https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/718547 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/718547 Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:58:56 +0000 Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:58:56 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42528460 tag:ipernity.com,2016-07-20,doc-42528460 Wed, 20 Jul 2016 13:07:08 +0000 2016-07-19T17:46:37-06:00 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/293827/42528460"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/84/60/42528460.4b59466d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday afternoon, 19 July 2016, I really wanted to go and check on the family of Mountain Bluebird fledglings, SW of the city. It was also getting uncomfortably warm in my place and I needed to spend a bit of time in the air-conditioning of my car. I only felt like a short drive, after the very enjoyable full day of driving with my daughter the previous day. I discovered that the fledglings had grown up a lot in the three days since I had first seen them - constantly on the move and impossible to photograph.<br /> <br /> There were so few birds to be seen in my usual location - the road had been resurfaced in the three days I hadn't been there. Whether that was the reason for the lack of birds, who knows. I did catch a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds and saw this female with a beak full of bright green larvae for her babies. No sign of any WIlson's Snipes. The distant Black Tern baby was still being fed.<br /> <br /> "One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring.<br /> <br /> You can find Red-winged Blackbirds in the breeding season by visiting cattail marshes and other wetlands, or simply by watching telephone wires on a drive through the country. Where there’s standing water and vegetation, Red-winged Blackbirds are likely to be one of the most common birds you see and hear. Listen for the male’s conk-la-lee! song. In winter, search through mixed-species blackbird flocks and be careful not to overlook the streaky, brown females, which can sometimes resemble a sparrow." From AllAboutBIrds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird</a></div> Time to feed the kids <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/293827/42528460"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/84/60/42528460.4b59466d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday afternoon, 19 July 2016, I really wanted to go and check on the family of Mountain Bluebird fledglings, SW of the city. It was also getting uncomfortably warm in my place and I needed to spend a bit of time in the air-conditioning of my car. I only felt like a short drive, after the very enjoyable full day of driving with my daughter the previous day. I discovered that the fledglings had grown up a lot in the three days since I had first seen them - constantly on the move and impossible to photograph.<br /> <br /> There were so few birds to be seen in my usual location - the road had been resurfaced in the three days I hadn't been there. Whether that was the reason for the lack of birds, who knows. I did catch a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds and saw this female with a beak full of bright green larvae for her babies. No sign of any WIlson's Snipes. The distant Black Tern baby was still being fed.<br /> <br /> "One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring.<br /> <br /> You can find Red-winged Blackbirds in the breeding season by visiting cattail marshes and other wetlands, or simply by watching telephone wires on a drive through the country. Where there’s standing water and vegetation, Red-winged Blackbirds are likely to be one of the most common birds you see and hear. Listen for the male’s conk-la-lee! song. In winter, search through mixed-species blackbird flocks and be careful not to overlook the streaky, brown females, which can sometimes resemble a sparrow." From AllAboutBIrds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42283760 tag:ipernity.com,2016-06-22,doc-42283760 Wed, 22 Jun 2016 19:10:00 +0000 2016-06-20T18:43:37-06:00 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/293827/42283760"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/60/42283760.c106c2fc.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The day before yesterday, on 20 June 2016, I went for a drive SW of the city again. This time, I was thrilled to bits to see two male Bobolinks and a female. I had driven backwards and forwards along the road where I had seen them a few days ago, with no luck. I gave up and, instead, spent some time photographing a beautiful pair of Mountain Bluebirds. After a while, I told myself it was time to leave the Bluebirds in peace and go and see if there was any sign of a Bobolink. I had literally climbed back into my car and pulled forward maybe six feet, when a bird flew to a fence post. It looked bigger than a Savannah Sparrow, so I was curious. Turned out to be a male Bobolink, who gave me the chance for a few quick shots before flying away. Unfortunately, the sun was not in a good direction. <br /> <br /> Time to go and photograph a Tree Swallow, female Red-winged Blackbird (with food in her beak for her babies) and a Snipe and then I returned to the pair of Bluebirds. This time, they had two brief visitors - a Brown-headed Cowbird and a tiny Savannah Sparrow, who insisted on trying to perch on the same fence post as the male Bluebird. It was kind of cute to see the two together. I always love to tsee the back view of a female Bluebird, with just little touches of blue showing in her feathers.<br /> <br /> After a while, I decided it really was time to head for home. While crossing the road to my car, I spotted a bird perched on top of a tree way down the road and discovered it was a Bobolink again. It spent a bit of time flying around with another male and a female, eventually flying to a fence post. I had never seen a female before, but recognized it from various photos I had seen online a few days ago. Females are a lot smaller than the males and very different colouring. Three quick photos and it was gone. One of the males stayed on a fence post for a little while, but I was looking into the sun and the light was horrible. All three birds took off across the field and stayed down in the grass and I knew this would be a good time to tear myself away and head happily for home. Normally, I don't get out this often, but I know that it won't be long before all the birds I saw today will have migrated. Also, this was the first day of summer, so I really wanted to spend a few hours outdoors. <br /> <br /> "One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring.<br /> <br /> You can find Red-winged Blackbirds in the breeding season by visiting cattail marshes and other wetlands, or simply by watching telephone wires on a drive through the country. Where there’s standing water and vegetation, Red-winged Blackbirds are likely to be one of the most common birds you see and hear. Listen for the male’s conk-la-lee! song. In winter, search through mixed-species blackbird flocks and be careful not to overlook the streaky, brown females, which can sometimes resemble a sparrow." From AllAboutBIrds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird</a></div> Red-winged Blackbird female with bokeh <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/293827/42283760"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/60/42283760.c106c2fc.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The day before yesterday, on 20 June 2016, I went for a drive SW of the city again. This time, I was thrilled to bits to see two male Bobolinks and a female. I had driven backwards and forwards along the road where I had seen them a few days ago, with no luck. I gave up and, instead, spent some time photographing a beautiful pair of Mountain Bluebirds. After a while, I told myself it was time to leave the Bluebirds in peace and go and see if there was any sign of a Bobolink. I had literally climbed back into my car and pulled forward maybe six feet, when a bird flew to a fence post. It looked bigger than a Savannah Sparrow, so I was curious. Turned out to be a male Bobolink, who gave me the chance for a few quick shots before flying away. Unfortunately, the sun was not in a good direction. <br /> <br /> Time to go and photograph a Tree Swallow, female Red-winged Blackbird (with food in her beak for her babies) and a Snipe and then I returned to the pair of Bluebirds. This time, they had two brief visitors - a Brown-headed Cowbird and a tiny Savannah Sparrow, who insisted on trying to perch on the same fence post as the male Bluebird. It was kind of cute to see the two together. I always love to tsee the back view of a female Bluebird, with just little touches of blue showing in her feathers.<br /> <br /> After a while, I decided it really was time to head for home. While crossing the road to my car, I spotted a bird perched on top of a tree way down the road and discovered it was a Bobolink again. It spent a bit of time flying around with another male and a female, eventually flying to a fence post. I had never seen a female before, but recognized it from various photos I had seen online a few days ago. Females are a lot smaller than the males and very different colouring. Three quick photos and it was gone. One of the males stayed on a fence post for a little while, but I was looking into the sun and the light was horrible. All three birds took off across the field and stayed down in the grass and I knew this would be a good time to tear myself away and head happily for home. Normally, I don't get out this often, but I know that it won't be long before all the birds I saw today will have migrated. Also, this was the first day of summer, so I really wanted to spend a few hours outdoors. <br /> <br /> "One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring.<br /> <br /> You can find Red-winged Blackbirds in the breeding season by visiting cattail marshes and other wetlands, or simply by watching telephone wires on a drive through the country. Where there’s standing water and vegetation, Red-winged Blackbirds are likely to be one of the most common birds you see and hear. Listen for the male’s conk-la-lee! song. In winter, search through mixed-species blackbird flocks and be careful not to overlook the streaky, brown females, which can sometimes resemble a sparrow." From AllAboutBIrds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40442098 tag:ipernity.com,2015-11-26,doc-40442098 Thu, 26 Nov 2015 13:44:37 +0000 2012-09-14T12:25:02-07:00 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/293827/40442098"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/20/98/40442098.13c68cf3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">HAPPY THANKSGIVING!<br /> <br /> All three photos posted this morning were taken in the United States in September 2012. Thought I would dig into my archives and find three photos to remind me of what a great country the US is and what treasures it holds. Not that I ever forget that. Wanted to wish all Americans everywhere, at home or living in other countries around the world, a wonderful Thanksgiving. Special thoughts to those who are serving their country, and their families, especially those who will not be able to spend this special day together.<br /> <br /> Common Ravens look black, but when seen up close, which doesn't usually happen, you can see the variety of colours in those beautiful feathers. This was a slightly scruffy Raven that was hanging around one of the parking lots along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River (North Rim?), no doubt hoping to find some easy food. Taken on 14 September 2012, during my week's holiday with dear friends from England, down as far as Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.<br /> <br /> "Common Ravens will eat almost anything they can get hold of. They eat carrion; small animals from the size of mice and baby tortoises up to adult Rock Pigeons and nestling Great Blue Herons; eggs; grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions, and other arthropods; fish; wolf and sled-dog dung; grains, buds, and berries; pet food; and many types of human food including unattended picnic items and garbage." <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_raven/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_raven/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Raven" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Raven</a></div> Raven, Yellowstone National Park <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/293827/40442098"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/20/98/40442098.13c68cf3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">HAPPY THANKSGIVING!<br /> <br /> All three photos posted this morning were taken in the United States in September 2012. Thought I would dig into my archives and find three photos to remind me of what a great country the US is and what treasures it holds. Not that I ever forget that. Wanted to wish all Americans everywhere, at home or living in other countries around the world, a wonderful Thanksgiving. Special thoughts to those who are serving their country, and their families, especially those who will not be able to spend this special day together.<br /> <br /> Common Ravens look black, but when seen up close, which doesn't usually happen, you can see the variety of colours in those beautiful feathers. This was a slightly scruffy Raven that was hanging around one of the parking lots along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River (North Rim?), no doubt hoping to find some easy food. Taken on 14 September 2012, during my week's holiday with dear friends from England, down as far as Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.<br /> <br /> "Common Ravens will eat almost anything they can get hold of. They eat carrion; small animals from the size of mice and baby tortoises up to adult Rock Pigeons and nestling Great Blue Herons; eggs; grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions, and other arthropods; fish; wolf and sled-dog dung; grains, buds, and berries; pet food; and many types of human food including unattended picnic items and garbage." <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_raven/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_raven/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Raven" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Raven</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/38548692 tag:ipernity.com,2015-06-04,doc-38548692 Thu, 04 Jun 2015 16:45:44 +0000 2015-05-10T15:58:21-06:00 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/293827/38548692"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/86/92/38548692.9cb60b14.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be on 10 May 2015 this year, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : )<br /> <br /> We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards. <br /> <br /> From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I believe they were Trumpeters).<br /> <br /> Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before.<br /> <br /> From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds (including this female Red-winged), Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake.<br /> <br /> Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. As occasionally happens, the driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could to make the hawks fly.<br /> <br /> We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!</div> Red-winged Blackbird female <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/293827/38548692"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/86/92/38548692.9cb60b14.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be on 10 May 2015 this year, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : )<br /> <br /> We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards. <br /> <br /> From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I believe they were Trumpeters).<br /> <br /> Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before.<br /> <br /> From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds (including this female Red-winged), Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake.<br /> <br /> Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. As occasionally happens, the driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could to make the hawks fly.<br /> <br /> We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/38351386 tag:ipernity.com,2015-05-25,doc-38351386 Mon, 25 May 2015 12:23:33 +0000 2015-05-10T15:59:01-06:00 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/293827/38351386"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/13/86/38351386.1c6ab08d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be on 10 May 2015, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : )<br /> <br /> We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards. <br /> <br /> From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I think they were Trumpeters).<br /> <br /> Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before.<br /> <br /> From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds (female Red-winged seen in this photo), Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake. Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. The driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could, of course making the hawks fly.<br /> <br /> We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!</div> Female Red-winged Blackbird / Agelaius phoeniceus <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/293827/38351386"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/13/86/38351386.1c6ab08d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be on 10 May 2015, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : )<br /> <br /> We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards. <br /> <br /> From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I think they were Trumpeters).<br /> <br /> Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before.<br /> <br /> From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds (female Red-winged seen in this photo), Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake. Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. The driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could, of course making the hawks fly.<br /> <br /> We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/38216910 tag:ipernity.com,2015-05-17,doc-38216910 Sun, 17 May 2015 17:31:29 +0000 2015-04-05T12:17:40-06:00 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/293827/38216910"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/69/10/38216910.548f3932.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A really blurry shot that isn't very pleasant on the eyes, but I don't see Horned Larks very often and wanted to add this to my albums.<br /> <br /> On 5 April 2015, I woke up to a winter scene, as it had snowed overnight. I wasn't sure if the drive would be cancelled, but fortunately we went ahead as planned. Only five of us went on this trip to Frank Lake, SE of Calgary. The whole area at and around Frank Lake is one of my favourite places. It was snowing on and off during the day and visibility was not very good. Pretty well all the birds we saw were distant or very distant, as usual when I go on one of these outings. A very enjoyable day as always, though, in an interesting place and with good company. I will add the leader, Tony Timmons' list of our sightings, below, mainly for my own memory. Thanks for the great day, Tony!<br /> <br /> "Five participants for the Easter Sunday,Nature Calgary Trip to Frank Lake.<br /> <br /> We found 47 species. Best sighting for the group was an adult Golden Eagle perched on the ground close to the road, (along 184st.E and west of the intersection with 594 Ave.E. on route to Basin3)<br /> <br /> A Eurasian Wigeon was along the access road to Basin 2,and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were spotted in Basin 1.<br /> <br /> Canada Goose<br /> Trumpeter Swan 15<br /> Tundra Swan 2<br /> Eurasian Wigeon 1<br /> American Wigeon<br /> Mallard<br /> Northern Shoveler<br /> Northern Pintail<br /> Green-winged Teal<br /> Canvasback<br /> Redhead<br /> Ring-necked Duck<br /> Lesser Scaup<br /> Bufflehead<br /> Common Goldeneye<br /> Barrow's Goldeneye 1m<br /> Common Merganser 5<br /> Hooded Merganser 8<br /> Red-breasted Merganser 2<br /> Ruddy Duck 1<br /> Bald Eagle 1 ad.<br /> Golden Eagle 1 ad.<br /> Northern Harrier 7<br /> Red-tailed Hawk 2<br /> American Kestrel 2<br /> Gray Partridge 8<br /> American Coot<br /> Killdeer 2<br /> American Avocet 2<br /> Franklin"s Gull 8<br /> Ring-billed Gull 10<br /> California Gull 100<br /> Rock Pigeon<br /> Great Horned Owl 3 ad.<br /> Northern Shrike 1<br /> Black-billed Magpie<br /> American Crow <br /> Common Raven<br /> Horned Lark 25<br /> American Robin<br /> European Starling <br /> Dark-eyed Junco 1<br /> Lapland Longspur (small flock overhead 5-6)<br /> Red-winged Blackbird 10<br /> Yellow-headed Blackbird 5<br /> Western Meadowlark 6<br /> House Sparrow<br /> <br /> Tony Timmons"</div> Horned Lark in April snow <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/293827/38216910"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/69/10/38216910.548f3932.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A really blurry shot that isn't very pleasant on the eyes, but I don't see Horned Larks very often and wanted to add this to my albums.<br /> <br /> On 5 April 2015, I woke up to a winter scene, as it had snowed overnight. I wasn't sure if the drive would be cancelled, but fortunately we went ahead as planned. Only five of us went on this trip to Frank Lake, SE of Calgary. The whole area at and around Frank Lake is one of my favourite places. It was snowing on and off during the day and visibility was not very good. Pretty well all the birds we saw were distant or very distant, as usual when I go on one of these outings. A very enjoyable day as always, though, in an interesting place and with good company. I will add the leader, Tony Timmons' list of our sightings, below, mainly for my own memory. Thanks for the great day, Tony!<br /> <br /> "Five participants for the Easter Sunday,Nature Calgary Trip to Frank Lake.<br /> <br /> We found 47 species. Best sighting for the group was an adult Golden Eagle perched on the ground close to the road, (along 184st.E and west of the intersection with 594 Ave.E. on route to Basin3)<br /> <br /> A Eurasian Wigeon was along the access road to Basin 2,and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were spotted in Basin 1.<br /> <br /> Canada Goose<br /> Trumpeter Swan 15<br /> Tundra Swan 2<br /> Eurasian Wigeon 1<br /> American Wigeon<br /> Mallard<br /> Northern Shoveler<br /> Northern Pintail<br /> Green-winged Teal<br /> Canvasback<br /> Redhead<br /> Ring-necked Duck<br /> Lesser Scaup<br /> Bufflehead<br /> Common Goldeneye<br /> Barrow's Goldeneye 1m<br /> Common Merganser 5<br /> Hooded Merganser 8<br /> Red-breasted Merganser 2<br /> Ruddy Duck 1<br /> Bald Eagle 1 ad.<br /> Golden Eagle 1 ad.<br /> Northern Harrier 7<br /> Red-tailed Hawk 2<br /> American Kestrel 2<br /> Gray Partridge 8<br /> American Coot<br /> Killdeer 2<br /> American Avocet 2<br /> Franklin"s Gull 8<br /> Ring-billed Gull 10<br /> California Gull 100<br /> Rock Pigeon<br /> Great Horned Owl 3 ad.<br /> Northern Shrike 1<br /> Black-billed Magpie<br /> American Crow <br /> Common Raven<br /> Horned Lark 25<br /> American Robin<br /> European Starling <br /> Dark-eyed Junco 1<br /> Lapland Longspur (small flock overhead 5-6)<br /> Red-winged Blackbird 10<br /> Yellow-headed Blackbird 5<br /> Western Meadowlark 6<br /> House Sparrow<br /> <br /> Tony Timmons"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37863310 tag:ipernity.com,2015-04-07,doc-37863310 Tue, 07 Apr 2015 16:03:47 +0000 2015-04-06T11:40:32-06:00 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/293827/37863310"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/10/37863310.088d3c69.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">In Alberta, American Goldfinches are common from late May to September and a few might overwinter, which is what this male must have done. He is in almost full breeding plumage. A few friends and I saw it yesterday morning, when we went on a birding walk down in the Weaselhead. I wasn't sure I wanted to go, as it was snowing, just like the previous day, too. The temperature was -3°C to 1°C. However, I am glad I did go, otherwise I would have missed this welcome splash of colour.<br /> <br /> After walking as far as the main metal bridge, we then drove through the park, stopping at one place to look over the Glenmore Reservoir from North Glenmore Park. The second stop was at the Crowchild Stormwater Pond.<br /> <br /> The total bird count list for the morning, recorded by leader, Gus Yaki, is as follows:<br /> <br /> Canada Goose-24<br /> Swan sp.-2, seen before starting.<br /> Wood Duck-1+ m.<br /> Mallard-36<br /> Bufflehead-6<br /> Common Goldeneye-6<br /> Hooded Merganser-1m.<br /> Merlin-1, seen at parking lot before start.<br /> Killdeer-2<br /> Gull sp-20+<br /> Herring Gull-1+<br /> Downy Woodpecker-2+<br /> Hairy Woodpecker-2<br /> Northern Flicker-3<br /> Black-billed Magpie-12<br /> American Crow-14+<br /> Common Raven-3<br /> Black-capped Chickadee-10+<br /> Red-breasted Nuthatch-1<br /> American Robin-2<br /> American Tree Sparrow-6+<br /> Dark-eyed Junco-2<br /> Common Redpoll?-1<br /> American Goldfinch-1 m. now almost in full breeding plumage.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Goldfinch" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Goldfinch</a><br /> <br /> After the birding walk, I decided to drive just a short distance further to see if I could find any Prairie Crocuses. I wasn't sure if they would be completely covered in snow. Fortunately, I found a few, but they were not in the best condition. Also, the hillside was wet and very slippery, so I was glad when I had taken several very quick shots and could leave.</div> American Goldfinch in the snow <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/293827/37863310"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/10/37863310.088d3c69.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">In Alberta, American Goldfinches are common from late May to September and a few might overwinter, which is what this male must have done. He is in almost full breeding plumage. A few friends and I saw it yesterday morning, when we went on a birding walk down in the Weaselhead. I wasn't sure I wanted to go, as it was snowing, just like the previous day, too. The temperature was -3°C to 1°C. However, I am glad I did go, otherwise I would have missed this welcome splash of colour.<br /> <br /> After walking as far as the main metal bridge, we then drove through the park, stopping at one place to look over the Glenmore Reservoir from North Glenmore Park. The second stop was at the Crowchild Stormwater Pond.<br /> <br /> The total bird count list for the morning, recorded by leader, Gus Yaki, is as follows:<br /> <br /> Canada Goose-24<br /> Swan sp.-2, seen before starting.<br /> Wood Duck-1+ m.<br /> Mallard-36<br /> Bufflehead-6<br /> Common Goldeneye-6<br /> Hooded Merganser-1m.<br /> Merlin-1, seen at parking lot before start.<br /> Killdeer-2<br /> Gull sp-20+<br /> Herring Gull-1+<br /> Downy Woodpecker-2+<br /> Hairy Woodpecker-2<br /> Northern Flicker-3<br /> Black-billed Magpie-12<br /> American Crow-14+<br /> Common Raven-3<br /> Black-capped Chickadee-10+<br /> Red-breasted Nuthatch-1<br /> American Robin-2<br /> American Tree Sparrow-6+<br /> Dark-eyed Junco-2<br /> Common Redpoll?-1<br /> American Goldfinch-1 m. now almost in full breeding plumage.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Goldfinch" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Goldfinch</a><br /> <br /> After the birding walk, I decided to drive just a short distance further to see if I could find any Prairie Crocuses. I wasn't sure if they would be completely covered in snow. Fortunately, I found a few, but they were not in the best condition. Also, the hillside was wet and very slippery, so I was glad when I had taken several very quick shots and could leave.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37796502 tag:ipernity.com,2015-04-02,doc-37796502 Thu, 02 Apr 2015 17:51:50 +0000 2014-06-28T17:27:26-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37796502"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/65/02/37796502.f42bcec7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is a Red-winged Blackbird and I think I'm right in saying that it's a female, not a juvenile? Could be wrong, though, as I find it difficult to tell which is which. Amazing how different the females are from the jet black males with with their red wing patches. I always remember the very first time I saw a female, quite a few years ago, and I thought I was looking at some kind of Sparrow, ha. Photo was taken on 28 June 2014, when I went for a drive along some of the backroads SW of the city.<br /> <br /> "One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring.<br /> <br /> You can find Red-winged Blackbirds in the breeding season by visiting cattail marshes and other wetlands, or simply by watching telephone wires on a drive through the country. Where there’s standing water and vegetation, Red-winged Blackbirds are likely to be one of the most common birds you see and hear. Listen for the male’s conk-la-lee! song. In winter, search through mixed-species blackbird flocks and be careful not to overlook the streaky, brown females, which can sometimes resemble a sparrow." From AllAboutBIrds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird</a><br /> <br /> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> Thursday, 2 April 2015: after beautiful morning weather, it has just started snowing heavily! Sounds as if there might be a bit of rain or hail mixed in with the snow. I'm so glad I decided to sleep as long as possible this morning instead of going for a drive outside the city! So, back to winter once again.</div> Red-winged Blackbird <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/293827/37796502"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/65/02/37796502.f42bcec7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is a Red-winged Blackbird and I think I'm right in saying that it's a female, not a juvenile? Could be wrong, though, as I find it difficult to tell which is which. Amazing how different the females are from the jet black males with with their red wing patches. I always remember the very first time I saw a female, quite a few years ago, and I thought I was looking at some kind of Sparrow, ha. Photo was taken on 28 June 2014, when I went for a drive along some of the backroads SW of the city.<br /> <br /> "One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring.<br /> <br /> You can find Red-winged Blackbirds in the breeding season by visiting cattail marshes and other wetlands, or simply by watching telephone wires on a drive through the country. Where there’s standing water and vegetation, Red-winged Blackbirds are likely to be one of the most common birds you see and hear. Listen for the male’s conk-la-lee! song. In winter, search through mixed-species blackbird flocks and be careful not to overlook the streaky, brown females, which can sometimes resemble a sparrow." From AllAboutBIrds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird</a><br /> <br /> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> Thursday, 2 April 2015: after beautiful morning weather, it has just started snowing heavily! Sounds as if there might be a bit of rain or hail mixed in with the snow. I'm so glad I decided to sleep as long as possible this morning instead of going for a drive outside the city! So, back to winter once again.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37032434 tag:ipernity.com,2015-02-12,doc-37032434 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 12:14:02 +0000 2013-02-03T09:20:11-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37032434"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/24/34/37032434.98a7ad02.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Ran out of time and energy late last night to find and edit just two shots for this morning : ) Also, posting really early, as I have a long day ahead of me today (unfortunately, on just one and a half hours of sleep). It's going to be a mainly sunny day with temperature of -2C (windchill -5C) this morning, but it's supposed to soar to a balmy +9C (windchill +7C) this afternoon. <br /> <br /> From my archives, a distant capture of this beautiful Horned Lark, taken SE of Calgary on 3 February 2013. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, had stopped along one of the roads to look at an old homestead and we heard a bird singing so beautifully. I hadn't seen and photographed a Horned Lark for several years, so I was thrilled to see this handsome, horny male perched on a fence post : ) These birds tend to fly dangerously close along the road in front of ones car.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark</a></div> Horned Lark <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/293827/37032434"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/24/34/37032434.98a7ad02.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Ran out of time and energy late last night to find and edit just two shots for this morning : ) Also, posting really early, as I have a long day ahead of me today (unfortunately, on just one and a half hours of sleep). It's going to be a mainly sunny day with temperature of -2C (windchill -5C) this morning, but it's supposed to soar to a balmy +9C (windchill +7C) this afternoon. <br /> <br /> From my archives, a distant capture of this beautiful Horned Lark, taken SE of Calgary on 3 February 2013. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, had stopped along one of the roads to look at an old homestead and we heard a bird singing so beautifully. I hadn't seen and photographed a Horned Lark for several years, so I was thrilled to see this handsome, horny male perched on a fence post : ) These birds tend to fly dangerously close along the road in front of ones car.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/36599784 tag:ipernity.com,2015-01-07,doc-36599784 Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:04:29 +0000 2015-01-01T09:28:01-07:00 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/293827/36599784"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/84/36599784.ba0a45e6.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'd like to thank each and every one of you who left a very kind, supportive comment on my last photo, posted to let people know that my oldest daughter passed away early in the early evening of 3rd January 2014. Your thoughtful words are of great comfort.<br /> <br /> Life will certainly never be the same without Fiona - she has left a huge hole that can never be filled. I try to take comfort in knowing that she is no longer in constant pain, no longer has to think about the two knee replacements that were to take place before too long, and no longer struggle with everyday things.<br /> <br /> Rest in Peace, Fiona.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://flic.kr/p/qD8TEb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">flic.kr/p/qD8TEb</a></div> Thank you all so much! <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/293827/36599784"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/84/36599784.ba0a45e6.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'd like to thank each and every one of you who left a very kind, supportive comment on my last photo, posted to let people know that my oldest daughter passed away early in the early evening of 3rd January 2014. Your thoughtful words are of great comfort.<br /> <br /> Life will certainly never be the same without Fiona - she has left a huge hole that can never be filled. I try to take comfort in knowing that she is no longer in constant pain, no longer has to think about the two knee replacements that were to take place before too long, and no longer struggle with everyday things.<br /> <br /> Rest in Peace, Fiona.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://flic.kr/p/qD8TEb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">flic.kr/p/qD8TEb</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/36239934 tag:ipernity.com,2014-12-07,doc-36239934 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 12:02:59 +0000 2014-11-23T13:34:41-07:00 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/293827/36239934"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/34/36239934.2ed436f7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken on 23 November 2014, when I went for part of a birding walk with friends. I can’t remember whose hand you see in this photo, but hopefully the owner of the hand will recognize herself when I send this photo round to everyone.<br /> <br /> During the long, cold winter months, these tiny birds are just 24 hours away from death - they need to be able to get enough food to create a layer of fat on their body to keep warm enough to survive. In the winter, their brain expands in order to let them remember where they hide every single seed that they find. Wish this happened to humans, too - I could do with that all year round : )<br /> <br /> I was lucky enough to get a quick sighting of the Long-tailed Weasel that day, too, when I called in after the walk. Only managed to take a handful of shots and most didn’t come out well enough to post, but it was still nice to see this little animal in its beautiful white, winter coat. Also good to see a few friends down there as well. I wonder if anyone has been seeing the Weasel in the last 7-10 days or so. I called in briefly three days more recently, as I was in the area, but there were no signs of the Weasel or any tracks in the snow. If we don’t see it again, we can be so happy that it gave us some much-appreciated photo opps.<br /> <br /> "The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand)." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id</a></div> Love the sparkle of those tiny diamonds <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/293827/36239934"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/34/36239934.2ed436f7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken on 23 November 2014, when I went for part of a birding walk with friends. I can’t remember whose hand you see in this photo, but hopefully the owner of the hand will recognize herself when I send this photo round to everyone.<br /> <br /> During the long, cold winter months, these tiny birds are just 24 hours away from death - they need to be able to get enough food to create a layer of fat on their body to keep warm enough to survive. In the winter, their brain expands in order to let them remember where they hide every single seed that they find. Wish this happened to humans, too - I could do with that all year round : )<br /> <br /> I was lucky enough to get a quick sighting of the Long-tailed Weasel that day, too, when I called in after the walk. Only managed to take a handful of shots and most didn’t come out well enough to post, but it was still nice to see this little animal in its beautiful white, winter coat. Also good to see a few friends down there as well. I wonder if anyone has been seeing the Weasel in the last 7-10 days or so. I called in briefly three days more recently, as I was in the area, but there were no signs of the Weasel or any tracks in the snow. If we don’t see it again, we can be so happy that it gave us some much-appreciated photo opps.<br /> <br /> "The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand)." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/33754137 tag:ipernity.com,2014-07-06,doc-33754137 Sun, 06 Jul 2014 16:09:31 +0000 2014-07-05T18:47:34-06:00 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/293827/33754137"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/41/37/33754137.259de184.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This was one quick shot taken yesterday afternoon (5 July 2014), on my way home from a long day of driving. Photographed at a pond, SW of the city. In the summer months, we have these Cedar Waxwings; in the winter, we get the Bohemian Waxwings. Thanks, Donna (Ducks & Daisies), for adding this website, which I had never seen before, to your comment!<br /> <br /> <a href="http://10000birds.com/cedar-waxwing-vs-bohemian-waxwing.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">10000birds.com/cedar-waxwing-vs-bohemian-waxwing.htm</a><br /> <br /> At the last minute, I decided I would have to get out of the house yesterday. I just couldn't take being in an "oven" any more. Not complaining about the hot, sunny weather we are having at the moment, but my house turns into an oven and then tends to stay that way for many days or weeks afterwards. I had planned on leaving the house earlier than I did (10;00 a.m.) and drove NW of the city and NW of Cochrane. Hadn't been that way for a long time and wanted to see if I could find an owl of some sort, especially a Great Gray Owl. No luck, and in fact it seemed like all wildlife was in hiding, except for four Deer. <br /> <br /> My morning's finds included a patch of beautiful Indian Paintbrush flowers (deep pink, yellow, green and peach colours) Also a noisy little Wren that I saw when I pulled over to take a look down a hillside to see if I could see the Red Fox that had just run across the road ahead of me - no luck. The next sightings were a lone Deer - forgot to check its tail, but judging by the enormous size of its ears, it had to have been a Mule Deer - and a Tree Swallow that was perched on its bright orange nesting "box". I wonder who chose the colour of the box this year; he or his mate, lol. Nearby, there were several Swallowtail butterflies down in the mud along the edge of the road. Before I could get there, a car came along in the opposite direction and of flew every single one. By the time I had photographed a few wildflowers, one butterfly did return, so I was able to get a few shots. <br /> <br /> Deciding to return to Highway 1a the same way as I came, I passed a couple of horses that always seem to be in the same place. I'm never sure about the health of these two, and they never seem "happy" animals, though maybe they are just getting very old. When I reached the road I wanted to check out (including for a possible owl), I found that it had just been oiled ready for a new surface to be laid, so that plan went out the window. <br /> <br /> Wanting to stay away from my unpleasantly hot house for as long as possible, I came home via Bragg Creek and some of the backroads that I love, SW of the city. Brown-Lowery Provincial Park was my first stop - and it has the wonderful, added benefit of washrooms in the parking lot - the first ones I'd seen all day! I checked out the area near the parking lot and then went maybe a hundred feet into the forest. After checking for any fungi (none), I heard a very loud cracking of branches and eventually spotted a huge, very dark shape through the trees. From that angle, it looked horribly like a Bear, but when it lifted its head from feeding, I was so relieved to see that it was "only" a Moose! A young couple were coming along the trail towards me and I said they must have seen it even closer. My voice was heard by the animal and unfortunately it moved quickly away. I like to think that a Bear or Cougar would react in the same way, lol!<br /> <br /> From Brown-Lowery, I passed my favourite little wetland and found the Snipe standing, as usual, on a fence post. Sorry, everyone, you might just get fed up of Snipe photos - if you aren't already!<br /> <br /> Got home around 6;00 p.m., feeling content that, even though the morning had been pretty disappointing, the day was a a good one. Would love to get in my car and go out again today, but I have things to get done and I don't want to overdo the driving, in case I make my shoulders any worse.</div> Cedar Waxwing <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/293827/33754137"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/41/37/33754137.259de184.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This was one quick shot taken yesterday afternoon (5 July 2014), on my way home from a long day of driving. Photographed at a pond, SW of the city. In the summer months, we have these Cedar Waxwings; in the winter, we get the Bohemian Waxwings. Thanks, Donna (Ducks & Daisies), for adding this website, which I had never seen before, to your comment!<br /> <br /> <a href="http://10000birds.com/cedar-waxwing-vs-bohemian-waxwing.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">10000birds.com/cedar-waxwing-vs-bohemian-waxwing.htm</a><br /> <br /> At the last minute, I decided I would have to get out of the house yesterday. I just couldn't take being in an "oven" any more. Not complaining about the hot, sunny weather we are having at the moment, but my house turns into an oven and then tends to stay that way for many days or weeks afterwards. I had planned on leaving the house earlier than I did (10;00 a.m.) and drove NW of the city and NW of Cochrane. Hadn't been that way for a long time and wanted to see if I could find an owl of some sort, especially a Great Gray Owl. No luck, and in fact it seemed like all wildlife was in hiding, except for four Deer. <br /> <br /> My morning's finds included a patch of beautiful Indian Paintbrush flowers (deep pink, yellow, green and peach colours) Also a noisy little Wren that I saw when I pulled over to take a look down a hillside to see if I could see the Red Fox that had just run across the road ahead of me - no luck. The next sightings were a lone Deer - forgot to check its tail, but judging by the enormous size of its ears, it had to have been a Mule Deer - and a Tree Swallow that was perched on its bright orange nesting "box". I wonder who chose the colour of the box this year; he or his mate, lol. Nearby, there were several Swallowtail butterflies down in the mud along the edge of the road. Before I could get there, a car came along in the opposite direction and of flew every single one. By the time I had photographed a few wildflowers, one butterfly did return, so I was able to get a few shots. <br /> <br /> Deciding to return to Highway 1a the same way as I came, I passed a couple of horses that always seem to be in the same place. I'm never sure about the health of these two, and they never seem "happy" animals, though maybe they are just getting very old. When I reached the road I wanted to check out (including for a possible owl), I found that it had just been oiled ready for a new surface to be laid, so that plan went out the window. <br /> <br /> Wanting to stay away from my unpleasantly hot house for as long as possible, I came home via Bragg Creek and some of the backroads that I love, SW of the city. Brown-Lowery Provincial Park was my first stop - and it has the wonderful, added benefit of washrooms in the parking lot - the first ones I'd seen all day! I checked out the area near the parking lot and then went maybe a hundred feet into the forest. After checking for any fungi (none), I heard a very loud cracking of branches and eventually spotted a huge, very dark shape through the trees. From that angle, it looked horribly like a Bear, but when it lifted its head from feeding, I was so relieved to see that it was "only" a Moose! A young couple were coming along the trail towards me and I said they must have seen it even closer. My voice was heard by the animal and unfortunately it moved quickly away. I like to think that a Bear or Cougar would react in the same way, lol!<br /> <br /> From Brown-Lowery, I passed my favourite little wetland and found the Snipe standing, as usual, on a fence post. Sorry, everyone, you might just get fed up of Snipe photos - if you aren't already!<br /> <br /> Got home around 6;00 p.m., feeling content that, even though the morning had been pretty disappointing, the day was a a good one. Would love to get in my car and go out again today, but I have things to get done and I don't want to overdo the driving, in case I make my shoulders any worse.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/33701571 tag:ipernity.com,2014-07-01,doc-33701571 Tue, 01 Jul 2014 17:17:11 +0000 2014-06-28T16:40:52-06:00 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/293827/33701571"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/143/15/71/33701571.fbaf12f2.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is a Red-winged Blackbird and I think I'm right in saying that it's a juvenile, not an adult female? The back of the head seems to be much lighter than an adult female, and juveniles do look rather like an adult female, and not like an adult male. Amazing how different the females are from the jet black males with with their red patches. I always remember the very first time I saw a female, quite a few years ago, and I thought I was looking at some kind of Sparrow, ha. Photo was taken on 28 June 2014, when I went for a drive along some of the backroads SW of the city.<br /> <br /> Today, 1 July 2014, is Canada Day. Happy Canada Day to all fellow Canadians, whether here or living around the world! We live in such a great and free country, which is something to be remembered and thankful for, each and every day! A special wish and thank-you for all those Canadians who are serving our country, especially overseas! This is Canada's 147th birthday - we are so young!<br /> <br /> "Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as among Canadians internationally." From Wikipedia.</div> Red-winged Blackbird <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/293827/33701571"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/143/15/71/33701571.fbaf12f2.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is a Red-winged Blackbird and I think I'm right in saying that it's a juvenile, not an adult female? The back of the head seems to be much lighter than an adult female, and juveniles do look rather like an adult female, and not like an adult male. Amazing how different the females are from the jet black males with with their red patches. I always remember the very first time I saw a female, quite a few years ago, and I thought I was looking at some kind of Sparrow, ha. Photo was taken on 28 June 2014, when I went for a drive along some of the backroads SW of the city.<br /> <br /> Today, 1 July 2014, is Canada Day. Happy Canada Day to all fellow Canadians, whether here or living around the world! We live in such a great and free country, which is something to be remembered and thankful for, each and every day! A special wish and thank-you for all those Canadians who are serving our country, especially overseas! This is Canada's 147th birthday - we are so young!<br /> <br /> "Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as among Canadians internationally." From Wikipedia.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/27751157 tag:ipernity.com,2013-11-01,doc-27751157 Fri, 01 Nov 2013 02:09:40 +0000 2013-10-29T09:44:20-06:00 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/293827/27751157"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/139/11/57/27751157.f16fd33f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">We are seeing so few birds and so few species at the moment, when we go on our birding walks. There are no cones on many of the coniferous trees, meaning that there will be no food for birds such as Crossbills this winter, and birds such as Redpolls will be either non-existant or very low in numbers. It's not expected to be a good winter for Snowy Owls, either. That's why I say "Thank heavens for Chickadees"!! They are there to greet us, no matter what! Such tough little guys, though they are always only 24 hours away from death if they can't get enough fat stored into their body to last overnight. This was a lucky shot, taken through the snow-laden trees somewhere between Bebo Grove and Shannon Terrace in Fish Creek Park, on 29 October 2013. It makes you wonder what kind of numbers will be recorded for each species during the upcoming Christmas Bird Counts, within the city, but especially in surrounding areas such as High River, Drumheller and Cochrane.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-Capped_Chickadee/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-Capped_Chickadee/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/10611446056/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/10611446056</a></div> Thank heavens for Chickadees <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/293827/27751157"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/139/11/57/27751157.f16fd33f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">We are seeing so few birds and so few species at the moment, when we go on our birding walks. There are no cones on many of the coniferous trees, meaning that there will be no food for birds such as Crossbills this winter, and birds such as Redpolls will be either non-existant or very low in numbers. It's not expected to be a good winter for Snowy Owls, either. That's why I say "Thank heavens for Chickadees"!! They are there to greet us, no matter what! Such tough little guys, though they are always only 24 hours away from death if they can't get enough fat stored into their body to last overnight. This was a lucky shot, taken through the snow-laden trees somewhere between Bebo Grove and Shannon Terrace in Fish Creek Park, on 29 October 2013. It makes you wonder what kind of numbers will be recorded for each species during the upcoming Christmas Bird Counts, within the city, but especially in surrounding areas such as High River, Drumheller and Cochrane.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-Capped_Chickadee/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-Capped_Chickadee/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/10611446056/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/10611446056</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621437 tag:ipernity.com,2013-03-19,doc-22621437 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:03:32 +0000 2013-03-18T10:15:50-06:00 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/293827/22621437"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/14/37/22621437.8bbcdc2e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">There is no denying that the American Robin is one beautiful bird, especially when you take a closer look. A group of friends and I stood and admired this handsome male yesterday, 18 March 2013, on a walk from Stanley Park to Erlton St. and back. I would imagine that this might have been one of the handful that overwintered in Calgary? I almost gave up on going yesterday, as all my car doors froze shut overnight. Took 30-40 minutes for the bottle of squirty lock de-icer to finally work, so I was very late getting to the park and finding my friends. Two male and one female Wood Ducks were a treat to see, too. We also saw two wild European Rabbits in someone's backyard. I think that is the second place I've seen them in the city, the other area being near St. Mary's Cemetery.<br /> <br /> "The American Robin or North American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family. The American Robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering south of Canada from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. According to some sources, the American Robin ranks behind only the Red-winged Blackbird (and just ahead of the introduced European Starling) as the most abundant, extant land bird in North America." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Robin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Robin</a><br /> <br /> Only 13 photos from my Flickr Contacts have appeared on my Home Page since late last night. Hoping that it's just a case of everyone being busy and not the Flickr issue that was supposedly "fixed" recently.</div> Who can resist a Robin? <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/293827/22621437"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/14/37/22621437.8bbcdc2e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">There is no denying that the American Robin is one beautiful bird, especially when you take a closer look. A group of friends and I stood and admired this handsome male yesterday, 18 March 2013, on a walk from Stanley Park to Erlton St. and back. I would imagine that this might have been one of the handful that overwintered in Calgary? I almost gave up on going yesterday, as all my car doors froze shut overnight. Took 30-40 minutes for the bottle of squirty lock de-icer to finally work, so I was very late getting to the park and finding my friends. Two male and one female Wood Ducks were a treat to see, too. We also saw two wild European Rabbits in someone's backyard. I think that is the second place I've seen them in the city, the other area being near St. Mary's Cemetery.<br /> <br /> "The American Robin or North American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family. The American Robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering south of Canada from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. According to some sources, the American Robin ranks behind only the Red-winged Blackbird (and just ahead of the introduced European Starling) as the most abundant, extant land bird in North America." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Robin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Robin</a><br /> <br /> Only 13 photos from my Flickr Contacts have appeared on my Home Page since late last night. Hoping that it's just a case of everyone being busy and not the Flickr issue that was supposedly "fixed" recently.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621151 tag:ipernity.com,2013-02-09,doc-22621151 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:40:13 +0000 2013-02-03T09:21:18-06:00 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/293827/22621151"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/11/51/22621151.5101311e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A heavily cropped capture of this beautiful Horned Lark, taken SE of Calgary on 3 February 2013. Friends and I had stopped along one of the backroads to look at an old barn and we heard a bird singing so beautifully. I hadn't seen and photographed a Horned Lark for several years, so I was thrilled to see this handsome, horny male perched on a fence post : ) These birds tend to fly dangerously close along the road in front of ones car.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark</a><br /> <br /> I wasn't expecting SNOW again this morning, lol! Which of course makes me think immediately of all those people over in the east (Boston, etc.), who are experiencing dreadful conditions with the huge snowstorm that is hitting that whole area. Really, really feel for those who were hit so hard by Hurricane Sandy just a few months ago and still have not recovered from all the damage ,,,. and now this! So many people dealing with so much hardship - my thoughts are with them.<br /> <br /> Anyone else finding Flickr extremely slow today?</div> One horny guy <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/293827/22621151"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/11/51/22621151.5101311e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A heavily cropped capture of this beautiful Horned Lark, taken SE of Calgary on 3 February 2013. Friends and I had stopped along one of the backroads to look at an old barn and we heard a bird singing so beautifully. I hadn't seen and photographed a Horned Lark for several years, so I was thrilled to see this handsome, horny male perched on a fence post : ) These birds tend to fly dangerously close along the road in front of ones car.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Lark/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_Lark</a><br /> <br /> I wasn't expecting SNOW again this morning, lol! Which of course makes me think immediately of all those people over in the east (Boston, etc.), who are experiencing dreadful conditions with the huge snowstorm that is hitting that whole area. Really, really feel for those who were hit so hard by Hurricane Sandy just a few months ago and still have not recovered from all the damage ,,,. and now this! So many people dealing with so much hardship - my thoughts are with them.<br /> <br /> Anyone else finding Flickr extremely slow today?</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621087 tag:ipernity.com,2013-02-19,doc-22621087 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:35:39 +0000 2012-12-18T15:11:55-06:00 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/293827/22621087"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/87/22621087.f30d7c2c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">We saw this distant feeder at one of the farms we called in at during the annual High River Christmas Bird Count, on 18 December 2012. I always think Common Redpolls must be one of the daintiest little birds, and so pretty.</div> Redpoll cafeteria <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/293827/22621087"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/87/22621087.f30d7c2c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">We saw this distant feeder at one of the farms we called in at during the annual High River Christmas Bird Count, on 18 December 2012. I always think Common Redpolls must be one of the daintiest little birds, and so pretty.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621083 tag:ipernity.com,2013-02-20,doc-22621083 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:31:45 +0000 2013-02-02T10:35:30-06:00 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/293827/22621083"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/83/22621083.8bf58937.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A typical pose from a little White-breasted Nuthatch, taken at Carburn Park on 2 February 2013. This photo kind of reminds me of the very first bird photo I ever took, with my first digital camera (an Olympus C750 ultrazoom), taken on 13 April 2004. I didn't even know what kind of bird this was until I got home and could try and ID it. This first photo became my Flickr icon : ) And so it all started ......<br /> <br /> "Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them .... Like other nuthatches, they often turn sideways and upside down on vertical surfaces as they forage. They don’t lean against their tails the way woodpeckers do." From AllAboutBirds. <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Nuthatch" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Nuthatch</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id</a></div> Upside down <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/293827/22621083"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/83/22621083.8bf58937.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A typical pose from a little White-breasted Nuthatch, taken at Carburn Park on 2 February 2013. This photo kind of reminds me of the very first bird photo I ever took, with my first digital camera (an Olympus C750 ultrazoom), taken on 13 April 2004. I didn't even know what kind of bird this was until I got home and could try and ID it. This first photo became my Flickr icon : ) And so it all started ......<br /> <br /> "Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them .... Like other nuthatches, they often turn sideways and upside down on vertical surfaces as they forage. They don’t lean against their tails the way woodpeckers do." From AllAboutBirds. <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Nuthatch" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Nuthatch</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621071 tag:ipernity.com,2013-02-22,doc-22621071 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:16:51 +0000 2013-02-17T13:40:22-06:00 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/293827/22621071"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/71/22621071.6d10687f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="184" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Can't remember if this was the first time this person had ever had a little Chickadee fly down to her hand - something every human being should be able to have happen at least once in their lifetime : ) Taken at Sikome, Fish Creek Park, on 17 February 2013. During the long, cold winter months, these tiny birds are just 24 hours away from death - they need to be able to get enough food to create a layer of fat on their body to keep warm enough to survive. In the winter, their brain expands in order to let them remember where they hide every single seed that they find. Wish this happened to humans, too - I could do with that all year round : )<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/id&quot" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/id&quot</a>;</div> A warm place to land <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/293827/22621071"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/71/22621071.6d10687f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="184" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Can't remember if this was the first time this person had ever had a little Chickadee fly down to her hand - something every human being should be able to have happen at least once in their lifetime : ) Taken at Sikome, Fish Creek Park, on 17 February 2013. During the long, cold winter months, these tiny birds are just 24 hours away from death - they need to be able to get enough food to create a layer of fat on their body to keep warm enough to survive. In the winter, their brain expands in order to let them remember where they hide every single seed that they find. Wish this happened to humans, too - I could do with that all year round : )<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/id&quot" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/id&quot</a>;</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621007 tag:ipernity.com,2013-03-02,doc-22621007 Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:25:00 +0000 2013-02-24T13:51:24-06:00 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/293827/22621007"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/07/22621007.d06c63e0.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Perhaps you can pretend that this is a painting of these beautiful Horned Larks??? I seem to be posting rather too many photos recently of highly zoomed, highly cropped, grainy photos, lol. There were a number of these beautiful birds down amongst the stubble, feeding - very flighty, but I managed to get a couple of quick shots through the car window. Taken east of Calgary on 24 February 2013, when quite a few of us went on the annual Owl Prowl.</div> In a farmer&#039;s field <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/293827/22621007"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/10/07/22621007.d06c63e0.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Perhaps you can pretend that this is a painting of these beautiful Horned Larks??? I seem to be posting rather too many photos recently of highly zoomed, highly cropped, grainy photos, lol. There were a number of these beautiful birds down amongst the stubble, feeding - very flighty, but I managed to get a couple of quick shots through the car window. Taken east of Calgary on 24 February 2013, when quite a few of us went on the annual Owl Prowl.</div> Anne Elliott