especially after getting a Virus the previous day and coming very close to losing everything on my computer!</div> Horse + texture <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47367430/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/74/30/47367430.745b2369.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'VE BEEN SCAMMED!!! My son informed me that the whole computer VIRUS thing that I mentioned the other day was a SCAM! My Bank said the first step is to phone the company and cancel the 5-year Protection I paid for and to ask for a refund, which I have just done. Doubt that will happen. Also have to now take my computer in to be cleaned of all the malware, etc. they have installed on my hard drive. What a PAIN! I'm always very careful of scams, but I sure fell for this one.<br /> <br /> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> Our weather forecast for this morning gives a temperature of -2C (windchill -4C). We are under a Freezing Drizzle Advisory, too. Whatever happened to sunshine and warmth? Recently, we have been having rainy, dreary (and the day before yesterday, very foggy!) weather. A decision needed to be made - to go or not go on a birding day trip east of the city. Usually, people don't have to register for most outings, but the trip on 20 September 2018 was different, thanks to a change in how outings will be run in the future. I had registered, which helped push me out of the door on a day with a forecast for rain all day. So glad I did go, though, as once the dense fog eventually pretty much lifted half way through the day, the sun came out and it was beautiful. <br /> <br /> Our route took us to places such as (very foggy) Weed Lake and, much further east, Marsland Basin. I love our trips in this direction from the city, even more so because I very rarely do the drive myself. <br /> <br /> As for birds, 56 species were spotted, most at extremely far distances. As usually happens, I only saw some of them, but was happy with the ones I did see. Not much chance to take photos of birds, but as usual, my camera lens turned to everything else around me - scenery, wildflowers, insects, old barns and sheds, and a few beautifully delicate spider webs covered in dew, rain or fog drops. I loved finding these! I wish I knew what kind of spiders create the much more random webs - different from the full-circle ones I normally come across. I can only imagine what these webs might have looked like in sunshine, instead of heavy fog. Still, I'm happy that a few photos are fit to post, to remind me of nature's beauty this day.<br /> <br /> After our first stop, we decided to have an early coffee break, in hopes that the fog would improve. Eventually, it did, slightly. Fog is definitely not what one wants on a birding trip! I think we had seven stops in total, including one at Marsland Basin, our most distant destination. Such a great place to visit and enjoy. While everyone else was peering through their binoculars at the distant wetland, I was wandering through the trees and grounds surrounding Lynn and Sue's home, catching a Sunflower shot here and a donkey shot there, and so on. One of my favourite places. Sorry we missed you, Lynn!<br /> <br /> Many thanks as always, Andrew, for yet another very enjoyable trip. Thanks, too, for everyone combining to create the list of total species. So many great pairs of eyes. It felt so good to be away from my computer for hours, too, especially after getting a Virus the previous day and coming very close to losing everything on my computer!</div> Anne Elliott Miniature horses in a winter playground https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46162264/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2018-01-18,doc-46162264 Thu, 18 Jan 2018 14:23:42 +0000 2017-12-29T14:27:30-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46162264/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/22/64/46162264.3cf33d3b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">If it looks cold, it's because it WAS cold - brutally cold!<br /> <br /> This photo was taken on 29 December 2017, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area we covered (right on the east edge of the count circle) was east of Highway 22/Cowboy Trail.<br /> <br /> The first evidence of any wildlife for me, first thing in the morning, was a Jackrabbit that was nibbling on snow-covered plants right outside our leader's house. Of course, at 7:15 in the morning, it was still dark.<br /> <br /> One of my favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has several of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. I'm not sure how many Llamas they have - somewhere around 7? Most of these animals were given to them by other farmers who no longer wanted them.<br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> One of my favourite farms to stop at has a beautiful, old dog named Fang, along with beautiful cats, and I always look forward to seeing them each year. This day, though, with a temperature of -23C all day (windchill probably at least -30 to 35C), cats stayed indoors. I caught a brief glimpse of only one cat outside. The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, so we couldn't search the farmyard, but I did get the chance to take two rapid shots through the trees of one of the barns, from a side view. <br /> <br /> Another farm we stopped at had beautiful Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls coming to a feeder. A joy to see these splashes of colour in a very cold, white, white world. <br /> <br /> So, it was a very enjoyable day, though there were not all that many species or individual birds to be seen. Too cold and too much snow to spend much time searching various farmyards, and we had finished the Count by 2:30 pm. I will add a list of the bird species seen, in a comment box below. Many thanks, Dave, for driving us. You did a great job of handling roads that were not in the greatest condition, and it was greatly appreciated. The light was awful all day, and it was so difficult to see where the ditch was and where one road turned off to another. There is no way I would ever try driving on our back roads in such weather! Also, a huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding!</div> Miniature horses in a winter playground <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46162264/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/22/64/46162264.3cf33d3b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">If it looks cold, it's because it WAS cold - brutally cold!<br /> <br /> This photo was taken on 29 December 2017, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area we covered (right on the east edge of the count circle) was east of Highway 22/Cowboy Trail.<br /> <br /> The first evidence of any wildlife for me, first thing in the morning, was a Jackrabbit that was nibbling on snow-covered plants right outside our leader's house. Of course, at 7:15 in the morning, it was still dark.<br /> <br /> One of my favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has several of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. I'm not sure how many Llamas they have - somewhere around 7? Most of these animals were given to them by other farmers who no longer wanted them.<br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> One of my favourite farms to stop at has a beautiful, old dog named Fang, along with beautiful cats, and I always look forward to seeing them each year. This day, though, with a temperature of -23C all day (windchill probably at least -30 to 35C), cats stayed indoors. I caught a brief glimpse of only one cat outside. The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, so we couldn't search the farmyard, but I did get the chance to take two rapid shots through the trees of one of the barns, from a side view. <br /> <br /> Another farm we stopped at had beautiful Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls coming to a feeder. A joy to see these splashes of colour in a very cold, white, white world. <br /> <br /> So, it was a very enjoyable day, though there were not all that many species or individual birds to be seen. Too cold and too much snow to spend much time searching various farmyards, and we had finished the Count by 2:30 pm. I will add a list of the bird species seen, in a comment box below. Many thanks, Dave, for driving us. You did a great job of handling roads that were not in the greatest condition, and it was greatly appreciated. The light was awful all day, and it was so difficult to see where the ditch was and where one road turned off to another. There is no way I would ever try driving on our back roads in such weather! Also, a huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding!</div> Anne Elliott Handsome - Norwegian Fjord Horse? https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46012696/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2017-12-14,doc-46012696 Thu, 14 Dec 2017 17:41:36 +0000 2017-12-13T14:06:00-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46012696/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/26/96/46012696.c72fb522.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="182" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 13 December 2017, I was out on the road by 9:20 am, which is a miracle in itself. I find it almost impossible to get out early when I am going for a drive by myself. I didn't have any photos edited ready to post yesterday morning, which helped. Seeing snowflake icons in the forecast for too many of the days this coming week, I thought I had better take a drive SE of the city while the roads were clear. I was lucky with the clouds in the morning, but it clouded over in the afternoon. I absolutely love driving the back roads - at least, in good weather. <br /> <br /> My hope was to maybe find a Snowy Owl in this whole area, like I had done in previous years. I knew I would probably have more luck if I drove the back roads NE of the city, but I didn't feel like driving that far. No luck finding a Snowy Owl and, in fact, there were barely any birds of any kind to be seen - just a small flock of Common Redpolls and two or three Magpies. At least I knew that I would pass several old barns that I have photographed on previous occasions. It just felt good to be in such scenery on a beautiful, sunny day. That is, until I somehow got lost on the way back home. I think I know where I may have gone wrong. Seeing a huge road sign that said North Calgary, I wasn't sure if I would end up on the dreaded Deerfoot Trail, like happened last time I was out in that area. So, I kept driving straight and found myself in a fairly built-up area, on the wrong side of the highway, that I had never been in before. Ended up driving back the way I had come until I was on familiar ground. A long way and a lot of wasted time!<br /> <br /> Our temperature this morning is -2C, much cooler than what we have been having the last while. Tomorrow, we may be getting snow-rain showers and then, a couple of days later, the snow returns, just in time for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. Looks like we may be getting a white Christmas after all.</div> Handsome - Norwegian Fjord Horse? <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46012696/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/26/96/46012696.c72fb522.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="182" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 13 December 2017, I was out on the road by 9:20 am, which is a miracle in itself. I find it almost impossible to get out early when I am going for a drive by myself. I didn't have any photos edited ready to post yesterday morning, which helped. Seeing snowflake icons in the forecast for too many of the days this coming week, I thought I had better take a drive SE of the city while the roads were clear. I was lucky with the clouds in the morning, but it clouded over in the afternoon. I absolutely love driving the back roads - at least, in good weather. <br /> <br /> My hope was to maybe find a Snowy Owl in this whole area, like I had done in previous years. I knew I would probably have more luck if I drove the back roads NE of the city, but I didn't feel like driving that far. No luck finding a Snowy Owl and, in fact, there were barely any birds of any kind to be seen - just a small flock of Common Redpolls and two or three Magpies. At least I knew that I would pass several old barns that I have photographed on previous occasions. It just felt good to be in such scenery on a beautiful, sunny day. That is, until I somehow got lost on the way back home. I think I know where I may have gone wrong. Seeing a huge road sign that said North Calgary, I wasn't sure if I would end up on the dreaded Deerfoot Trail, like happened last time I was out in that area. So, I kept driving straight and found myself in a fairly built-up area, on the wrong side of the highway, that I had never been in before. Ended up driving back the way I had come until I was on familiar ground. A long way and a lot of wasted time!<br /> <br /> Our temperature this morning is -2C, much cooler than what we have been having the last while. Tomorrow, we may be getting snow-rain showers and then, a couple of days later, the snow returns, just in time for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. Looks like we may be getting a white Christmas after all.</div> Anne Elliott Genuine cowboy on his cattle drive https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45595880/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2017-09-30,doc-45595880 Sat, 30 Sep 2017 16:57:49 +0000 2017-09-29T12:12:33-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45595880/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/58/80/45595880.9403c2a1.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This morning, 30 September 2017, is overcast and a bit windy, with a temperature of 13C and a chance for light rain. The beautiful yellow leaves are falling to the ground and it looks like a lot will be blown down in the rain forecast for tomorrow and the snow forecast for the next day. I knew that yesterday was going to be my last chance to see some fall photos, so I drove all day long through Kananaskis country. Of course, the mountains look beautiful in any season, but there is something extra special on a sunny fall day. People come from all over the place to see the Larch trees in their fall colour.<br /> <br /> "Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 20 to 45 m (66 to 148 ft) tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada. Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch</a><br /> <br /> If I remember correctly, this was the first time I had driven alone quite this far, reaching the northern end of Spray Lakes Reservoir. Unfortunately, when I got there, the sun was in the wrong position and there was a haze over the mountains. I wasn't sure how far I would go, as I had intended topping up with gas at Highwood House, along Highway 40. I had also planned on buying a sandwich and a coffee there. However, it was all closed. As it was, I still managed to do the drive I wanted and still have gas in my car.<br /> <br /> My drive started by going to Turner Valley and taking the back road to join the main Highway 40. Last fall, the views were amazing and the sky full of spectacular clouds along this route. Yesterday, there was a hazy view and the sky was a washed-out, pale blue with not a cloud in sight.<br /> <br /> Part way along Highway 40, I encountered a cattle drive, which was great to see. Only a small herd with one cowboy, who looked as if he was enjoying his work. He was accompanied by his herding dog, of course.<br /> <br /> When I came to the area where the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) live, I didn't even stop, as I really wanted to reach Spray Lakes Reservoir, in Spray Valley Park. I had left home later than I wanted, 9:45 am, and wanted to make sure I was not driving home in the dark. As it was, I reached home about 7:15 pm, with little daylight to spare. <br /> <br /> The road to Spray Lakes, from the main Highway 40, is a dreadfully dusty, gravel road. This was a Friday, so I wasn't expecting many people in Kananaskis, but there were lots of cars, which made it difficult to drive this length of road. I was almost constantly in a thick cloud of dust with little or no visibility. The distance for the road from the Spray Lakes road turn-off from near Kananaskis Lakes to the northern tip of the huge Reservoir is 48 km, so just under 100 km return on this dusty road. The dust seeps inside the car, even with all windows closed. I also called in just long enough to take a handful of photos at Peninsular and Buller Pond, which are both along this Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail.<br /> <br /> The return journey home (giving a total trip distance of 422 km), back the same way I had come, was uneventful, which is usually a good thing when doing such a drive. The gas station near home was a must, so now I have a full tank and I can see out the windows - just in case the forecast snow for Monday doesn't materialize and I can make perhaps one last long drive of the year.</div> Genuine cowboy on his cattle drive <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/45595880/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/58/80/45595880.9403c2a1.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This morning, 30 September 2017, is overcast and a bit windy, with a temperature of 13C and a chance for light rain. The beautiful yellow leaves are falling to the ground and it looks like a lot will be blown down in the rain forecast for tomorrow and the snow forecast for the next day. I knew that yesterday was going to be my last chance to see some fall photos, so I drove all day long through Kananaskis country. Of course, the mountains look beautiful in any season, but there is something extra special on a sunny fall day. People come from all over the place to see the Larch trees in their fall colour.<br /> <br /> "Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 20 to 45 m (66 to 148 ft) tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada. Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch</a><br /> <br /> If I remember correctly, this was the first time I had driven alone quite this far, reaching the northern end of Spray Lakes Reservoir. Unfortunately, when I got there, the sun was in the wrong position and there was a haze over the mountains. I wasn't sure how far I would go, as I had intended topping up with gas at Highwood House, along Highway 40. I had also planned on buying a sandwich and a coffee there. However, it was all closed. As it was, I still managed to do the drive I wanted and still have gas in my car.<br /> <br /> My drive started by going to Turner Valley and taking the back road to join the main Highway 40. Last fall, the views were amazing and the sky full of spectacular clouds along this route. Yesterday, there was a hazy view and the sky was a washed-out, pale blue with not a cloud in sight.<br /> <br /> Part way along Highway 40, I encountered a cattle drive, which was great to see. Only a small herd with one cowboy, who looked as if he was enjoying his work. He was accompanied by his herding dog, of course.<br /> <br /> When I came to the area where the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) live, I didn't even stop, as I really wanted to reach Spray Lakes Reservoir, in Spray Valley Park. I had left home later than I wanted, 9:45 am, and wanted to make sure I was not driving home in the dark. As it was, I reached home about 7:15 pm, with little daylight to spare. <br /> <br /> The road to Spray Lakes, from the main Highway 40, is a dreadfully dusty, gravel road. This was a Friday, so I wasn't expecting many people in Kananaskis, but there were lots of cars, which made it difficult to drive this length of road. I was almost constantly in a thick cloud of dust with little or no visibility. The distance for the road from the Spray Lakes road turn-off from near Kananaskis Lakes to the northern tip of the huge Reservoir is 48 km, so just under 100 km return on this dusty road. The dust seeps inside the car, even with all windows closed. I also called in just long enough to take a handful of photos at Peninsular and Buller Pond, which are both along this Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail.<br /> <br /> The return journey home (giving a total trip distance of 422 km), back the same way I had come, was uneventful, which is usually a good thing when doing such a drive. The gas station near home was a must, so now I have a full tank and I can see out the windows - just in case the forecast snow for Monday doesn't materialize and I can make perhaps one last long drive of the year.</div> Anne Elliott Cattle drive https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44349200/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2017-02-21,doc-44349200 Tue, 21 Feb 2017 17:16:05 +0000 2017-02-20T11:24:31-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44349200/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/92/00/44349200.ba34be10.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"Between the Rockies' vigorous upthrusts and the recumbent lines of the grassland plains, the Porcupine Hills provide a softly rounded interface, gentle contours that stir the heart, They are always so beautiful, from the wildflowers of spring to the hazy shimmer of summer and the sharp gold of fall aspens, and even in the austerity of a landscape under the sharp shadows of snow. The hills bring magic to all the seasons." <br /> <br /> These are the first few lines from the book, "Exploring the Routes Less Travelled - Country Roads of Alberta", by Liz Bryan. This is a book that my daughter gave me a year or two ago and I had forgotten just which journeys it covered. Last night, while I was Googling the area that I had just spent the day exploring with friends, Dorothy & Stephen, and Janet, I came across this book. The short chapter on this area made interesting reading.<br /> <br /> Dorothy and Stephen had made a decision to drive down south and asked if I would like to go with them. As always, my answer was a delighted "Yes, please!" The weather forecast looked good, especially compared to the forecast snow for tonight and the next few days. After meeting at their house, the four of us left at 8:30 am and drove to Nanton. From there, we basically drove in a huge circle between Highway 2 and Highway 22, covering such beautiful scenery. Some of these roads were new roads for us, certainly for me. Each year, I take part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton, and my small group covers the area to the SW of Nanton, but much closer to the town than the area we explored yesterday.<br /> <br /> My friends' target bird was the Golden Eagle, but all of us were happy as can be to see anything else that we might come across. As it turned out, not only did we not see a single Golden Eagle, there were not many birds of any kind to see all day. A flock of 50+ Starlings, and 25 Common Ravens, various Magpies, a few Pigeons, Canada Geese and a couple of heard Red-breasted Nuthatches were all that we saw. For animals, we saw one Coyote, 5 Mule Deer and a couple of White-tailed Deer.<br /> <br /> However, perhaps our biggest excitement came when we found ourselves in the middle of a cattle drive. We could see the huge herd in the distance, with one lone cowboy on his horse, coming towards us. The whole procession was following another farmer, driving very slowly with a huge hay bale in the back of his truck. After taking a quick few distant shots, we climbed back into our vehicle and waited, and waited, and waited till the very last cow had walked past us. The cowboy said he appreciated the fact that we had stopped, not wanting to spook any of the animals. As soon as they were past us, we climbed out of the car to take a quick photo or two. I think I've only ever seen a cattle drive maybe twice before. So good to see a genuine cowboy at work, doing what he does so well.<br /> <br /> Another interesting stop was when we were driving along part of the Sky View Road. We came across a logging sight, with a couple of large piles of cut logs waiting to be trucked out of the area. Fortunately, yesterday was Family Day, so there were no huge logging trucks on the rough, gravel road leading up the hillside. We were hoping to reach the Lookout in case there were amazing views from there, but we decided that it might be risky to drive the last part of the road that would have led to the Lookout. We had climbed high enough to already find a lot more snow and the rough road was not in the best condition. This was where we saw the two White-tailed Deer. We had seen beautiful views already, lower down the road, so we were happy.<br /> <br /> Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day, exploring a new area. It was so much fun to see some new things and, of course, the scenery was spectacular. How lucky we are to live within reach of such beauty! Having been out so few times in the last few weeks and having taken barely any photos at all, this kind of day was exactly what I needed.</div> Cattle drive <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44349200/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/92/00/44349200.ba34be10.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"Between the Rockies' vigorous upthrusts and the recumbent lines of the grassland plains, the Porcupine Hills provide a softly rounded interface, gentle contours that stir the heart, They are always so beautiful, from the wildflowers of spring to the hazy shimmer of summer and the sharp gold of fall aspens, and even in the austerity of a landscape under the sharp shadows of snow. The hills bring magic to all the seasons." <br /> <br /> These are the first few lines from the book, "Exploring the Routes Less Travelled - Country Roads of Alberta", by Liz Bryan. This is a book that my daughter gave me a year or two ago and I had forgotten just which journeys it covered. Last night, while I was Googling the area that I had just spent the day exploring with friends, Dorothy & Stephen, and Janet, I came across this book. The short chapter on this area made interesting reading.<br /> <br /> Dorothy and Stephen had made a decision to drive down south and asked if I would like to go with them. As always, my answer was a delighted "Yes, please!" The weather forecast looked good, especially compared to the forecast snow for tonight and the next few days. After meeting at their house, the four of us left at 8:30 am and drove to Nanton. From there, we basically drove in a huge circle between Highway 2 and Highway 22, covering such beautiful scenery. Some of these roads were new roads for us, certainly for me. Each year, I take part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton, and my small group covers the area to the SW of Nanton, but much closer to the town than the area we explored yesterday.<br /> <br /> My friends' target bird was the Golden Eagle, but all of us were happy as can be to see anything else that we might come across. As it turned out, not only did we not see a single Golden Eagle, there were not many birds of any kind to see all day. A flock of 50+ Starlings, and 25 Common Ravens, various Magpies, a few Pigeons, Canada Geese and a couple of heard Red-breasted Nuthatches were all that we saw. For animals, we saw one Coyote, 5 Mule Deer and a couple of White-tailed Deer.<br /> <br /> However, perhaps our biggest excitement came when we found ourselves in the middle of a cattle drive. We could see the huge herd in the distance, with one lone cowboy on his horse, coming towards us. The whole procession was following another farmer, driving very slowly with a huge hay bale in the back of his truck. After taking a quick few distant shots, we climbed back into our vehicle and waited, and waited, and waited till the very last cow had walked past us. The cowboy said he appreciated the fact that we had stopped, not wanting to spook any of the animals. As soon as they were past us, we climbed out of the car to take a quick photo or two. I think I've only ever seen a cattle drive maybe twice before. So good to see a genuine cowboy at work, doing what he does so well.<br /> <br /> Another interesting stop was when we were driving along part of the Sky View Road. We came across a logging sight, with a couple of large piles of cut logs waiting to be trucked out of the area. Fortunately, yesterday was Family Day, so there were no huge logging trucks on the rough, gravel road leading up the hillside. We were hoping to reach the Lookout in case there were amazing views from there, but we decided that it might be risky to drive the last part of the road that would have led to the Lookout. We had climbed high enough to already find a lot more snow and the rough road was not in the best condition. This was where we saw the two White-tailed Deer. We had seen beautiful views already, lower down the road, so we were happy.<br /> <br /> Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day, exploring a new area. It was so much fun to see some new things and, of course, the scenery was spectacular. How lucky we are to live within reach of such beauty! Having been out so few times in the last few weeks and having taken barely any photos at all, this kind of day was exactly what I needed.</div> Anne Elliott Non-wild horses in a wild landscape https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44267806/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2017-01-29,doc-44267806 Sun, 29 Jan 2017 14:22:15 +0000 2017-01-28T11:05:14-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44267806/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/78/06/44267806.b3b5e481.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"Thirteen keen birders showed up for the trip this morning (28 January 2017) at 8:00 a.m. The initial meeting place was Fish Creek Glennfield. After car pooling, We planned to meet again at the Truck Stop south of Nanton. From here, We drove West along 533 to our starting point-William's Coulee.<br /> <br /> Most of the day was spent birding in the Western half of the Nanton Christmas Bird Count circle. Our target for the trip was Golden Eagle, and the birds didn't disappoint. We found six, plus one more bird that we thought may have been a duplicate, so was not counted.<br /> <br /> We watched a group of four adult Bald Eagles, and thirty Ravens feasting on a carcass. Sharp-tailed grouse numbers came in at 44, but the four groups that we saw only gave us quick glimpses. <br /> <br /> A late afternoon treat was a Prairie Falcon circling over the parked cars, and giving everyone a great look. A second Prairie Falcon was found in a coulee, several kilometres to the East.<br /> <br /> Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the day, take in the beautiful scenery, and help spot the birds.<br /> <br /> Golden Eagle 6<br /> Bald Eagle 7<br /> Rough-legged Hawk 1<br /> Prairie Falcon 2<br /> Great Horned Owl 5<br /> Sharp-tailed Grouse 44<br /> Gray Partridge 10<br /> Common Raven 40<br /> Black-billed Magpie 25<br /> European Starling 10<br /> Rock Pigeon 5<br /> <br /> Tony Timmons"<br /> <br /> I absolutely love the area that we covered yesterday, and I couldn't resist going on Tony's day trip. The scenery is spectacular and, even if no birds had been seen, I would still go, just to be driven in this seemingly endless area of foothills, with the Rocky Mountains in the distance.<br /> <br /> Though this is winter, we were surprised at how little snow was on the ground. I think the temperature got up to about +11C, but the wind was very strong - too strong to be able to hold my camera steady.<br /> <br /> For me, the highlights of the trip were the scenery and a Spruce tree in which three (though I only saw two) Great Horned Owls were hiding. Also, I loved the sight of this herd of horses who made their way in our direction, against a beautifully wild landscape. How different this whole area would look in the summer time.<br /> <br /> A most enjoyable day, Tony! Thanks so much for giving up a Saturday for us - much appreciated! Pat, thank you for the ride out there, and Tony for the ride the rest of the day.</div> Non-wild horses in a wild landscape <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44267806/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/78/06/44267806.b3b5e481.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"Thirteen keen birders showed up for the trip this morning (28 January 2017) at 8:00 a.m. The initial meeting place was Fish Creek Glennfield. After car pooling, We planned to meet again at the Truck Stop south of Nanton. From here, We drove West along 533 to our starting point-William's Coulee.<br /> <br /> Most of the day was spent birding in the Western half of the Nanton Christmas Bird Count circle. Our target for the trip was Golden Eagle, and the birds didn't disappoint. We found six, plus one more bird that we thought may have been a duplicate, so was not counted.<br /> <br /> We watched a group of four adult Bald Eagles, and thirty Ravens feasting on a carcass. Sharp-tailed grouse numbers came in at 44, but the four groups that we saw only gave us quick glimpses. <br /> <br /> A late afternoon treat was a Prairie Falcon circling over the parked cars, and giving everyone a great look. A second Prairie Falcon was found in a coulee, several kilometres to the East.<br /> <br /> Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the day, take in the beautiful scenery, and help spot the birds.<br /> <br /> Golden Eagle 6<br /> Bald Eagle 7<br /> Rough-legged Hawk 1<br /> Prairie Falcon 2<br /> Great Horned Owl 5<br /> Sharp-tailed Grouse 44<br /> Gray Partridge 10<br /> Common Raven 40<br /> Black-billed Magpie 25<br /> European Starling 10<br /> Rock Pigeon 5<br /> <br /> Tony Timmons"<br /> <br /> I absolutely love the area that we covered yesterday, and I couldn't resist going on Tony's day trip. The scenery is spectacular and, even if no birds had been seen, I would still go, just to be driven in this seemingly endless area of foothills, with the Rocky Mountains in the distance.<br /> <br /> Though this is winter, we were surprised at how little snow was on the ground. I think the temperature got up to about +11C, but the wind was very strong - too strong to be able to hold my camera steady.<br /> <br /> For me, the highlights of the trip were the scenery and a Spruce tree in which three (though I only saw two) Great Horned Owls were hiding. Also, I loved the sight of this herd of horses who made their way in our direction, against a beautifully wild landscape. How different this whole area would look in the summer time.<br /> <br /> A most enjoyable day, Tony! Thanks so much for giving up a Saturday for us - much appreciated! Pat, thank you for the ride out there, and Tony for the ride the rest of the day.</div> Anne Elliott 01 The glory of fall https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43565314/in/album/439777 tag:ipernity.com,2016-10-30,doc-43565314 Sun, 30 Oct 2016 15:48:55 +0000 2016-10-03T10:10:14-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43565314/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/53/14/43565314.c6a48bbb.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="182" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on this first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go back and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this also helps me get a bit more used to my new car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, we have had snow since then, but I stayed home and waited till it had all melted : ) There were a few small patches of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see the Pikas. <br /> <br /> I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. This photo was taken once I had reached Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference.<br /> <br /> This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline.<br /> <br /> There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on the backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't push my car door completely closed and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! <br /> <br /> Feels SO good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )</div> 01 The glory of fall <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43565314/in/album/439777"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/53/14/43565314.c6a48bbb.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="182" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on this first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go back and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this also helps me get a bit more used to my new car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, we have had snow since then, but I stayed home and waited till it had all melted : ) There were a few small patches of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see the Pikas. <br /> <br /> I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. This photo was taken once I had reached Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference.<br /> <br /> This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline.<br /> <br /> There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on the backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't push my car door completely closed and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! <br /> <br /> Feels SO good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )</div> Anne Elliott