Album Birds of Alberta 2 from Anne Elliott

Distracted

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:47:33 +0000

"My" young Great Horned Owl in a local park. Usually, its eyes are on me, but I caught it gazing out into the world beyond its small grove of trees.

Intense curiosity

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 19:58:03 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

"My" young Great Horned Owl allowed me to get sufficiently close to it the other day that didn't really need to crop the original photo but decided to shave off just a tiny bit at the top. Reminder to self - "The Great Horned Owl is among the most formidable of Alberta's raptors"! Someone told me the other day that he had heard that a GHO "attack" feels like being hit over the head with a two-by-four with nails in it" (or words to that effect). The two adults sitting in nearby trees both appeared to be relaxed, often with eyes closed. Even so, the thought is ALWAYS in my mind - and I wouldn't want to stress out the birds at all, anyway! Road works have been going on for many weeks just a few feet away from where these owls live, so they are accustomed to noise and humans. I'm amazed that they have stayed, but SO glad that they are still there. Does anyone know if there is any way to tell if this is a young male or female?

Cliff Swallows

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 19:58:03 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

These Cliff Swallows (and maybe 100 others!) were so busy collecting mud of the right consistency to continue building their many nests under a metal bridge where I love going for walks. They constantly flutter their wings. They are locally common from May to August.

Young American Robins

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:49:35 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Had to stop and watch a family of American Robins after the Leafy Spurge "pull" this morning. These two young birds posed very nicely for me, though the lighting wasn't the greatest :) Erika's Mum - these birds are not far from where Erika works.

Sleepyhead

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:49:40 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

When I went over yesterday to check on "my" baby Great Horned Owl, it was sitting on a fairly low branch on the outer edge of the grove of trees. It was napping, but briefly awakening quite often. The mother was in the same tree but a few branches higher. The father was about two trees away. Eventually, the young one flew to a different tree, where it spent quite a lot of time with its head pointed skywards, presumably watching the various birds that were nearby. This included a female Wood Duck that flew in and perched on an extremely high branch a few trees away. I managed to slowly make my way closer and closer, half expecting one of the adults to move, but they seemed to be pretty relaxed, often having their eyes closed. I got to within perhaps 10' or 12' of the young one, took a few more photos and then decided that it was more than time I left them in peace. I tried not to look down at the ground any more than necessary, as in amongst the grass and plants, I had already seen bloody remains of what could have been a rabbit or a Groundsquirrel. In fact, it was beginning to make me feel very uncomfortable, wondering what I might come across next! Quite a magical experience, though. Have to keep reminding myself that "the Great Horned Owl, our provincial bird, is among the most formidable of Alberta's raptors." (Birds of Alberta" book.)

Dare to be different

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 06:33:58 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A photo from back in May. This little guy amused me because all the others were facing one direction and he was different.

Feeding time

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 06:33:56 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I was happy to be able to see a Red-winged Blackbird's nest, full of babies, this afternoon on a local walk. It was too far away to get a decent photo, but this is the first time I've ever seen one of their nests. I was lucky enough to see the adult female arrive back at the nest twice with a mouthful of food for her young ones. I have a 12x zoom and I was standing on a path looking down into the small swamp, so this photo was taken with no disturbance to the bird family. Then, on to check on the baby Great Horned Owl - and what a time I had!!! To be continued, LOL .....

Yellow Warbler

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 05:17:01 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I decided to go down to the Bow River late this afternoon to see how high the water was after a major rainstorm yesterday. Our average total precipitation for the month of June (our wettest month) is something like 76 mm and yesterday 98.6 mm fell in just 18 hours!! Felt a little too much like the major flooding of June 2005 for everyone's liking. My camera batteries died soon after I got there and my spare set died a few minutes later, for some unknown reason. Just had time to snap a few quick shots of this distant Yellow Warbler, so will have to go back again sometime. Couldn't crop it any more than this.

Male Red-winged Blackbird

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 05:17:00 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

One of the male Red-winged Blackbirds at the Elbow Constructed Wetland from yesterday.

Female Red-winged Blackbird

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:27:18 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A female Red-winged Blackbird at the Elbow Constructed Wetlands. Too bad only one leg can be seen :)

Clay-coloured Sparrow

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 23:25:20 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I think this is a Clay-coloured Sparrow. They can be heard all over the place in the parks but I never seem to see one close enough for a photo! They make a strange buzzing sound, like an insect. Didn't dare try and crop even closer :)

Family swim

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 23:25:20 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Wasn't sure whether to post this photo or not. Even though the family group is kind of cute, the water ripples are rather dark and distracting, especially in a small size.

Sapsucker at nesting hole

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 18:01:16 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I think this is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Saw this when I was out on a walk with a friend yesterday evening. He had seen a pair of Sapsuckers at this nesting hole and thought I would enjoy seeing them, which of course I did. Thanks, David, as always!

Baby's freedom

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 18:01:16 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

"My" baby Great Horned Owl is growing up so fast. After a walk with a friend yesterday evening, I called in to check on the baby owl around 9:15 p.m.. To my delight, it was practicing its flying in the small grove of trees, landing in the trees around me. Couldn't see Mom or Dad because of all the leaves, but I'm quite sure they were close by. The young one always seems to be falling asleep when I visit in the afternoons, so I thought I'd try a late evening for a change. Unfortunately, that meant that the lighting was too bad for my camera (always used on Auto!). However, with some lightening and a touch of red-eye fixing (thank goodness I tried flash on a couple of photos, even knowing there would be a red-eye problem), this photo is just about fit to be uploaded. The rest of the photos, with no flash, were fit only to be deleted.

Like father, like son

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 18:01:16 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Or Like mother, like daughter!

Robin eggs

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:39:15 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

We came across this nest on a walk in a local park on 22nd May. I would imagine that they have hatched by now. I didn't want to crop the photo, as then the eggs would have seemed too large to be Robin's eggs. They are such a pretty blue.

Great Horned Owl, McIntyre Ranch

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:16:00 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Another photo of the totally unexpected Great Horned Owl that we saw in the Hoodoos on the McIntyre Ranch, southern Alberta.

On Saturday, 26th May 2007, I joined a group of Field Naturalists (NOT to be confused with nudists!) on a day's bus trip down to the Milk River Ridge area in southern Alberta. About two years ago, a friend had told me about the McIntyre Ranch, and his passion about the Ranch and how it was being run on a "balance of/with nature" method rubbed off on me. A trip was planned a year ago, but torrential rain made it impossible for a large bus to drive on the Ranch land and the trip was cancelled. Now, a year later, I have finally stood on Ranch land, breathed in its fresh air, listened to its silence, admired some of its flora and fauna, met its General Manager (Ralph Thrall 111) and taken some photos that don't do any justice at all to the immense beauty of this special land. For anyone interested in this very precious and protected area, the Ranch has a great website (www.mcintyreranch.com). Also, two documentaries have been made. One, by Janet and John Foster, is called "A Passion for Prairie". The other is called "The Gift". Both are superb.

"The McIntyre Ranch has changed very little since it was established in 1894. The 'balance of nature' philosophy that guided fifty-three years of McIntyre ownership has continued since Ralph Thrall bought the 87 section property from the McIntyre estate in 1948 (one section equals 640 acres, 1581 hectares or one square mile). Twelve sections that were once farmed have been seeded back to tame grasses for grazing while the other seventy-five sections remain in their native condition. Several factors are considered in order to maintain and enhance the healthy range condition. Appropriate stocking rates (number of cattle) in conjunction with duration and time of year grazing, water requirements, natural shelter, strategic fencing and salt distribution all must be considered for effective balanced grazing. Our goal of achieving excellence with all aspects associated with the McIntyre Ranch will be worked at while functioning in harmony with nature. Sustainable ranching has been and continues to be the main objective of this company.

Ralph A. Thrall passed away in 1978. The Ranch is presently owned by Ralph A. Thrall Jr. and managed by Ralph A. Thrall III (General Manager 1990), Duane Spitzer (Controller 1973) and Jamie Christie (Foreman 2001)."
From the Ranch website.

UPDATED on 30th October 2011, from the Lethbridge Herald Newspaper. I noticed that quite a number of people were looking at my photo via Google yesterday and today. I was greatly saddened when I read the reason.

"MR. RALPH AMBROSE THRALL JR. of Lethbridge, beloved husband of Mrs. Catherine C. Thrall, passed away in Calgary on Friday, October 28, 2011 at the age of 78 years."

I send my condolences to the family and friends of Ralph Thrall Jr.. A friend and I met this gentleman just the one time, at an exhibition at the Alberta College of Art, about the McIntyre Ranch, but a group of us was privileged to spend a wonderful day on the Ranch back on 26th May 2007. I know that there will be a great number of people offering support to the family at this very difficult time and keeping them in their thoughts and prayers.

Little siblings

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:39:18 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I've seen very few goslings and ducks this year - just haven't been walking in the right places. They are so cute!

Sapsucker

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:48:15 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Just as I was about to leave the park yesterday, this Sapsucker appeared. It was too far away for a better shot, but it seemed a shame to waste the beautiful bright red. I don't know if anyone can tell if it's a Yellow-bellied or a Red-naped Sapsucker, without being able to see the back of its head.

Blue Jay

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 29 May 2007 00:56:57 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

At long last, I have managed to get a closer photo of a Blue Jay - in poor light and through the window of my car. For three years, I have hoped for a close-up - but a good one! Well, I'm getting closer to the "top" bird on my wish list. These birds are all over the place and often seen in OTHER people's gardens :) One of these days, I hope to get a good, colourful image but for now, this is better than any other previous photo I have taken.