https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/1229925 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/1229925 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:04:06 +0000 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:04:06 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307970 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-17,doc-48307970 Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:28:48 +0000 2016-03-20T10:25:20-06:00 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/293827/48307970"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/70/48307970.6788aa7c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some +20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on Flickr soon - decided to grab three photos to post this morning after all. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March 2016, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city again to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!"<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Great Gray Owl - from my archives <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/293827/48307970"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/70/48307970.6788aa7c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some +20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on Flickr soon - decided to grab three photos to post this morning after all. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March 2016, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city again to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!"<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300604 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-16,doc-48300604 Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:44:01 +0000 2014-08-28T13:18:53-06:00 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/293827/48300604"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/06/04/48300604.405b0e98.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Burrowing Owl, ENDANGERED - from the archives <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/293827/48300604"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/06/04/48300604.405b0e98.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300596 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-16,doc-48300596 Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:42:50 +0000 2014-12-07T16:17:39-06:00 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/293827/48300596"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/05/96/48300596.6c4ba7ff.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "What a day I had with friends on 7 December 2014, in an absolute winter wonderland! We set off about 7:45 a.m. (still dark) and drove westwards to the Kananaskis area of our majestic mountains. Early in the drive, the sunrise turned the still distant mountains pink - this is always such an amazing sight to see. There was very low cloud lingering in some places, too, which I always love to see. This was one of the many photos I took through the windshield, that actually came out OK, other than having to remove a lot of dark spots from the dirty windshield, that were visible in the sky area. Not sure if the colour was affected - could be - but the light was absolutely amazing. I always think you need the sun on the mountains, to bring them to life.<br /> <br /> Once we had reached Kananaskis, we drove the area of Highway 40 that was still open (the rest of this highway is closed during the winter and very early spring months, to protect the wildlife) and also the Smith-Dorrien road. There had been a recent snowfall and the trees were still covered in snow, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland. There was no wind and the temperatures hovered a few degrees around 0C. Sunshine, a few clouds, and fun company made it such a great day! <br /> <br /> My friends had been hoping for a long time to be able to show me a winter Moose, and on this day they did really well, finding a beautiful female and, at another location, a youngish male with antlers that looked rather like two little twigs sticking out of the sides of his head. The size of both these wild animals was huge! The closest we saw them both was when they walked by the car. You can stop the car some distance away from them, but if they are busy licking off the salt and minerals from any car in sight, they sometimes might eventually come close. All the female was interested in was doing this very thing : ) She would occasionally stop, straighten up and look and listen - usually this would be because she had heard or seen people snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing on a nearby trail through the forest. The rest of the time, she licked and licked and licked some more - the slurping sound could be heard from quite some distance : ) At one point, she bent both front knees to kneel, so that she could reach the lower part of a vehicle. Lol, she did a fine job of cleaning headlights till they shone. Impressive and rather amusing at the same time. Free car wash, anyone?? I should add that caution must always be kept in mind and respect given to an animal - any wildlife can be unpredictable, and Moose can cause a lot of damage if they become aggressive..<br /> <br /> Most of the time, the female was in the shade, which made taking photos a bit of a challenge. What a difference in the colour of her coat when she occasionally moved into the sun.<br /> <br /> We saw the female first, then the youngish male, and then we saw the female a second time, later. After feeding on dead leaves and tiny twigs from under the deep snow, she then lay down in the snow at the edge of some trees - the first time I had ever seen a Moose lying down. Such a peaceful scene - no one else was around, either.<br /> <br /> I always feel so privileged when I witness any kind of wildlife, especially so when you get the chance to watch a while and learn the behaviour of the animal or bird you are lucky enough to see. Of course, just being in such spectacular scenery and being able to photograph the mountains is more than enough for me." <br /> <br /> “The moose (North America) or Eurasian elk (Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with adendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. Moose used to have a much wider range but hunting and other human activities greatly reduced it over the years. Moose have been reintroduced to some of their former habitats. Currently, most moose are found in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia. Their diet consists of both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. The most common moose predators are wolves, bears, and humans. Unlike most other deer species, moose are solitary animals and do not form herds. Although generally slow-moving and sedentary, moose can become aggressive and move surprisingly quickly if angered or startled. Their mating season in the autumn can lead to spectacular fights between males competing for a female.<br /> <br /> The moose is a herbivore and is capable of consuming many types of plant or fruit. The average adult moose needs to consume 9,770 kcal (40.9 MJ) per day to maintain its body weight. Much of a moose's energy is derived from terrestrial vegetation, mainly consisting of forbs and other non-grasses, and fresh shoots from trees such as willow and birch. These plants are rather low in sodium, and moose generally need to consume a good quantity of aquatic plants. While much lower in energy, these plants provide the moose with its sodium requirements, and as much as half of their diet usually consists of aquatic plant life. In winter, moose are often drawn to roadways, to lick salt that is used as a snow and ice melter. A typical moose, weighing 360 kg (790 lb), can eat up to 32 kg (71 lb) of food per day.” From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose</a></div> Kananaskis, through the windshield <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/293827/48300596"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/05/96/48300596.6c4ba7ff.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "What a day I had with friends on 7 December 2014, in an absolute winter wonderland! We set off about 7:45 a.m. (still dark) and drove westwards to the Kananaskis area of our majestic mountains. Early in the drive, the sunrise turned the still distant mountains pink - this is always such an amazing sight to see. There was very low cloud lingering in some places, too, which I always love to see. This was one of the many photos I took through the windshield, that actually came out OK, other than having to remove a lot of dark spots from the dirty windshield, that were visible in the sky area. Not sure if the colour was affected - could be - but the light was absolutely amazing. I always think you need the sun on the mountains, to bring them to life.<br /> <br /> Once we had reached Kananaskis, we drove the area of Highway 40 that was still open (the rest of this highway is closed during the winter and very early spring months, to protect the wildlife) and also the Smith-Dorrien road. There had been a recent snowfall and the trees were still covered in snow, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland. There was no wind and the temperatures hovered a few degrees around 0C. Sunshine, a few clouds, and fun company made it such a great day! <br /> <br /> My friends had been hoping for a long time to be able to show me a winter Moose, and on this day they did really well, finding a beautiful female and, at another location, a youngish male with antlers that looked rather like two little twigs sticking out of the sides of his head. The size of both these wild animals was huge! The closest we saw them both was when they walked by the car. You can stop the car some distance away from them, but if they are busy licking off the salt and minerals from any car in sight, they sometimes might eventually come close. All the female was interested in was doing this very thing : ) She would occasionally stop, straighten up and look and listen - usually this would be because she had heard or seen people snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing on a nearby trail through the forest. The rest of the time, she licked and licked and licked some more - the slurping sound could be heard from quite some distance : ) At one point, she bent both front knees to kneel, so that she could reach the lower part of a vehicle. Lol, she did a fine job of cleaning headlights till they shone. Impressive and rather amusing at the same time. Free car wash, anyone?? I should add that caution must always be kept in mind and respect given to an animal - any wildlife can be unpredictable, and Moose can cause a lot of damage if they become aggressive..<br /> <br /> Most of the time, the female was in the shade, which made taking photos a bit of a challenge. What a difference in the colour of her coat when she occasionally moved into the sun.<br /> <br /> We saw the female first, then the youngish male, and then we saw the female a second time, later. After feeding on dead leaves and tiny twigs from under the deep snow, she then lay down in the snow at the edge of some trees - the first time I had ever seen a Moose lying down. Such a peaceful scene - no one else was around, either.<br /> <br /> I always feel so privileged when I witness any kind of wildlife, especially so when you get the chance to watch a while and learn the behaviour of the animal or bird you are lucky enough to see. Of course, just being in such spectacular scenery and being able to photograph the mountains is more than enough for me." <br /> <br /> “The moose (North America) or Eurasian elk (Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with adendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. Moose used to have a much wider range but hunting and other human activities greatly reduced it over the years. Moose have been reintroduced to some of their former habitats. Currently, most moose are found in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia. Their diet consists of both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. The most common moose predators are wolves, bears, and humans. Unlike most other deer species, moose are solitary animals and do not form herds. Although generally slow-moving and sedentary, moose can become aggressive and move surprisingly quickly if angered or startled. Their mating season in the autumn can lead to spectacular fights between males competing for a female.<br /> <br /> The moose is a herbivore and is capable of consuming many types of plant or fruit. The average adult moose needs to consume 9,770 kcal (40.9 MJ) per day to maintain its body weight. Much of a moose's energy is derived from terrestrial vegetation, mainly consisting of forbs and other non-grasses, and fresh shoots from trees such as willow and birch. These plants are rather low in sodium, and moose generally need to consume a good quantity of aquatic plants. While much lower in energy, these plants provide the moose with its sodium requirements, and as much as half of their diet usually consists of aquatic plant life. In winter, moose are often drawn to roadways, to lick salt that is used as a snow and ice melter. A typical moose, weighing 360 kg (790 lb), can eat up to 32 kg (71 lb) of food per day.” From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300556 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-16,doc-48300556 Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:41:23 +0000 2014-08-28T18:07:40-06:00 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/293827/48300556"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/05/56/48300556.adc3c019.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Burrowing Owl, ENDANGERED - from the archives <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/293827/48300556"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/05/56/48300556.adc3c019.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298398 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-15,doc-48298398 Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:16:46 +0000 2017-06-12T18:22:27-06:00 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/293827/48298398"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/98/48298398.2b92927f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. The Wilson's Snipe is one of my favourite birds to see and photograph.<br /> <br /> "Yesterday afternoon, 12 June 2017, on the spur of the moment, I went for a short drive SW of the city. The sun was shining, but unfortunately it was windy most of the time. My main purpose was to check on a few of the Mountain Bluebirds, who are now busy as can be, collecting insects to feed to their hungry babies. I know this will soon be over and the young ones will have fledged, so I really must make myself visit them again, or it will be too late. <br /> <br /> I had also hoped that maybe one of the Great Gray Owls in the area might just be out hunting. No luck this time. Makes me even more grateful to have seen one during our May Species Count on 28 May 2017."<br /> <br /> "Though the long tradition of “snipe hunt” pranks at summer camp has convinced many people otherwise, Wilson’s Snipes aren’t made-up creatures. These plump, long-billed birds are among the most widespread shorebirds in North America. They can be tough to see thanks to their cryptic brown and buff coloration and secretive nature. But in summer they often stand on fence posts or take to the sky with a fast, zigzagging flight and an unusual “winnowing” sound made with the tail." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id</a><br /> <br /> According to Fisher and Acorn's book, "Birds of Alberta", "the common Snipe is both secretive and well camouflaged, so few people notice it until it flushes suddenly from a nearby grassy tussock. As soon as the Snipe takes to the air, it performs a series of quick zigzags - an evasive maneuver designed to confuse predators. Because of this habit, Snipes were among the most difficult birds to shoot (in the days when shorebirds were hunted for sport), and skilled sportsmen were known as "snipers" - a term later adopted by the military."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://youtu.be/Z16CUdX2g5Q" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">youtu.be/Z16CUdX2g5Q</a></div> Wilson&#039;s Snipe - from the archives <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/293827/48298398"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/98/48298398.2b92927f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. The Wilson's Snipe is one of my favourite birds to see and photograph.<br /> <br /> "Yesterday afternoon, 12 June 2017, on the spur of the moment, I went for a short drive SW of the city. The sun was shining, but unfortunately it was windy most of the time. My main purpose was to check on a few of the Mountain Bluebirds, who are now busy as can be, collecting insects to feed to their hungry babies. I know this will soon be over and the young ones will have fledged, so I really must make myself visit them again, or it will be too late. <br /> <br /> I had also hoped that maybe one of the Great Gray Owls in the area might just be out hunting. No luck this time. Makes me even more grateful to have seen one during our May Species Count on 28 May 2017."<br /> <br /> "Though the long tradition of “snipe hunt” pranks at summer camp has convinced many people otherwise, Wilson’s Snipes aren’t made-up creatures. These plump, long-billed birds are among the most widespread shorebirds in North America. They can be tough to see thanks to their cryptic brown and buff coloration and secretive nature. But in summer they often stand on fence posts or take to the sky with a fast, zigzagging flight and an unusual “winnowing” sound made with the tail." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id</a><br /> <br /> According to Fisher and Acorn's book, "Birds of Alberta", "the common Snipe is both secretive and well camouflaged, so few people notice it until it flushes suddenly from a nearby grassy tussock. As soon as the Snipe takes to the air, it performs a series of quick zigzags - an evasive maneuver designed to confuse predators. Because of this habit, Snipes were among the most difficult birds to shoot (in the days when shorebirds were hunted for sport), and skilled sportsmen were known as "snipers" - a term later adopted by the military."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://youtu.be/Z16CUdX2g5Q" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">youtu.be/Z16CUdX2g5Q</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298396 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-15,doc-48298396 Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:16:00 +0000 2017-05-28T12:16:54-06:00 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/293827/48298396"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/96/48298396.8f5fdf7d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "If I remember correctly, the last Great Gray Owl I saw was on 1 June 2016, so it had been roughly a year since then - till yesterday! What a great day our group of four people had, taking part in the annual May Species Count, 2017. We travelled in just one car, which worked out well. On the 2016 May Species Count, we had been unable to find a Great Gray, but I drove back to the area the following day, and found two of them. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken of them, each owl is just as exciting as the very first.<br /> <br /> The owl in this photo was on a fence post when we first saw it. As is usually the case with these owls, it was focused on finding a Meadow Vole for a snack and in fact did catch one while I was watching. It moved to a few different fence posts in its search. Once it had caught its prey, it ate it there, down on the ground - with its back to us, of course. I was kind of hoping it would fly back up to the fence with it, but it didn't. <br /> <br /> While I was taking photos, various people came along the road, a couple in cars, but most were cyclists out for a long ride on such a beautiful, sunny day. The owl basically ignored everyone, giving just a quick glance at us every once in a while. Their concentration never fails to leave me in awe.<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl</a><br /> <br /> I've just seen the exact number of species we saw yesterday - 72! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired! In fact, so tired that, despite a day mostly at home yesterday, I was still so tired by the evening that I just couldn't look for and edit any photos for today : ) Most unusual for me - I usually fight tiredness, but definitely failed yesterday. <br /> <br /> Then today, 30 May 2017, I was out for the day south of the city with my Daughter (a belated day out for my birthday and Mother's Day), to Nanton and a few roads nearby and then making our way to Frank Lake and finally ending up at the Saskatoon Farm, where we decided to have an early supper. My favourite kind of day, so thank you, Rachel, as always!!"</div> Great Gray Owl - from the archives <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/293827/48298396"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/96/48298396.8f5fdf7d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "If I remember correctly, the last Great Gray Owl I saw was on 1 June 2016, so it had been roughly a year since then - till yesterday! What a great day our group of four people had, taking part in the annual May Species Count, 2017. We travelled in just one car, which worked out well. On the 2016 May Species Count, we had been unable to find a Great Gray, but I drove back to the area the following day, and found two of them. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken of them, each owl is just as exciting as the very first.<br /> <br /> The owl in this photo was on a fence post when we first saw it. As is usually the case with these owls, it was focused on finding a Meadow Vole for a snack and in fact did catch one while I was watching. It moved to a few different fence posts in its search. Once it had caught its prey, it ate it there, down on the ground - with its back to us, of course. I was kind of hoping it would fly back up to the fence with it, but it didn't. <br /> <br /> While I was taking photos, various people came along the road, a couple in cars, but most were cyclists out for a long ride on such a beautiful, sunny day. The owl basically ignored everyone, giving just a quick glance at us every once in a while. Their concentration never fails to leave me in awe.<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl</a><br /> <br /> I've just seen the exact number of species we saw yesterday - 72! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired! In fact, so tired that, despite a day mostly at home yesterday, I was still so tired by the evening that I just couldn't look for and edit any photos for today : ) Most unusual for me - I usually fight tiredness, but definitely failed yesterday. <br /> <br /> Then today, 30 May 2017, I was out for the day south of the city with my Daughter (a belated day out for my birthday and Mother's Day), to Nanton and a few roads nearby and then making our way to Frank Lake and finally ending up at the Saskatoon Farm, where we decided to have an early supper. My favourite kind of day, so thank you, Rachel, as always!!"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298394 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-15,doc-48298394 Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:14:49 +0000 2015-01-14T15:02:51-06:00 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/293827/48298394"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/94/48298394.8307bdc5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "On 14 January 2015, I called in at Fish Creek Park for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. I was lucky with both. People had already found one of the little owls. Somehow, everyone seemed able to manoeuvre their tripods and enormous lenses each time the owl moved to a different branch or a new tree. I love my easy little point-and-shoot : ) Some of my photos were taken at Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm, so the owl looks closer than it really was. We were all treated to some good views, and it was fascinating to watch the owl get ready to fly down to the snow-covered ground when it saw some movement. It goes through some interesting body behaviour in the seconds before that rapid dive. I can't remember if it did actually dive down this time. <br /> <br /> I was impressed that all the photographers were very respectful of this tiny owl, as this certainly doesn't always happen. Some of its time was spent perched extremely high in tall trees. Usually, it was just about within my camera reach and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, they seem very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate when people are present." <br /> <br /> "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a></div> Northern Pygmy-owl - from the archives <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/293827/48298394"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/94/48298394.8307bdc5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "On 14 January 2015, I called in at Fish Creek Park for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. I was lucky with both. People had already found one of the little owls. Somehow, everyone seemed able to manoeuvre their tripods and enormous lenses each time the owl moved to a different branch or a new tree. I love my easy little point-and-shoot : ) Some of my photos were taken at Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm, so the owl looks closer than it really was. We were all treated to some good views, and it was fascinating to watch the owl get ready to fly down to the snow-covered ground when it saw some movement. It goes through some interesting body behaviour in the seconds before that rapid dive. I can't remember if it did actually dive down this time. <br /> <br /> I was impressed that all the photographers were very respectful of this tiny owl, as this certainly doesn't always happen. Some of its time was spent perched extremely high in tall trees. Usually, it was just about within my camera reach and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, they seem very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate when people are present." <br /> <br /> "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293328 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-14,doc-48293328 Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:34:18 +0000 2016-03-20T10:22:29-06:00 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/293827/48293328"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/28/48293328.4b943a6d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl, perched on top of a small tree. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March 2016, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Great Gray Owl - from the archives <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/293827/48293328"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/28/48293328.4b943a6d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl, perched on top of a small tree. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March 2016, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293210 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-14,doc-48293210 Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:33:29 +0000 2015-01-14T15:13:59-06:00 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/293827/48293210"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/10/48293210.97aae9df.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "Just over four years ago, on 14 January 2015, I called in at one of our city parks for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. Maybe even an owl. I was lucky with both and people had already found one of the little owls. It was an amazingly therapeutic outing - my daughter had died just 11 days before and it was so comforting to be with friends.<br /> <br /> Usually, the owl was just about within my camera range and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, these tiny owls seem to be very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate, when people are present. <br /> <br /> "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl</a>"</div> Northern Pygmy-owl - from the archives <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/293827/48293210"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/10/48293210.97aae9df.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "Just over four years ago, on 14 January 2015, I called in at one of our city parks for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. Maybe even an owl. I was lucky with both and people had already found one of the little owls. It was an amazingly therapeutic outing - my daughter had died just 11 days before and it was so comforting to be with friends.<br /> <br /> Usually, the owl was just about within my camera range and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, these tiny owls seem to be very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate, when people are present. <br /> <br /> "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl</a>"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293206 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-14,doc-48293206 Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:32:31 +0000 2014-08-28T10:03:57-06:00 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/293827/48293206"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/06/48293206.8282fb1b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this beautiful wild animal.<br /> <br /> "The little guy/gal in this photo was the cutest thing. It's a young Yellow-bellied Marmot that was peering out of a hole by some metal pipes. Friends and I had been watching these animals for some time, through the car windows. Eventually, we got out and took a slow walk down the road and back. Almost back at the car, I noticed that this youngster was still half way out and when I approached a little way, very slowly, he was quite curious and stayed right where he was. Young Marmots are born in May and we saw this one on 28 August 2014. The Yellow-bellied Marmot is classified as Secure in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report.<br /> <br /> "Yellow-bellied marmots usually weigh from 1.6 to 5.2 kilograms (3.5 to 11.5 lb) when fully grown, though males typically weigh more than females. Adult males typically weigh between 3 to 5 kilograms (6.6 to 11.0 lb); females typically weigh between 1.6 to 4 kilograms (3.5 to 8.8 lb). They get fatter in the autumn just before hibernating.<br /> <br /> Their territory is about 4 to 7 acres (2 to 3 ha) around a number of summer burrows. Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, coyotes, dogs and eagles. <br /> <br /> Yellow-bellied marmots spend about 80% of their life in their burrow, 60% of which is spent hibernating. They often spend mid-day and night in a burrow as well. These burrows are usually constructed on a slope, such as a hill, mountain, or cliff. The hibernation burrows can be up to 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 ft) deep, but the burrows constructed for daily use are usually only 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. Their hibernation period varies on elevation, but it is typically from September to May. <br /> <br /> Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal. The marmot is also an omnivore, eating grass, grains, leaves, flowers, legumes, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot</a><br /> <br /> During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with these friends, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently. An experience that at first felt rather exciting, but very rapidly turned into something quite terrifying!"</div> Yellow-bellied Marmot - from the archives <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/293827/48293206"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/06/48293206.8282fb1b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this beautiful wild animal.<br /> <br /> "The little guy/gal in this photo was the cutest thing. It's a young Yellow-bellied Marmot that was peering out of a hole by some metal pipes. Friends and I had been watching these animals for some time, through the car windows. Eventually, we got out and took a slow walk down the road and back. Almost back at the car, I noticed that this youngster was still half way out and when I approached a little way, very slowly, he was quite curious and stayed right where he was. Young Marmots are born in May and we saw this one on 28 August 2014. The Yellow-bellied Marmot is classified as Secure in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report.<br /> <br /> "Yellow-bellied marmots usually weigh from 1.6 to 5.2 kilograms (3.5 to 11.5 lb) when fully grown, though males typically weigh more than females. Adult males typically weigh between 3 to 5 kilograms (6.6 to 11.0 lb); females typically weigh between 1.6 to 4 kilograms (3.5 to 8.8 lb). They get fatter in the autumn just before hibernating.<br /> <br /> Their territory is about 4 to 7 acres (2 to 3 ha) around a number of summer burrows. Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, coyotes, dogs and eagles. <br /> <br /> Yellow-bellied marmots spend about 80% of their life in their burrow, 60% of which is spent hibernating. They often spend mid-day and night in a burrow as well. These burrows are usually constructed on a slope, such as a hill, mountain, or cliff. The hibernation burrows can be up to 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 ft) deep, but the burrows constructed for daily use are usually only 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. Their hibernation period varies on elevation, but it is typically from September to May. <br /> <br /> Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal. The marmot is also an omnivore, eating grass, grains, leaves, flowers, legumes, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot</a><br /> <br /> During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with these friends, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently. An experience that at first felt rather exciting, but very rapidly turned into something quite terrifying!"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48287592 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-13,doc-48287592 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 02:47:56 +0000 2018-08-21T10:41:50-06:00 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/293827/48287592"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/75/92/48287592.bb95e919.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera at the moment, so I have added another three photos from my archives. I am adding the description from a previously posted photo taken on the same day.<br /> <br /> "On 21 August 2018, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Yes, it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks, as the hay bale they were standing on was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it. <br /> <br /> A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier in the year than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I did get a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. <br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> A Horned Lark, a Western Meadowlark juvenile, and a Vesper Sparrow gave me the chance for a photo or two, and a lone hawk I spotted way in the distance was a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as these hawks are so few and far between.<br /> <br /> My actual destination on 21 August 2018 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where it was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too. I didn't see a Turkey Vulture or a Golden Eagle this time."</div> Juvenile Swainson&#039;s Hawk / Buteo swainsoni <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/293827/48287592"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/75/92/48287592.bb95e919.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera at the moment, so I have added another three photos from my archives. I am adding the description from a previously posted photo taken on the same day.<br /> <br /> "On 21 August 2018, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Yes, it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks, as the hay bale they were standing on was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it. <br /> <br /> A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier in the year than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I did get a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. <br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> A Horned Lark, a Western Meadowlark juvenile, and a Vesper Sparrow gave me the chance for a photo or two, and a lone hawk I spotted way in the distance was a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as these hawks are so few and far between.<br /> <br /> My actual destination on 21 August 2018 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where it was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too. I didn't see a Turkey Vulture or a Golden Eagle this time."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48287590 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-13,doc-48287590 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 02:47:19 +0000 2018-08-21T13:36:01-06:00 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/293827/48287590"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/75/90/48287590.51d78054.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera at the moment, so I have added another three photos from my archives. I am adding the description from a previously posted photo taken on the same day.<br /> <br /> "On 21 August 2018, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Yes, it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks, as the hay bale they were standing on was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it. <br /> <br /> A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier in the year than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I did get a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. <br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> A Horned Lark, a Western Meadowlark juvenile, and a Vesper Sparrow gave me the chance for a photo or two, and a lone hawk I spotted way in the distance was a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as these hawks are so few and far between.<br /> <br /> My actual destination on 21 August 2018 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where it was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too. I didn't see a Turkey Vulture or a Golden Eagle this time."</div> Great Horned Owl / Bubo virginianus <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/293827/48287590"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/75/90/48287590.51d78054.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera at the moment, so I have added another three photos from my archives. I am adding the description from a previously posted photo taken on the same day.<br /> <br /> "On 21 August 2018, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Yes, it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks, as the hay bale they were standing on was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it. <br /> <br /> A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier in the year than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I did get a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. <br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> A Horned Lark, a Western Meadowlark juvenile, and a Vesper Sparrow gave me the chance for a photo or two, and a lone hawk I spotted way in the distance was a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as these hawks are so few and far between.<br /> <br /> My actual destination on 21 August 2018 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where it was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too. I didn't see a Turkey Vulture or a Golden Eagle this time."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269740 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-11,doc-48269740 Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:07:15 +0000 2014-10-23T12:23:43-06:00 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/293827/48269740"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/40/48269740.11ad4688.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to go out taking photos, so I dug into my archives again. I am adding the description from another photo I took at the same time and posted ages ago.<br /> <br /> "Yesterday afternoon, 23 October 2014, I finally did a drive south of the city and found an old barn that I really wanted to see, plus a few others. The photos of this barn that I had found on the Internet must have been taken by trespassing, or possibly before a No Trespassing sign was placed there, or even wth permission, as I could only get a view of the back of the barn from the road, lol! On this drive, or rather when looking at Google Earth the previous evening, I discovered that as well as having no sense of direction, I also have no sense of distance! <br /> <br /> Then I went in search of two grain elevators joined together by a long, low building. The most northerly one is one of the oldest in Alberta (built in 1905 I think, but certainly before 1909). I had pulled over and parked, taken a few shots right into the sun unfortunately and was just checking them back in the car. I was conscious of a man in a bright orange sweater approaching close to my car. When he stopped by my car, I opened the door – he seemed a bit puzzled as to what I was doing there, so I explained that I was photographing the elevators. Ha, it was the private owner of the elevators!!! I read on the Internet just now that he has a furniture manufacturing company in the long, low building that joins the two elevators together. I asked him if there was a better place to photograph them, and he said to take the previous little road. Much better! Some nice old train cars parked near them, too. I didn't realize that I was parked on private ground when the owner was talking with me! <br /> <br /> After the elevators, I explored a few other roads further south and ended up not far from the Saskatoon Farm. Called in and had quiche again : )<br /> <br /> Yesterday had started well, too. I found an e-mail from a friend, saying that they had just seen a Barred Owl in one of the local parks. I got over there just before noon and bumped into a few of my friends who had just finished a walk. Two of them said they would come with me and look for it again – and we found it!! This was the first 100% wild Barred Owl I’d ever seen. I had seen a family of them near Edmonton, when we went to see ones that had been banded. They were wild birds, but I still hoped to one day see a completely wild one (no nesting box). Yesterday’s owl was beautiful – crummy light, with a mix of harsh sunlight and dark shadows, but I did find one to post today. It was taken after the owl flew down to the ground from one tree, was out of sight briefly, and then we saw it in a somewhat closer tree.<br /> <br /> "The Barred Owl’s hooting call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” is a classic sound of old forests and treed swamps. But this attractive owl, with soulful brown eyes and brown-and-white-striped plumage, can also pass completely unnoticed as it flies noiselessly through the dense canopy or snoozes on a tree limb. Originally a bird of the east, during the twentieth century it spread through the Pacific Northwest and southward into California." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl</a></div> Barred Owl in FCPP - from the archives <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/293827/48269740"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/40/48269740.11ad4688.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to go out taking photos, so I dug into my archives again. I am adding the description from another photo I took at the same time and posted ages ago.<br /> <br /> "Yesterday afternoon, 23 October 2014, I finally did a drive south of the city and found an old barn that I really wanted to see, plus a few others. The photos of this barn that I had found on the Internet must have been taken by trespassing, or possibly before a No Trespassing sign was placed there, or even wth permission, as I could only get a view of the back of the barn from the road, lol! On this drive, or rather when looking at Google Earth the previous evening, I discovered that as well as having no sense of direction, I also have no sense of distance! <br /> <br /> Then I went in search of two grain elevators joined together by a long, low building. The most northerly one is one of the oldest in Alberta (built in 1905 I think, but certainly before 1909). I had pulled over and parked, taken a few shots right into the sun unfortunately and was just checking them back in the car. I was conscious of a man in a bright orange sweater approaching close to my car. When he stopped by my car, I opened the door – he seemed a bit puzzled as to what I was doing there, so I explained that I was photographing the elevators. Ha, it was the private owner of the elevators!!! I read on the Internet just now that he has a furniture manufacturing company in the long, low building that joins the two elevators together. I asked him if there was a better place to photograph them, and he said to take the previous little road. Much better! Some nice old train cars parked near them, too. I didn't realize that I was parked on private ground when the owner was talking with me! <br /> <br /> After the elevators, I explored a few other roads further south and ended up not far from the Saskatoon Farm. Called in and had quiche again : )<br /> <br /> Yesterday had started well, too. I found an e-mail from a friend, saying that they had just seen a Barred Owl in one of the local parks. I got over there just before noon and bumped into a few of my friends who had just finished a walk. Two of them said they would come with me and look for it again – and we found it!! This was the first 100% wild Barred Owl I’d ever seen. I had seen a family of them near Edmonton, when we went to see ones that had been banded. They were wild birds, but I still hoped to one day see a completely wild one (no nesting box). Yesterday’s owl was beautiful – crummy light, with a mix of harsh sunlight and dark shadows, but I did find one to post today. It was taken after the owl flew down to the ground from one tree, was out of sight briefly, and then we saw it in a somewhat closer tree.<br /> <br /> "The Barred Owl’s hooting call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” is a classic sound of old forests and treed swamps. But this attractive owl, with soulful brown eyes and brown-and-white-striped plumage, can also pass completely unnoticed as it flies noiselessly through the dense canopy or snoozes on a tree limb. Originally a bird of the east, during the twentieth century it spread through the Pacific Northwest and southward into California." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48259304 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-10,doc-48259304 Sun, 10 Mar 2019 15:48:58 +0000 2014-10-12T14:24:47-06:00 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/293827/48259304"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/93/04/48259304.26780823.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Did everyone remember to set their clocks forward an hour? I totally forgot - a good job I didn't have an appointment or something. This morning, too, I have had the Blue Screen of Death twice! Both times, I was on Facebook.<br /> <br /> From the archives. A touch of filter was added in post-processing. I will add what I wrote under another photo taken that day, of a beautiful red barn.<br /> <br /> "For the first time in almost two years, on 12 October 2014, I finally made myself drive east of the city on my own. Recently, I did drive all the way to Drumheller and the Badlands, but I had my youngest daughter with me. The weather was beautiful again and, after six days of not going out with my camera, I was itching to go "somewhere". <br /> <br /> Along highway 22X going east from the city, they spent so many months on major road construction, building the eastern part of a huge ring road around the city. This was one of the main reasons I hadn't driven out that way for so long, as the roads were one huge confusion. After yesterday, I can't see myself going out that way ever again, lol!<br /> <br /> Knowing that I had to concentrate really hard on all the endless, new road signs, I was fairly sure that, now that construction had more or less ended, all I would have to do was drive eastwards in a straight line. Well, somehow, I was in the wrong lane and, to my horror, I found myself heading north on the new ring road. All I could do was just keep driving, hoping I would eventually hit Glenmore Trail which would take me east of the city. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened. I did end up in a totally different area to the east, but ended up seeing two beautiful barns - this white one and a red one - because of it. <br /> <br /> Later in the afternoon, I ended up in the rough area I had originally planned on, thinking that surely the drive back to Calgary would be straightforward on 22X. Finding my way to 22X brought me to two lovely finds - an old grain elevator that I didn't know about, and a Great Horned Owl. How wrong I was about the return drive! Somehow, I found myself on Deerfoot Trail, heading south towards the Canada/US border (well, Okotoks might be a little less of an exaggeration, lol!). Nothing I could do, but just keep driving south until I was able to turn off at some familiar place - which happened to be The Saskatoon Farm : ) Fancy that, their restaurant was pretty much empty and I was just in time to enjoy their Quiche meal : )) And so, I eventually arrived back home, feeling both relieved - anyone with a driving phobia will understand! - and so happy and thankful for my various finds.<br /> <br /> Some of you have already seen the following information, but for anyone else who might be interested, the folllowing link, with the information below, answers the question: "WHY ARE BARNS USUALLY PAINTED RED?"<br /> <br /> <a href="http://home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm</a><br /> <br /> "If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.<br /> <br /> Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?<br /> <br /> In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories. One is that wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red. The other is that farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.<br /> <br /> Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse. As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.<br /> <br /> Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used."</div> The big white barn <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/293827/48259304"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/93/04/48259304.26780823.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Did everyone remember to set their clocks forward an hour? I totally forgot - a good job I didn't have an appointment or something. This morning, too, I have had the Blue Screen of Death twice! Both times, I was on Facebook.<br /> <br /> From the archives. A touch of filter was added in post-processing. I will add what I wrote under another photo taken that day, of a beautiful red barn.<br /> <br /> "For the first time in almost two years, on 12 October 2014, I finally made myself drive east of the city on my own. Recently, I did drive all the way to Drumheller and the Badlands, but I had my youngest daughter with me. The weather was beautiful again and, after six days of not going out with my camera, I was itching to go "somewhere". <br /> <br /> Along highway 22X going east from the city, they spent so many months on major road construction, building the eastern part of a huge ring road around the city. This was one of the main reasons I hadn't driven out that way for so long, as the roads were one huge confusion. After yesterday, I can't see myself going out that way ever again, lol!<br /> <br /> Knowing that I had to concentrate really hard on all the endless, new road signs, I was fairly sure that, now that construction had more or less ended, all I would have to do was drive eastwards in a straight line. Well, somehow, I was in the wrong lane and, to my horror, I found myself heading north on the new ring road. All I could do was just keep driving, hoping I would eventually hit Glenmore Trail which would take me east of the city. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened. I did end up in a totally different area to the east, but ended up seeing two beautiful barns - this white one and a red one - because of it. <br /> <br /> Later in the afternoon, I ended up in the rough area I had originally planned on, thinking that surely the drive back to Calgary would be straightforward on 22X. Finding my way to 22X brought me to two lovely finds - an old grain elevator that I didn't know about, and a Great Horned Owl. How wrong I was about the return drive! Somehow, I found myself on Deerfoot Trail, heading south towards the Canada/US border (well, Okotoks might be a little less of an exaggeration, lol!). Nothing I could do, but just keep driving south until I was able to turn off at some familiar place - which happened to be The Saskatoon Farm : ) Fancy that, their restaurant was pretty much empty and I was just in time to enjoy their Quiche meal : )) And so, I eventually arrived back home, feeling both relieved - anyone with a driving phobia will understand! - and so happy and thankful for my various finds.<br /> <br /> Some of you have already seen the following information, but for anyone else who might be interested, the folllowing link, with the information below, answers the question: "WHY ARE BARNS USUALLY PAINTED RED?"<br /> <br /> <a href="http://home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm</a><br /> <br /> "If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.<br /> <br /> Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?<br /> <br /> In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories. One is that wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red. The other is that farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.<br /> <br /> Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse. As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.<br /> <br /> Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48195134 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-02,doc-48195134 Sat, 02 Mar 2019 17:01:12 +0000 2018-06-12T10:22:28-07:00 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/293827/48195134"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/51/34/48195134.5b8ba52c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Last night, about 11:30 pm, I checked our weather forecast. Our temperature was -27C (windchill -34C .... brrrr!). Apart from many two or three days of somewhat less frigid weather, this awful deep freeze has been going on for weeks. <br /> <br /> Colour was needed on my photostream after all the snowy, owl photos that I posted. So, here is another shot of the absolutely gorgeous male Harlequin Duck that friends and I saw in June 2018, in Waterton Lakes National Park. I prefer the other photo of it that I posted ages ago, though it is easier to see the actual bird in this photo. <br /> <br /> I am going to add, for the last time, the following, that I have posted for the last two or three days.<br /> <br /> "I think the very first Long-eared Owl that I ever saw was seen on 13 October 2006. SInce then, I have been very fortunate to have seen several other individuals (see my Album) - including the day before yesterday. These owls are very secretive and many birders go years between sightings. It is so important not to give the location of this species. Be careful that there is nothing in your photos that gives away the location.<br /> <br /> Various people had been posting photos of a Long-eared Owl recently, but I had no idea where they were seeing it. Someone had posted a photo and labelled it "Calgary" (totally untrue!), so I had thought it must have been seen in one of our local city parks. Two days ago, I decided to go for a short drive and get a bit of sunshine and fresh air. Our deep freeze has lasted for more than four weeks, and I have been home for most of that time. It was a milder day, so I decided to make the most of it, especially with more snow forecast for today. <br /> <br /> Imagine my surprise when a stranger told me just where it was, and my absolute horror when I came upon a huge crowd of photographers with their lenses raised! So how did they all know about this owl?? Apparently, Facebook has such a bad reputation for people trolling everyone's photostream there, finding out locations for all sorts of things (old barns included!). Then, of course, some people phone others, to ask or to tell. Others follow ebird religiously, dashing out to see every more 'special' bird that is reported and location given. I don't post many photos on Facebook and I certainly don't post the same photo to three groups. It gets so very boring to see the same photos everywhere. These people flood their own Facebook pages and the groups! The only reason I can see is to get as many Likes as possible. Anyway, most people were down in the ditch at the fenceline, so no doubt they were able to get stunning close shots, especially those with enormous lenses. My photos were taken from the road, which was twice as far away, with a point-and-shoot. I'm not out to try and get better photos than anyone else : ) As always, there is so much competition among photographers. I was also not out there all day, like various people always are, and often day after day after day. <br /> <br /> So, after saying those things, perhaps you can imagine how extremely upset (devastated, actually) I am to have been told (when I arrived at the owl) by a couple of friends (both of whom are superb photographers) that my photograph had been taken, along with two other people in it, standing at the edge of a road earlier in February. These friends thought it was hilarious and I sure was teased a lot. As they said, my "goody two-shoes" image was gone. They both know I have very high ethics, including when it comes to photography. This photo was posted on Facebook on a provincial birding page, pointing out how dangerous it is for people to stand by the road. This thread turned into a string of comments about people harassing the owls, etc., etc., etc. Actually, the other two people in the photo are both seen taking photos (when I was told they already had taken thousands). There's me, camera not raised, looking disgusted that an owl had been flushed so that they could take flight images. The reason I was out of my vehicle was that these two people were out of theirs and racing down the road at top speed to get yet more shots. When I was sitting in my car, these photographers blocked my view of the owl, so out I got and caught up with them. To prove that I was not planning on getting out of my car this trip, I was wearing just my thin summer jacket (over fleece) in a windchill in the minus 20C's.<br /> <br /> Sorry to rant, but it just upsets me so much that this photo was taken and posted on Facebook. Have barely slept the last two nights! The very last thing I would ever want is to be connected with bad ethics!! Of course, I must be such a bad person to actually stand by the road - ha, you should see all the dozens of people who do exactly the same (without being photgraphed)! <br /> <br /> That day, I took maybe 30 photos of the Long-eared Owl, and maybe a couple of dozen of a Short-eared Owl, almost every single one of the latter needing to be deleted, because they were all totally blurry, thanks to taking the photos from inside my car. You can be sure that most of the others went home with yet another memory card containing thousands of photos.<br /> <br /> Sorry for the rant, but I am hoping that now I won't be stressing out over it quite as much, every second of the day! Ain't life fun? To the man who took my photo (as far as I know, I have never met him), how about taking a few photos of the crowds of people, especially those who were as close as they could get to the LEO. Or those who stress out the owls day after day after day, often from morning till evening! You might just get lots of likes and comments on photos of those repeat "offenders". How about giving it a try?<br /> <br /> PS: I rarely allow people (i.e. friends) to photograph me. Not sure what right this man thinks he has, to take my photo and especially to then post it on a very popular Facebook group page. I would like it removed from Facebook, or at the very least, to have myself totally blurred out of the image. When this sort of thing happens, it can totally destroy a person's joy of photography!<br /> <br /> Actually, on a more serious note, something that I'm sure most people don't think of. You really need to be careful about taking a photo of someone and then posting it (without signing a consent form). For various security reasons, doing this could actually put someone in danger. For example, a woman (or vice versa) might not want their photo being advertised in this way, not wanting an abusive spouse/partner to know where they go sometimes or what they do. Just something to keep in mind."</div> Harlequin Duck / Histrionicus histrionicus <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/293827/48195134"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/51/34/48195134.5b8ba52c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Last night, about 11:30 pm, I checked our weather forecast. Our temperature was -27C (windchill -34C .... brrrr!). Apart from many two or three days of somewhat less frigid weather, this awful deep freeze has been going on for weeks. <br /> <br /> Colour was needed on my photostream after all the snowy, owl photos that I posted. So, here is another shot of the absolutely gorgeous male Harlequin Duck that friends and I saw in June 2018, in Waterton Lakes National Park. I prefer the other photo of it that I posted ages ago, though it is easier to see the actual bird in this photo. <br /> <br /> I am going to add, for the last time, the following, that I have posted for the last two or three days.<br /> <br /> "I think the very first Long-eared Owl that I ever saw was seen on 13 October 2006. SInce then, I have been very fortunate to have seen several other individuals (see my Album) - including the day before yesterday. These owls are very secretive and many birders go years between sightings. It is so important not to give the location of this species. Be careful that there is nothing in your photos that gives away the location.<br /> <br /> Various people had been posting photos of a Long-eared Owl recently, but I had no idea where they were seeing it. Someone had posted a photo and labelled it "Calgary" (totally untrue!), so I had thought it must have been seen in one of our local city parks. Two days ago, I decided to go for a short drive and get a bit of sunshine and fresh air. Our deep freeze has lasted for more than four weeks, and I have been home for most of that time. It was a milder day, so I decided to make the most of it, especially with more snow forecast for today. <br /> <br /> Imagine my surprise when a stranger told me just where it was, and my absolute horror when I came upon a huge crowd of photographers with their lenses raised! So how did they all know about this owl?? Apparently, Facebook has such a bad reputation for people trolling everyone's photostream there, finding out locations for all sorts of things (old barns included!). Then, of course, some people phone others, to ask or to tell. Others follow ebird religiously, dashing out to see every more 'special' bird that is reported and location given. I don't post many photos on Facebook and I certainly don't post the same photo to three groups. It gets so very boring to see the same photos everywhere. These people flood their own Facebook pages and the groups! The only reason I can see is to get as many Likes as possible. Anyway, most people were down in the ditch at the fenceline, so no doubt they were able to get stunning close shots, especially those with enormous lenses. My photos were taken from the road, which was twice as far away, with a point-and-shoot. I'm not out to try and get better photos than anyone else : ) As always, there is so much competition among photographers. I was also not out there all day, like various people always are, and often day after day after day. <br /> <br /> So, after saying those things, perhaps you can imagine how extremely upset (devastated, actually) I am to have been told (when I arrived at the owl) by a couple of friends (both of whom are superb photographers) that my photograph had been taken, along with two other people in it, standing at the edge of a road earlier in February. These friends thought it was hilarious and I sure was teased a lot. As they said, my "goody two-shoes" image was gone. They both know I have very high ethics, including when it comes to photography. This photo was posted on Facebook on a provincial birding page, pointing out how dangerous it is for people to stand by the road. This thread turned into a string of comments about people harassing the owls, etc., etc., etc. Actually, the other two people in the photo are both seen taking photos (when I was told they already had taken thousands). There's me, camera not raised, looking disgusted that an owl had been flushed so that they could take flight images. The reason I was out of my vehicle was that these two people were out of theirs and racing down the road at top speed to get yet more shots. When I was sitting in my car, these photographers blocked my view of the owl, so out I got and caught up with them. To prove that I was not planning on getting out of my car this trip, I was wearing just my thin summer jacket (over fleece) in a windchill in the minus 20C's.<br /> <br /> Sorry to rant, but it just upsets me so much that this photo was taken and posted on Facebook. Have barely slept the last two nights! The very last thing I would ever want is to be connected with bad ethics!! Of course, I must be such a bad person to actually stand by the road - ha, you should see all the dozens of people who do exactly the same (without being photgraphed)! <br /> <br /> That day, I took maybe 30 photos of the Long-eared Owl, and maybe a couple of dozen of a Short-eared Owl, almost every single one of the latter needing to be deleted, because they were all totally blurry, thanks to taking the photos from inside my car. You can be sure that most of the others went home with yet another memory card containing thousands of photos.<br /> <br /> Sorry for the rant, but I am hoping that now I won't be stressing out over it quite as much, every second of the day! Ain't life fun? To the man who took my photo (as far as I know, I have never met him), how about taking a few photos of the crowds of people, especially those who were as close as they could get to the LEO. Or those who stress out the owls day after day after day, often from morning till evening! You might just get lots of likes and comments on photos of those repeat "offenders". How about giving it a try?<br /> <br /> PS: I rarely allow people (i.e. friends) to photograph me. Not sure what right this man thinks he has, to take my photo and especially to then post it on a very popular Facebook group page. I would like it removed from Facebook, or at the very least, to have myself totally blurred out of the image. When this sort of thing happens, it can totally destroy a person's joy of photography!<br /> <br /> Actually, on a more serious note, something that I'm sure most people don't think of. You really need to be careful about taking a photo of someone and then posting it (without signing a consent form). For various security reasons, doing this could actually put someone in danger. For example, a woman (or vice versa) might not want their photo being advertised in this way, not wanting an abusive spouse/partner to know where they go sometimes or what they do. Just something to keep in mind."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48171268 tag:ipernity.com,2019-02-21,doc-48171268 Thu, 21 Feb 2019 05:27:47 +0000 2018-05-18T11:05:01-07:00 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/293827/48171268"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/12/68/48171268.7fb7c10d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Sorry, everyone, I must be driving you all crazy! I am posting SO many images, but the end is in sight - yes, thank goodness. Less than a week and I should be done. I honestly don't know how some people go on lots of holidays like this and take thousands of photos and still seem to manage to take a lot shorter time to post them than I have (i.e. nine months). Actually I thought it was even longer than that. I have a deadline for getting all these finished, and it looks like I might meet my deadline after all. Thank you all for your patience!<br /> <br /> Tonight, I posted 12 more photos taken on 18 May 2018, Day 12 of our holiday in Ontario and Quebec, This was our final day in Quebec, before flying back to Calgary early morning the next day, 19 May 2018.<br /> <br /> Day 12 will have photos of some of the 50,000 Snow Geese seen at an amazing Wildlife Area closer to Quebec City. We also got the chance to photograph a handful of barns, which was much enjoyed. <br /> <br /> We stopped at a few places on the long drive between Tadoussac and Quebec City, including Baie-des-Rochers, and Port-au-Persil briefly so that we could take a photos or two of the beautiful old church, Chapelle McLaren, with the St. Lawrence River in the distance. I managed to grab several rapid, drive-by shots of a few barns, which was great. How i would love a holiday just for old barns : ) <br /> <br /> A really special place we visited closer to Quebec City was the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area. Here, we saw an estimated 50,000 Snow Geese, on land, on water, and flying, turning the sky white. This was the first time I have ever been so close to Snow Geese. Some of them waddled within just a few feet of us while we were having a picnic lunch. We went on a walk there and saw some interesting bird species, incluing one tiny Hummingbird.</div> Day 12, male Firefly, probably in genus Photinus, Cap Tourmente <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/293827/48171268"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/12/68/48171268.7fb7c10d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Sorry, everyone, I must be driving you all crazy! I am posting SO many images, but the end is in sight - yes, thank goodness. Less than a week and I should be done. I honestly don't know how some people go on lots of holidays like this and take thousands of photos and still seem to manage to take a lot shorter time to post them than I have (i.e. nine months). Actually I thought it was even longer than that. I have a deadline for getting all these finished, and it looks like I might meet my deadline after all. Thank you all for your patience!<br /> <br /> Tonight, I posted 12 more photos taken on 18 May 2018, Day 12 of our holiday in Ontario and Quebec, This was our final day in Quebec, before flying back to Calgary early morning the next day, 19 May 2018.<br /> <br /> Day 12 will have photos of some of the 50,000 Snow Geese seen at an amazing Wildlife Area closer to Quebec City. We also got the chance to photograph a handful of barns, which was much enjoyed. <br /> <br /> We stopped at a few places on the long drive between Tadoussac and Quebec City, including Baie-des-Rochers, and Port-au-Persil briefly so that we could take a photos or two of the beautiful old church, Chapelle McLaren, with the St. Lawrence River in the distance. I managed to grab several rapid, drive-by shots of a few barns, which was great. How i would love a holiday just for old barns : ) <br /> <br /> A really special place we visited closer to Quebec City was the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area. Here, we saw an estimated 50,000 Snow Geese, on land, on water, and flying, turning the sky white. This was the first time I have ever been so close to Snow Geese. Some of them waddled within just a few feet of us while we were having a picnic lunch. We went on a walk there and saw some interesting bird species, incluing one tiny Hummingbird.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48151008 tag:ipernity.com,2019-02-19,doc-48151008 Tue, 19 Feb 2019 05:12:16 +0000 2018-05-18T07:59:32-07:00 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/293827/48151008"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/10/08/48151008.666629c6.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This evening, I posted the first 18 photos taken on 18 May 2018, Day 12 of our holiday in Ontario and Quebec, This was our final day in Quebec, before flying back to Calgary early morning the next day, 19 May 2018.<br /> <br /> Day 12 will have photos of some 50,000 Snow Geese seen along the drive back to Quebec City. We also got the chance to photograph a handful of barns, which was much enjoyed. I have a deadline for getting all these finished, and it looks like I might meet my deadline after all.<br /> <br /> We stopped at a few places in between Tadoussac and Quebec City, including Baie-des-Rochers, Port-au-Persil briefly so that we could take a photos or two of the beautiful old church, Chapelle McLaren, with the St. Lawrence River in the distance. I managed to grab several rapid, drive-by shots of a few barns, which was great. How i would love a holiday just for old barns : )<br /> <br /> I had to "drive" a long way on Google Earth just now, trying to find just where this beautiful barn was located. Success! We had time and there was plenty of room to pull off the road to take a few photos. It really is a beauty.<br /> <br /> A really special place we visited closer to Quebec City was the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area. Here, we saw an estimated 50,000 Snow Geese, on land, on water, and flying, turning the sky white. This was the first time I have ever been so close to Snow Geese. Some of them waddled within just a few feet of us while we were having a picnic lunch. We went on a walk there and saw some interesting bird species, incluing one tiny Hummingbird.</div> Day 12, SW of Port-au-Persil, Quebec <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/293827/48151008"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/10/08/48151008.666629c6.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This evening, I posted the first 18 photos taken on 18 May 2018, Day 12 of our holiday in Ontario and Quebec, This was our final day in Quebec, before flying back to Calgary early morning the next day, 19 May 2018.<br /> <br /> Day 12 will have photos of some 50,000 Snow Geese seen along the drive back to Quebec City. We also got the chance to photograph a handful of barns, which was much enjoyed. I have a deadline for getting all these finished, and it looks like I might meet my deadline after all.<br /> <br /> We stopped at a few places in between Tadoussac and Quebec City, including Baie-des-Rochers, Port-au-Persil briefly so that we could take a photos or two of the beautiful old church, Chapelle McLaren, with the St. Lawrence River in the distance. I managed to grab several rapid, drive-by shots of a few barns, which was great. How i would love a holiday just for old barns : )<br /> <br /> I had to "drive" a long way on Google Earth just now, trying to find just where this beautiful barn was located. Success! We had time and there was plenty of room to pull off the road to take a few photos. It really is a beauty.<br /> <br /> A really special place we visited closer to Quebec City was the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area. Here, we saw an estimated 50,000 Snow Geese, on land, on water, and flying, turning the sky white. This was the first time I have ever been so close to Snow Geese. Some of them waddled within just a few feet of us while we were having a picnic lunch. We went on a walk there and saw some interesting bird species, incluing one tiny Hummingbird.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48122316 tag:ipernity.com,2019-02-13,doc-48122316 Wed, 13 Feb 2019 07:30:29 +0000 2017-07-25T14:46:04-07:00 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/293827/48122316"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/23/16/48122316.71f9915b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A very quick grab from the archives, as I was beginning to feel the need for some colour in my photostream! I had hoped to make a start on Day 11 of our trip to Ontario and Quebec in May 2018, but I had things to get done today. Tomorrow, I have to go and get a cortisone shot in my left hip, so will need to rest for a couple of days. I was thinking they would do both hips in the same appointment, but I was told they only do one at a tme - which does make sense. Second one will be in about 12 days' time. The shots I had in both knees a few weeks ago had no effect on the pain level, so I am really hoping that tomorrow's shot will have a better result.<br /> <br /> This is the seedhead of a Nodding Thistle, taken on 25 July 2017. These are my favourite thistles, but unfortunately, it is an invasive species. The Alberta Provincial Designation for Nodding/Musk Thistle is Prohibited Noxious.<br /> <br /> "A native of Europe, nodding thistle has a long history as a rangeland pest. The invasive nature of this aggressive plant can lead to severe degradation of native grasslands and meadows because grazing animals focus on native vegetation giving the thistles a competitive advantage." From invasiveplants.ab.ca.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/factsheets/FS-NoddingThistle.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/factsheets/FS-NoddingThistle.pdf</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus_nutans" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus_nutans</a></div> Nodding (Musk) Thistle / Carduus nutans <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/293827/48122316"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/23/16/48122316.71f9915b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A very quick grab from the archives, as I was beginning to feel the need for some colour in my photostream! I had hoped to make a start on Day 11 of our trip to Ontario and Quebec in May 2018, but I had things to get done today. Tomorrow, I have to go and get a cortisone shot in my left hip, so will need to rest for a couple of days. I was thinking they would do both hips in the same appointment, but I was told they only do one at a tme - which does make sense. Second one will be in about 12 days' time. The shots I had in both knees a few weeks ago had no effect on the pain level, so I am really hoping that tomorrow's shot will have a better result.<br /> <br /> This is the seedhead of a Nodding Thistle, taken on 25 July 2017. These are my favourite thistles, but unfortunately, it is an invasive species. The Alberta Provincial Designation for Nodding/Musk Thistle is Prohibited Noxious.<br /> <br /> "A native of Europe, nodding thistle has a long history as a rangeland pest. The invasive nature of this aggressive plant can lead to severe degradation of native grasslands and meadows because grazing animals focus on native vegetation giving the thistles a competitive advantage." From invasiveplants.ab.ca.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/factsheets/FS-NoddingThistle.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/factsheets/FS-NoddingThistle.pdf</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus_nutans" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus_nutans</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48115846 tag:ipernity.com,2019-02-10,doc-48115846 Sun, 10 Feb 2019 07:26:43 +0000 2018-05-16T11:13:02-07:00 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/293827/48115846"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/58/46/48115846.645605c4.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Now I can start posting photos taken in the afternoon of 16 May 2018, Day 10 of our holiday to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). <br /> <br /> After a morning walk, we spent a little time watching and photographing some of the birds that visited our friend's garden. We also had lunch, ready for driving down to the dry dock. This was going to be a big day for the people of Tadoussac, as it was going to be High Tide, which happens twice a year, and the water was going to gradually overflow the entrance gate and flood the dry dock. Everyone was busy making final preparations on their boats for this event, and everyone was eager to see whose boat would be the first one to become afloat and make it out of the dock into open water. One of Anne B's brothers and his wife had a small boat and it was just about at the furthest point of the dry dock. Slowly, the water rose, and after maybe two hours (?) Alan and Jane's boat was ready to sail out, making them the winners. It felt so good to see a small community come together in this unusual, friendly contest.<br /> <br /> While we were waiting for the tide to be at its highest, we had fun watching a beautiful little Magnolia Warbler feeding frantically on the ground, not far from our feet. All the birds who migrate had only just arrived on the coast, after flying across a huge body of water. They were exhausted and so hungry. Same thing at Point Pelee, Ontario, the week before.</div> Day 10, young Fiddlehead ferns by dry dock, Tadoussac, Quebec <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/293827/48115846"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/58/46/48115846.645605c4.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Now I can start posting photos taken in the afternoon of 16 May 2018, Day 10 of our holiday to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). <br /> <br /> After a morning walk, we spent a little time watching and photographing some of the birds that visited our friend's garden. We also had lunch, ready for driving down to the dry dock. This was going to be a big day for the people of Tadoussac, as it was going to be High Tide, which happens twice a year, and the water was going to gradually overflow the entrance gate and flood the dry dock. Everyone was busy making final preparations on their boats for this event, and everyone was eager to see whose boat would be the first one to become afloat and make it out of the dock into open water. One of Anne B's brothers and his wife had a small boat and it was just about at the furthest point of the dry dock. Slowly, the water rose, and after maybe two hours (?) Alan and Jane's boat was ready to sail out, making them the winners. It felt so good to see a small community come together in this unusual, friendly contest.<br /> <br /> While we were waiting for the tide to be at its highest, we had fun watching a beautiful little Magnolia Warbler feeding frantically on the ground, not far from our feet. All the birds who migrate had only just arrived on the coast, after flying across a huge body of water. They were exhausted and so hungry. Same thing at Point Pelee, Ontario, the week before.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48091854 tag:ipernity.com,2019-02-05,doc-48091854 Tue, 05 Feb 2019 02:02:42 +0000 2018-05-15T09:53:39-07:00 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/293827/48091854"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/18/54/48091854.d7efbbbc.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">And Day 9 is DONE!<br /> <br /> NOTE: Yesterday, 3 February 2019, the temperature just after noon was -27C (windchill -38C!). That is -16.6F (windchill -36.4F). Today, 4 February, has been the third day in a row that has had frigid temperatures. Any routine birding wallks have been cancelled day after day, which very, very rarely happens. A nasty shock after enjoying so many milder winter days for quite some time this winter. Despite the dreadful cold, people are still going out birding on their own (i.e. not the groups). Just amazes me - guess it's a harmless addiction compared to most addictions! For me, it's no big deal if I haven't been able to go out the last three days to look for birds - it really isn't the end of the world, and I have so many things to get on with at home!<br /> <br /> This evening, I posted 15 more photos from Day 9, and that brings Day 9 to a close. Tomorrow, I can move on to day 10 of our two-week holiday in Ontario and Quebec in May 2018. I will have only Day 10, 11 and 12 to sort, edit and post. <br /> <br /> Day 9, 15 May 2018, involved a local morning walk, not far from our friend Anne's home. Just before 10:00 am, we drove to near the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre in Tadoussac and followed the Sentier de la Pointe-de-l'Islet Trail. Not the greatest weather, including for photography. However, it was a delightful trail, much of it along a wooden boardwalk (which had quite a few steps). After this outing, we spent some time at our friend's house, watching the birds that came to her garden and then, later on, went for a short, local walk. I really enjoyed photographing these White-crowned Sparrows - they seemed reasonably cooperative.<br /> <br /> "Walk along Sentier de la Pointe-de-l'Islet Trail, a forest trail by the ocean with marvellous views of the surrounding coast and skyline. The wooden boardwalk leads you behind the wharf to the mouth of the Saguenay River. The trail provides an easy walk, stretching just under a kilometer (0.6 mi), or you can climb freely over the rocky shoreline for a more adventurous route. The point offers an ideal atmosphere for a picnic by the water. Look out into the distance to catch a glimpse of minke whales, while seals and belugas come close to the shore to feed." From link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.inspirock.com/canada/tadoussac/sentier-de-la-pointe-de-l-islet-trail-a1172967071" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.inspirock.com/canada/tadoussac/sentier-de-la-pointe-d...</a></div> Day 9, White-crowned Sparrow <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/293827/48091854"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/18/54/48091854.d7efbbbc.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">And Day 9 is DONE!<br /> <br /> NOTE: Yesterday, 3 February 2019, the temperature just after noon was -27C (windchill -38C!). That is -16.6F (windchill -36.4F). Today, 4 February, has been the third day in a row that has had frigid temperatures. Any routine birding wallks have been cancelled day after day, which very, very rarely happens. A nasty shock after enjoying so many milder winter days for quite some time this winter. Despite the dreadful cold, people are still going out birding on their own (i.e. not the groups). Just amazes me - guess it's a harmless addiction compared to most addictions! For me, it's no big deal if I haven't been able to go out the last three days to look for birds - it really isn't the end of the world, and I have so many things to get on with at home!<br /> <br /> This evening, I posted 15 more photos from Day 9, and that brings Day 9 to a close. Tomorrow, I can move on to day 10 of our two-week holiday in Ontario and Quebec in May 2018. I will have only Day 10, 11 and 12 to sort, edit and post. <br /> <br /> Day 9, 15 May 2018, involved a local morning walk, not far from our friend Anne's home. Just before 10:00 am, we drove to near the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre in Tadoussac and followed the Sentier de la Pointe-de-l'Islet Trail. Not the greatest weather, including for photography. However, it was a delightful trail, much of it along a wooden boardwalk (which had quite a few steps). After this outing, we spent some time at our friend's house, watching the birds that came to her garden and then, later on, went for a short, local walk. I really enjoyed photographing these White-crowned Sparrows - they seemed reasonably cooperative.<br /> <br /> "Walk along Sentier de la Pointe-de-l'Islet Trail, a forest trail by the ocean with marvellous views of the surrounding coast and skyline. The wooden boardwalk leads you behind the wharf to the mouth of the Saguenay River. The trail provides an easy walk, stretching just under a kilometer (0.6 mi), or you can climb freely over the rocky shoreline for a more adventurous route. The point offers an ideal atmosphere for a picnic by the water. Look out into the distance to catch a glimpse of minke whales, while seals and belugas come close to the shore to feed." From link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.inspirock.com/canada/tadoussac/sentier-de-la-pointe-de-l-islet-trail-a1172967071" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.inspirock.com/canada/tadoussac/sentier-de-la-pointe-d...</a></div> Anne Elliott