https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/260276 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/260276 Sat, 06 Jun 2026 02:22:16 +0000 Sat, 06 Jun 2026 02:22:16 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47991212 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-17,doc-47991212 Thu, 17 Jan 2019 04:49:21 +0000 2018-05-12T08:35:16-07:00 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/293827/47991212"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/12/12/47991212.bdf5452e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Just added 7 photos tonight, taken in May 2018, when four friends and I took a two-week holiday in Ontario and Quebec. This photo and the Evening Grosbeak are out of order, taken on Day 6 and Day 9, but I was missing posting a few bird photos. These two images were both taken in the garden of Anne B's property in Tadoussac, Quebec. <br /> <br /> The remaining five photos were taken on 14 May 2018, when we drove NE of Tadoussac along the coast, stopping at several places, including Les Bergeronnes and Pointe-à-la-Croix, to search for birds. At the latter location, there is a huge, metal cross that makes a beautiful landmark.<br /> <br /> While wandering over the very colourful rocks at Pointe-à-la-Croix, we were lucky enough to see 4 Lapland Longspurs. This was the first time I had ever seen this species.<br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, Ontario, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Day 6, White-crowned Sparrow, Tadoussac <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/293827/47991212"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/12/12/47991212.bdf5452e.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Just added 7 photos tonight, taken in May 2018, when four friends and I took a two-week holiday in Ontario and Quebec. This photo and the Evening Grosbeak are out of order, taken on Day 6 and Day 9, but I was missing posting a few bird photos. These two images were both taken in the garden of Anne B's property in Tadoussac, Quebec. <br /> <br /> The remaining five photos were taken on 14 May 2018, when we drove NE of Tadoussac along the coast, stopping at several places, including Les Bergeronnes and Pointe-à-la-Croix, to search for birds. At the latter location, there is a huge, metal cross that makes a beautiful landmark.<br /> <br /> While wandering over the very colourful rocks at Pointe-à-la-Croix, we were lucky enough to see 4 Lapland Longspurs. This was the first time I had ever seen this species.<br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, Ontario, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47814640 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-10,doc-47814640 Mon, 10 Dec 2018 07:37:47 +0000 2018-05-13T08:40:51-07:00 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/293827/47814640"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/46/40/47814640.edc34434.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">It has happened again - my photo-posting is all in reverse to what it was before. I stay up far too late at night and so get up late most mornings. Eventually, I hope I can get back to posting reasonably early in the day.<br /> <br /> Anyway, I have now reached Day 7 of our two-week holiday in Ontario and Quebec, so I guess I am very roughly half way through. Maybe another six or so photos to post and then I can edit and upload photos taken on a whaling trip we went on in the afternoon of this day, 13 May 2018. In the morning, we went for a birding walk along the cliff towards the village of Tadoussac. In the afternoon, we did see Belugas and Minke Whales, but they were far, far away, so no decent shots. <br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> "Tadoussac is quite rightly listed as one of the 50 most beautiful bays in the world.<br /> <br /> Tadoussac is also the oldest village in Canada. In fact, the village celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2000.<br /> <br /> But above all, Tadoussac is an internationally-renowned whale-watching site." From the link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )<br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a></div> Day 7, White-crowned Sparrow, Tadoussac <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/293827/47814640"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/46/40/47814640.edc34434.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">It has happened again - my photo-posting is all in reverse to what it was before. I stay up far too late at night and so get up late most mornings. Eventually, I hope I can get back to posting reasonably early in the day.<br /> <br /> Anyway, I have now reached Day 7 of our two-week holiday in Ontario and Quebec, so I guess I am very roughly half way through. Maybe another six or so photos to post and then I can edit and upload photos taken on a whaling trip we went on in the afternoon of this day, 13 May 2018. In the morning, we went for a birding walk along the cliff towards the village of Tadoussac. In the afternoon, we did see Belugas and Minke Whales, but they were far, far away, so no decent shots. <br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> "Tadoussac is quite rightly listed as one of the 50 most beautiful bays in the world.<br /> <br /> Tadoussac is also the oldest village in Canada. In fact, the village celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2000.<br /> <br /> But above all, Tadoussac is an internationally-renowned whale-watching site." From the link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )<br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47805446 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-06,doc-47805446 Thu, 06 Dec 2018 20:54:03 +0000 2018-05-15T09:56:01-07:00 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/293827/47805446"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/54/46/47805446.094a4b95.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After posting several horribly distant photos of birds, I thought I would jump ahead three days and post a close shot of this White-crowned Sparrow on the fence.<br /> <br /> "Tadoussac is quite rightly listed as one of the 50 most beautiful bays in the world.<br /> <br /> Tadoussac is also the oldest village in Canada. In fact, the village celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2000.<br /> <br /> But above all, Tadoussac is an internationally-renowned whale-watching site." From the link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> A few days ago, I started on photos taken during the week friends and I spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further along the coast. Unfortunately, so many of my garden bird photos will have to be deleted, as there was no room for me right by the window, so I had to take the shots from further inside the room and that definitely did not work! The background of this shot, especially, is not nice for the eyes. Though we have lots of Blue Jays back in Alberta, I rarely get a photo of one.<br /> <br /> The one morning, I made sure that I got to the window first and was able to get some reasonable images : ) For many of them, I used my Panasonic FZ1000, which only has a small zoom, but I like the quality of images taken with it. I had to give up trying to use the faulty Nikon B700 (prism in viewfinder was out of place) - I was just wasting precious time and photo opportunities, and ending up with ruined photos (camera was since returned and money refunded). Though I prefer a more natural setting, I am happy to take fence or feeder shots if they mean I can see the beautiful details of the birds up close. <br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a> <br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Day 9, White-crowned Sparrow, Tadoussac <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/293827/47805446"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/54/46/47805446.094a4b95.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After posting several horribly distant photos of birds, I thought I would jump ahead three days and post a close shot of this White-crowned Sparrow on the fence.<br /> <br /> "Tadoussac is quite rightly listed as one of the 50 most beautiful bays in the world.<br /> <br /> Tadoussac is also the oldest village in Canada. In fact, the village celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2000.<br /> <br /> But above all, Tadoussac is an internationally-renowned whale-watching site." From the link below.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac</a><br /> <br /> A few days ago, I started on photos taken during the week friends and I spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further along the coast. Unfortunately, so many of my garden bird photos will have to be deleted, as there was no room for me right by the window, so I had to take the shots from further inside the room and that definitely did not work! The background of this shot, especially, is not nice for the eyes. Though we have lots of Blue Jays back in Alberta, I rarely get a photo of one.<br /> <br /> The one morning, I made sure that I got to the window first and was able to get some reasonable images : ) For many of them, I used my Panasonic FZ1000, which only has a small zoom, but I like the quality of images taken with it. I had to give up trying to use the faulty Nikon B700 (prism in viewfinder was out of place) - I was just wasting precious time and photo opportunities, and ending up with ruined photos (camera was since returned and money refunded). Though I prefer a more natural setting, I am happy to take fence or feeder shots if they mean I can see the beautiful details of the birds up close. <br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a> <br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47782162 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-02,doc-47782162 Sun, 02 Dec 2018 18:00:01 +0000 2018-05-12T08:34:55-07:00 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/293827/47782162"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/21/62/47782162.3d0aa40b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The three photos that I have posted this morning were all taken at our friend's summer cabin in Tadoussac, Quebec, on 12 May 2018.<br /> <br /> A couple of days ago, I started on photos taken during the week we spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further north along the coast. Unfortunately, so many of my bird photos will have to be deleted, as there was no room for me right by the window, so I had to take the shots from further inside the room and that definitely did not work! This one was OK.<br /> <br /> The one morning, I made sure that I got to the window first and was able to get some half decent images : ) I used my Panasonic FZ1000, which only has a small zoom, but I like the quality of images taken with it. I had to give up trying to use the faulty Nikon B700 - I was just wasting precious time and photo opportunities, and ending up with ruined photos (camera was since returned and money refunded). Though I prefer a more natural setting, I am happy to take fence or feeder shots if they mean I can see the beautiful details of the birds up close.<br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario:<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a><br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> We made several trips to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Day 6, White-crowned Sparrow, Tadoussac <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/293827/47782162"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/21/62/47782162.3d0aa40b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The three photos that I have posted this morning were all taken at our friend's summer cabin in Tadoussac, Quebec, on 12 May 2018.<br /> <br /> A couple of days ago, I started on photos taken during the week we spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further north along the coast. Unfortunately, so many of my bird photos will have to be deleted, as there was no room for me right by the window, so I had to take the shots from further inside the room and that definitely did not work! This one was OK.<br /> <br /> The one morning, I made sure that I got to the window first and was able to get some half decent images : ) I used my Panasonic FZ1000, which only has a small zoom, but I like the quality of images taken with it. I had to give up trying to use the faulty Nikon B700 - I was just wasting precious time and photo opportunities, and ending up with ruined photos (camera was since returned and money refunded). Though I prefer a more natural setting, I am happy to take fence or feeder shots if they mean I can see the beautiful details of the birds up close.<br /> <br /> Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario:<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677</a><br /> <br /> At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. <br /> <br /> We made several trips to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time. <br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46741078 tag:ipernity.com,2018-05-22,doc-46741078 Tue, 22 May 2018 14:10:14 +0000 2018-05-15T09:45:06-06:00 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/293827/46741078"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/10/78/46741078.04a66989.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday evening, I slipped in half a dozen less-than-good photos that I wanted to add to my Pt Pelee albums. I am trying to add any images in roughly the order in which they were taken. This morning, 22 May 2018, I have posted two photos out of order, just so that I can look at somewhat better shots. This little Chipping Sparrow was seen in Tadoussac, Quebec, on 15 May. The white Trillium flower was seen at Pt Pelee on 8 May. I had never seen Trilliums growing wild before, so was delighted to see both white and red Trilliums this holiday. <br /> <br /> Four friends (four of the six friends with whom I went to Trinidad & Tobago in March 2017) and I left Calgary airport on 6 May 2018 and flew to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There, we rented a van and did the long drive to Point Pelee for four whole days of birding. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel in Leamington, which is close to Point Pelee National Park. It fills up very quickly (with birders) and our rooms were booked months ago. <br /> <br /> Our four days walking at Point Pelee were interesting and I, for sure, saw various things I had never seen before, including my very first Raccoon : ) Various friends had told me that the Warblers at Pelee were fantastic - so many and numerous species, and so close. Have to disagree with the "closeness" when we were there! I don't have binoculars as cameras are enough for me to carry around, so I know I missed all sorts of birds. Though my Warbler count was lower than my friends' counts, I was happy to at least get a few distant photos of some species. So many of my shots are awful, but I will still post some of them, just for the record of seeing them. Some photos are so bad that I doubt anyone can ID them.<br /> <br /> We covered several different trails at Pelee, and also drove to a few places somewhat further afield, such as Hillman Marsh. If you are unfamiliar with this Conservation Area, just wait till you see a photo of the old barn that was there. I couldn't believe my eyes! I was in so much pain that I wasn't sure if I would be able to walk across a grassy area to take a few photos. However, it was so unusual and beautiful, that I reckoned I could try and move forward inch by inch - and crawl (ha, ha) if necessary. Another place we enjoyed was Rondeau National Park. One amazing and totally unexpected sighting just outside Pelee was a very distant male Snowy Owl sitting in a fieldl!! <br /> <br /> We walked every single day that we were at Pelee and the areas mentioned above, seeing not just birds, but a frog/toad, snakes that we suspect were mating, several Painted turtles, a few plants (including both white and red Triliums, that I had never seen growing wild before, and a couple of Jack in the Pulpit plants).<br /> <br /> The Friends of Point Pelee have food available at lunch time that one can buy. They also have a shuttle bus that one can take from the Visitor Centre all the way to the southern tip of Pelee, which is the most southern part of Canada. They also have birding walks with a guide each day (there is a charge). On 9 May, we spent the morning from 6:00 am to 11:00 am on a birding walk at Pelee with guide, Tom Hince, whom we had contacted while we were still in Calgary.<br /> <br /> At the end of our stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. We made several trips to see different places, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos. It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time.<br /> <br /> Think I had better stop typing! As I add more photos, I can add bits of extra information. We only arrived home fairly early evening on 19 May. Still so tired, especially as I was up at any time from 4:45 am to 6:00 am each morning, many hours earlier than I usually get up, being such a dreadful night owl! <br /> <br /> Anne, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Chipping Sparrow, 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/293827/46741078"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/10/78/46741078.04a66989.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday evening, I slipped in half a dozen less-than-good photos that I wanted to add to my Pt Pelee albums. I am trying to add any images in roughly the order in which they were taken. This morning, 22 May 2018, I have posted two photos out of order, just so that I can look at somewhat better shots. This little Chipping Sparrow was seen in Tadoussac, Quebec, on 15 May. The white Trillium flower was seen at Pt Pelee on 8 May. I had never seen Trilliums growing wild before, so was delighted to see both white and red Trilliums this holiday. <br /> <br /> Four friends (four of the six friends with whom I went to Trinidad & Tobago in March 2017) and I left Calgary airport on 6 May 2018 and flew to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There, we rented a van and did the long drive to Point Pelee for four whole days of birding. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel in Leamington, which is close to Point Pelee National Park. It fills up very quickly (with birders) and our rooms were booked months ago. <br /> <br /> Our four days walking at Point Pelee were interesting and I, for sure, saw various things I had never seen before, including my very first Raccoon : ) Various friends had told me that the Warblers at Pelee were fantastic - so many and numerous species, and so close. Have to disagree with the "closeness" when we were there! I don't have binoculars as cameras are enough for me to carry around, so I know I missed all sorts of birds. Though my Warbler count was lower than my friends' counts, I was happy to at least get a few distant photos of some species. So many of my shots are awful, but I will still post some of them, just for the record of seeing them. Some photos are so bad that I doubt anyone can ID them.<br /> <br /> We covered several different trails at Pelee, and also drove to a few places somewhat further afield, such as Hillman Marsh. If you are unfamiliar with this Conservation Area, just wait till you see a photo of the old barn that was there. I couldn't believe my eyes! I was in so much pain that I wasn't sure if I would be able to walk across a grassy area to take a few photos. However, it was so unusual and beautiful, that I reckoned I could try and move forward inch by inch - and crawl (ha, ha) if necessary. Another place we enjoyed was Rondeau National Park. One amazing and totally unexpected sighting just outside Pelee was a very distant male Snowy Owl sitting in a fieldl!! <br /> <br /> We walked every single day that we were at Pelee and the areas mentioned above, seeing not just birds, but a frog/toad, snakes that we suspect were mating, several Painted turtles, a few plants (including both white and red Triliums, that I had never seen growing wild before, and a couple of Jack in the Pulpit plants).<br /> <br /> The Friends of Point Pelee have food available at lunch time that one can buy. They also have a shuttle bus that one can take from the Visitor Centre all the way to the southern tip of Pelee, which is the most southern part of Canada. They also have birding walks with a guide each day (there is a charge). On 9 May, we spent the morning from 6:00 am to 11:00 am on a birding walk at Pelee with guide, Tom Hince, whom we had contacted while we were still in Calgary.<br /> <br /> At the end of our stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things. We made several trips to see different places, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos. It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time.<br /> <br /> Think I had better stop typing! As I add more photos, I can add bits of extra information. We only arrived home fairly early evening on 19 May. Still so tired, especially as I was up at any time from 4:45 am to 6:00 am each morning, many hours earlier than I usually get up, being such a dreadful night owl! <br /> <br /> Anne, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46740932 tag:ipernity.com,2018-05-20,doc-46740932 Sun, 20 May 2018 15:08:52 +0000 2018-05-16T08:28:24-06:00 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/293827/46740932"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/09/32/46740932.4f824e38.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Well, I'm back - but I hardly know where to start with organizing and editing photos! This morning, I quickly grabbed three to upload, the first two showing the two main places where four friends and I spent the last two weeks. We left Calgary airport on 6 May and flew to Toronto. There, we rented a van and did the long drive to Point Pelee for four whole days of birding. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel, which is close to Point Pelee National Park. It fills up very quickly (with birders) and our rooms were booked months ago. <br /> <br /> Our four days walking at Point Pelee were interesting and I, for sure, saw various things I had never seen before, including my very first Raccoon : ) Various friends had told me that the Warblers at Pelee were fantastic - so many and numerous species, and so close. Have to disagree with the "closeness" when we were there! I don't have binoculars as a camera(s) is enough for me to carry around, so I know I missed all sorts of birds. Though my Warbler count was lower than my friends', I was happy to at least get a few distant photos of some species. So many of my shots are awful, but I will still post some of them, just for the record of seeing them. Some photos are so bad that I doubt anyone can ID them.<br /> <br /> We covered several different trails at Pelee, and also drove to a few places somewhat further afield, such as Hillman Marsh. If you are unfamiliar with this Conservation Area, just wait till you see a photo of the old barn that was there. I couldn't believe my eyes! I was in so much pain that I wasn't sure if I would be able to walk across a grassy area to take a few photos. However, it was so unusual and beautiful, that I reckoned I could try and move forward inch by inch - and crawl (ha, ha) if necessary. Another place we enjoyed was Rondeau National Park. One amazing and totally unexpected sighting just outside Pelee was a very distant male Snowy Owl sitting in a fieldl!! <br /> <br /> We walked every single day that we were at Pelee and the areas mentioned above, seeing not just birds, but a frog/toad, snakes that we suspect were mating, several Painted turtles, a few plants (including both white and red Triliums, that I had never seen growing wild before, and a couple of Jack in the Pulpit plants).<br /> <br /> The Friends of Point Pelee have food available that one can buy. They also have a shuttle bus that one can take from the Visitor Centre all the way to the southern tip of Pelee, which is the most southern part of Canada. They also have birding walks each day (there is a charge). On 9 May, we spent the morning from 6:00 am to 11:00 am on a birding walk at Pelee with guide, Tom Hince, whom we had contacted while we were still in Calgary.<br /> <br /> At the end of our stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds, including many of these little White-crowned Sparrows. Here, in and around Calgary, I so rarely see one of these birds, though I do hear them singing sometimes. We made several trips to see different places, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos.<br /> <br /> Think I had better stop typing! As I add more photos, I can add bits of extra information. We only arrived home fairly early yesterday evening, and I am so tired and have things to see to, like laundry. I was up any time from 4:45 am to 6:00 am each morning, many hours earlier than I usually get up, being such a dreadful night owl!<br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> White-crowned Sparrow, 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/293827/46740932"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/09/32/46740932.4f824e38.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Well, I'm back - but I hardly know where to start with organizing and editing photos! This morning, I quickly grabbed three to upload, the first two showing the two main places where four friends and I spent the last two weeks. We left Calgary airport on 6 May and flew to Toronto. There, we rented a van and did the long drive to Point Pelee for four whole days of birding. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel, which is close to Point Pelee National Park. It fills up very quickly (with birders) and our rooms were booked months ago. <br /> <br /> Our four days walking at Point Pelee were interesting and I, for sure, saw various things I had never seen before, including my very first Raccoon : ) Various friends had told me that the Warblers at Pelee were fantastic - so many and numerous species, and so close. Have to disagree with the "closeness" when we were there! I don't have binoculars as a camera(s) is enough for me to carry around, so I know I missed all sorts of birds. Though my Warbler count was lower than my friends', I was happy to at least get a few distant photos of some species. So many of my shots are awful, but I will still post some of them, just for the record of seeing them. Some photos are so bad that I doubt anyone can ID them.<br /> <br /> We covered several different trails at Pelee, and also drove to a few places somewhat further afield, such as Hillman Marsh. If you are unfamiliar with this Conservation Area, just wait till you see a photo of the old barn that was there. I couldn't believe my eyes! I was in so much pain that I wasn't sure if I would be able to walk across a grassy area to take a few photos. However, it was so unusual and beautiful, that I reckoned I could try and move forward inch by inch - and crawl (ha, ha) if necessary. Another place we enjoyed was Rondeau National Park. One amazing and totally unexpected sighting just outside Pelee was a very distant male Snowy Owl sitting in a fieldl!! <br /> <br /> We walked every single day that we were at Pelee and the areas mentioned above, seeing not just birds, but a frog/toad, snakes that we suspect were mating, several Painted turtles, a few plants (including both white and red Triliums, that I had never seen growing wild before, and a couple of Jack in the Pulpit plants).<br /> <br /> The Friends of Point Pelee have food available that one can buy. They also have a shuttle bus that one can take from the Visitor Centre all the way to the southern tip of Pelee, which is the most southern part of Canada. They also have birding walks each day (there is a charge). On 9 May, we spent the morning from 6:00 am to 11:00 am on a birding walk at Pelee with guide, Tom Hince, whom we had contacted while we were still in Calgary.<br /> <br /> At the end of our stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds, including many of these little White-crowned Sparrows. Here, in and around Calgary, I so rarely see one of these birds, though I do hear them singing sometimes. We made several trips to see different places, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese. Breathtaking! <br /> <br /> We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos.<br /> <br /> Think I had better stop typing! As I add more photos, I can add bits of extra information. We only arrived home fairly early yesterday evening, and I am so tired and have things to see to, like laundry. I was up any time from 4:45 am to 6:00 am each morning, many hours earlier than I usually get up, being such a dreadful night owl!<br /> <br /> Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43442844 tag:ipernity.com,2016-10-17,doc-43442844 Mon, 17 Oct 2016 17:02:12 +0000 2016-09-09T16:17:47-06:00 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/293827/43442844"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/44/43442844.3a2d7931.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Needless to say, this photo is being posted for ID help, not for any photographic merit : ) Unfortunately, this little bird was so far away and the sunlight was harsh. Took a few quick shots of it, as it looked like something different from the small Sparrows I would normally see. It was taken on 9 September 2016, SE of Vulcan, on my way home from a trip to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, near Lethbridge.<br /> <br /> Many thanks, Ron (Kube), for the ID. Have also just heard back from friend and excellent birder, Tony T, and he said that "the strong eye ring points to Vesper Sparrow". Thanks, both of you, for the ID! I wasn't sure if I had ever seen or photographed a Vesper Sparrow before, but I discovered that I have five previous (and much better) images on Flickr. Maybe i will post one of them in a comment box below.</div> Mystery bird - Vesper 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/293827/43442844"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/44/43442844.3a2d7931.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Needless to say, this photo is being posted for ID help, not for any photographic merit : ) Unfortunately, this little bird was so far away and the sunlight was harsh. Took a few quick shots of it, as it looked like something different from the small Sparrows I would normally see. It was taken on 9 September 2016, SE of Vulcan, on my way home from a trip to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, near Lethbridge.<br /> <br /> Many thanks, Ron (Kube), for the ID. Have also just heard back from friend and excellent birder, Tony T, and he said that "the strong eye ring points to Vesper Sparrow". Thanks, both of you, for the ID! I wasn't sure if I had ever seen or photographed a Vesper Sparrow before, but I discovered that I have five previous (and much better) images on Flickr. Maybe i will post one of them in a comment box below.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/43279882 tag:ipernity.com,2016-09-26,doc-43279882 Mon, 26 Sep 2016 13:10:32 +0000 2016-09-25T11:11:06-06:00 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/293827/43279882"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/98/82/43279882.d7cf4a86.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">All three photos posted this morning, were taken yesterday, 25 September 2016. It was a day of birding east and south-east of the city, with a group of birding friends. We set out at 8:00 am and our main stopping places were Weed Lake, Marsland Basin and Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park. <br /> <br /> I will add our leader's (Howard Heffler) list of species below. Pretty much the usual sightings - lots of ducks, a number of Hawks including the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk seen in the previous photo and this juvenile White-throated Sparrow which was seen while we were walking around in Lynn and Sue's acreage at Marsland Basin. These Sparrows are common, but I rarely see one - you often hear one singing, but are unable to see it. Also, a Merlin that was perched high up on a power pole. The water level at the wetland at Marsland Basin was very high, so there was no sign of the mudflats there, so barely any shorebirds. We did have three small flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese fly high overhead while we were looking out over the water, which was great. As usual, most birds we saw were much too far away for photos. <br /> <br /> As usually happens, when birds are too far away for me to see, my camera lens turns to a few other subjects, including the Sowthistle flower in one of the photos posted this morning, which had three different insects on it. <br /> <br /> Many thanks for leading this trip, Howard, and thanks, too, to Jim for driving half of us. I always appreciate a trip like this, with people who are all expert birdspotters - and then there's me, lol!<br /> <br /> "Eight participants met at Carburn Park at 8:00 AM and spent a beautiful fall day birding three locations east of Calgary. We first stopped at the south end of Weed Lake. Water levels were high so there was almost no shorebird habitat. A highlight was the large numbers of American Pipits. Marsland Basin, thanks to Lynn and Sue, is a wonderful spot for both the wetland and the treed areas. Next we went Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park. We were not able to pick out a Mew Gull that had been recently reported there among the 100’s of Ring-billed Gulls. Thanks to Nimali Seneviratne for keeping track of species and doing the eBird postings. The combined list for the day was:<br /> <br /> Greater White-fronted Goose 108 <br /> Canada Goose 36 <br /> Gadwall 45 <br /> American Wigeon 22 <br /> Mallard 325 <br /> Northern Shoveler 400 <br /> Northern Pintail 80 <br /> Green-winged Teal 278 <br /> Bufflehead 18 <br /> Common Merganser 3 <br /> Ruddy Duck 5 <br /> Gray Partridge 20 <br /> Pied-billed Grebe 1 <br /> Eared Grebe 1 <br /> Double-crested Cormorant 3 <br /> American White Pelican 12 <br /> Great Blue Heron 4 <br /> White-faced Ibis 1 <br /> Bald Eagle 1<br /> Northern Harrier 3 <br /> Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 <br /> Swainson's Hawk 1 <br /> Red-tailed Hawk 6 <br /> American Coot 51 <br /> Killdeer 4 <br /> Long-billed Dowitcher 9 <br /> Wilson's Snipe 2 <br /> Greater Yellowlegs 4 <br /> Franklin's Gull 3 <br /> Ring-billed Gull 1,000 <br /> Rock Pigeon 2 <br /> Eurasian Collared-Dove 1 <br /> Belted Kingfisher 2 <br /> Northern Flicker 1 <br /> Merlin 1 <br /> Blue Jay 2 <br /> Black-billed Magpie 6 <br /> Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 <br /> Marsh Wren 1 <br /> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4 <br /> Swainson's Thrush 2 <br /> European Starling 34 <br /> American Pipit 95 <br /> Ovenbird 1 <br /> Orange-crowned Warbler 4 <br /> Yellow-rumped Warbler 5 <br /> Dark-eyed Junco 5 <br /> White-throated Sparrow 6 <br /> Western Meadowlark 5 <br /> Common Grackle 2 <br /> House Sparrow 12 <br /> <br /> Will have to finish off my other descriptions and tags later, as I am running late this morning and have a birding walk to get to.<br /> <br /> Later: I ended up not going on my birding walk this morning. By the time I got up early and had breakfast, I was feeling somewhat queasy and thought I had better not go on the walk. Felt a bit better later in the morning and decided to go to the Park after all (Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park), getting there about noon. Met a delightful young man standing on the bridge over the creek and pointing out to me a perched bird of prey. It took a little while to decide just what it was - helped by excellent birder, Nimali, who happened to come along the path. We decided it was a Cooper's Hawk ('C' for curved edge of tail tip and 'C' for Cooper's). Looking at my photos this evening, I'm still not 100% sure if it was a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned. In a few of the photos, the tail tip edge looked more straight than curved.<br /> <br /> This hawk stayed around for ages and gave some nice opportunities for photos, including of it 'mantling' (spreading out its wings to form a cloak) when it captured a large dragonfly and returned to the same branch. When two of us were first standing on the bridge, this hawk flew down right over our heads two or three times - maybe because we were attracting insects around us? We noticed a second similar hawk, too, and we wondered if they were maybe juveniles, especially as the main one was very comfortable with us standing nearby. Made my day : ) I even spotted several mushrooms earlier in my walk, which was a surprise. Can't believe I was out in the park for about five hours! A very enjoyable walk - glad to have your company, Nimali, and that of the very knowledgeable young man (an absolute lover of Nature) we had just met.</div> Juvenile White-throated Sparrow / Zonotrichia albicollis <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/293827/43279882"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/98/82/43279882.d7cf4a86.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">All three photos posted this morning, were taken yesterday, 25 September 2016. It was a day of birding east and south-east of the city, with a group of birding friends. We set out at 8:00 am and our main stopping places were Weed Lake, Marsland Basin and Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park. <br /> <br /> I will add our leader's (Howard Heffler) list of species below. Pretty much the usual sightings - lots of ducks, a number of Hawks including the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk seen in the previous photo and this juvenile White-throated Sparrow which was seen while we were walking around in Lynn and Sue's acreage at Marsland Basin. These Sparrows are common, but I rarely see one - you often hear one singing, but are unable to see it. Also, a Merlin that was perched high up on a power pole. The water level at the wetland at Marsland Basin was very high, so there was no sign of the mudflats there, so barely any shorebirds. We did have three small flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese fly high overhead while we were looking out over the water, which was great. As usual, most birds we saw were much too far away for photos. <br /> <br /> As usually happens, when birds are too far away for me to see, my camera lens turns to a few other subjects, including the Sowthistle flower in one of the photos posted this morning, which had three different insects on it. <br /> <br /> Many thanks for leading this trip, Howard, and thanks, too, to Jim for driving half of us. I always appreciate a trip like this, with people who are all expert birdspotters - and then there's me, lol!<br /> <br /> "Eight participants met at Carburn Park at 8:00 AM and spent a beautiful fall day birding three locations east of Calgary. We first stopped at the south end of Weed Lake. Water levels were high so there was almost no shorebird habitat. A highlight was the large numbers of American Pipits. Marsland Basin, thanks to Lynn and Sue, is a wonderful spot for both the wetland and the treed areas. Next we went Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park. We were not able to pick out a Mew Gull that had been recently reported there among the 100’s of Ring-billed Gulls. Thanks to Nimali Seneviratne for keeping track of species and doing the eBird postings. The combined list for the day was:<br /> <br /> Greater White-fronted Goose 108 <br /> Canada Goose 36 <br /> Gadwall 45 <br /> American Wigeon 22 <br /> Mallard 325 <br /> Northern Shoveler 400 <br /> Northern Pintail 80 <br /> Green-winged Teal 278 <br /> Bufflehead 18 <br /> Common Merganser 3 <br /> Ruddy Duck 5 <br /> Gray Partridge 20 <br /> Pied-billed Grebe 1 <br /> Eared Grebe 1 <br /> Double-crested Cormorant 3 <br /> American White Pelican 12 <br /> Great Blue Heron 4 <br /> White-faced Ibis 1 <br /> Bald Eagle 1<br /> Northern Harrier 3 <br /> Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 <br /> Swainson's Hawk 1 <br /> Red-tailed Hawk 6 <br /> American Coot 51 <br /> Killdeer 4 <br /> Long-billed Dowitcher 9 <br /> Wilson's Snipe 2 <br /> Greater Yellowlegs 4 <br /> Franklin's Gull 3 <br /> Ring-billed Gull 1,000 <br /> Rock Pigeon 2 <br /> Eurasian Collared-Dove 1 <br /> Belted Kingfisher 2 <br /> Northern Flicker 1 <br /> Merlin 1 <br /> Blue Jay 2 <br /> Black-billed Magpie 6 <br /> Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 <br /> Marsh Wren 1 <br /> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4 <br /> Swainson's Thrush 2 <br /> European Starling 34 <br /> American Pipit 95 <br /> Ovenbird 1 <br /> Orange-crowned Warbler 4 <br /> Yellow-rumped Warbler 5 <br /> Dark-eyed Junco 5 <br /> White-throated Sparrow 6 <br /> Western Meadowlark 5 <br /> Common Grackle 2 <br /> House Sparrow 12 <br /> <br /> Will have to finish off my other descriptions and tags later, as I am running late this morning and have a birding walk to get to.<br /> <br /> Later: I ended up not going on my birding walk this morning. By the time I got up early and had breakfast, I was feeling somewhat queasy and thought I had better not go on the walk. Felt a bit better later in the morning and decided to go to the Park after all (Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park), getting there about noon. Met a delightful young man standing on the bridge over the creek and pointing out to me a perched bird of prey. It took a little while to decide just what it was - helped by excellent birder, Nimali, who happened to come along the path. We decided it was a Cooper's Hawk ('C' for curved edge of tail tip and 'C' for Cooper's). Looking at my photos this evening, I'm still not 100% sure if it was a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned. In a few of the photos, the tail tip edge looked more straight than curved.<br /> <br /> This hawk stayed around for ages and gave some nice opportunities for photos, including of it 'mantling' (spreading out its wings to form a cloak) when it captured a large dragonfly and returned to the same branch. When two of us were first standing on the bridge, this hawk flew down right over our heads two or three times - maybe because we were attracting insects around us? We noticed a second similar hawk, too, and we wondered if they were maybe juveniles, especially as the main one was very comfortable with us standing nearby. Made my day : ) I even spotted several mushrooms earlier in my walk, which was a surprise. Can't believe I was out in the park for about five hours! A very enjoyable walk - glad to have your company, Nimali, and that of the very knowledgeable young man (an absolute lover of Nature) we had just met.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42528320 tag:ipernity.com,2016-07-16,doc-42528320 Sat, 16 Jul 2016 15:50:56 +0000 2016-07-10T10:40:01-06:00 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/293827/42528320"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/20/42528320.5766c35f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This little White-crowned Sparrow landed on a rock at the bottom of Red Rock Canyon, on our last day in Waterton Lakes National Park, 10 July 2016. One rapid shot taken from the bridge, which didn't come out as sharp as I would have liked - it was a long way down. After this, we followed the path above the creek and continued as far as Blakiston Falls. I really enjoy this walk - just a comfortable distance for me, and we see some interesting things along it. At the Falls, we saw an American Dipper's nest with one baby Dipper visible and either one or both adults flying back to the nest with food. We could also see several patches of Yellow Monkeyflower growing on the rocky wall at the falls and then spotted a couple of Orange False Dandelion flowers as we walked away from the falls. Three great sightings.<br /> <br /> Six days ago, late afternoon, (I think around 5:15 pm), on 10 July 2015, I arrived back home from my holiday of the year - this two and a half day trip to Waterton National Park. It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of great company with (22) people, some of whom I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry, but she was also there for us in July 2015) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated!<br /> <br /> Thank you SO much, Janet, for driving your friend and me to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that I appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly, as usual! A great time was had by all. Andrew, I am SO happy and relieved that you were finally able to find a bear (and her cub) - yes, we came across the same ones shortly after you saw them. Not sure if they were two of the three I had seen at more or less the same location the previous morning, 9 July 2016. If it was the same female, then her second cub must have been really well hidden in the tangle of bushes and trees yesterday. We didn't get a good view, though I did take a handful of photos, including when the cub looked towards us for a split second. I had never seen such a young cub before, so I was thrilled to bits. Can't forget to add my huge thanks for finding me a Lazuli Bunting yesterday, too, at some unearthly hour (well, 7:30 am). No idea how on earth you managed to spot such a small bird from so far away - just a tiny speck in the far, far distance. Also was delighted that you found two Nighthawks flying high overhead at the Nature Conservancy area by the Waterton Springs Campground. So, I guess you and I both returned to Calgary feeling really happy : )<br /> <br /> "Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve. No other park in the world has these three designations. Waterton Biosphere Reserve as it is officially called, was designated in 1979 under what is called the internationally recognized "Man and the Biosphere program" of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sure is a mouthful. Biosphere Reserves are designed to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-bison-paddock-in.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-...</a></div> White-crowned Sparrow / Zonotrichia leucophrys <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/293827/42528320"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/20/42528320.5766c35f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This little White-crowned Sparrow landed on a rock at the bottom of Red Rock Canyon, on our last day in Waterton Lakes National Park, 10 July 2016. One rapid shot taken from the bridge, which didn't come out as sharp as I would have liked - it was a long way down. After this, we followed the path above the creek and continued as far as Blakiston Falls. I really enjoy this walk - just a comfortable distance for me, and we see some interesting things along it. At the Falls, we saw an American Dipper's nest with one baby Dipper visible and either one or both adults flying back to the nest with food. We could also see several patches of Yellow Monkeyflower growing on the rocky wall at the falls and then spotted a couple of Orange False Dandelion flowers as we walked away from the falls. Three great sightings.<br /> <br /> Six days ago, late afternoon, (I think around 5:15 pm), on 10 July 2015, I arrived back home from my holiday of the year - this two and a half day trip to Waterton National Park. It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of great company with (22) people, some of whom I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry, but she was also there for us in July 2015) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated!<br /> <br /> Thank you SO much, Janet, for driving your friend and me to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that I appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly, as usual! A great time was had by all. Andrew, I am SO happy and relieved that you were finally able to find a bear (and her cub) - yes, we came across the same ones shortly after you saw them. Not sure if they were two of the three I had seen at more or less the same location the previous morning, 9 July 2016. If it was the same female, then her second cub must have been really well hidden in the tangle of bushes and trees yesterday. We didn't get a good view, though I did take a handful of photos, including when the cub looked towards us for a split second. I had never seen such a young cub before, so I was thrilled to bits. Can't forget to add my huge thanks for finding me a Lazuli Bunting yesterday, too, at some unearthly hour (well, 7:30 am). No idea how on earth you managed to spot such a small bird from so far away - just a tiny speck in the far, far distance. Also was delighted that you found two Nighthawks flying high overhead at the Nature Conservancy area by the Waterton Springs Campground. So, I guess you and I both returned to Calgary feeling really happy : )<br /> <br /> "Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve. No other park in the world has these three designations. Waterton Biosphere Reserve as it is officially called, was designated in 1979 under what is called the internationally recognized "Man and the Biosphere program" of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sure is a mouthful. Biosphere Reserves are designed to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-bison-paddock-in.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42440222 tag:ipernity.com,2016-07-05,doc-42440222 Tue, 05 Jul 2016 14:37:09 +0000 2016-06-27T16:01:06-06:00 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/293827/42440222"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/02/22/42440222.dfb7a04f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">About a week ago, on 27 June 2016, I made my usual drive SW of the city, mainly to check on the last pair of Mountain Bluebirds that I have been watching. The previous pair had already disappeared from their nest box after their babies had all fledged. I missed this, as I hadn't been able to fit in a drive over there. This time, I was hoping to see the final pair one more time, but when I arrived, there was no sign of either adult, so I guess they, too, have left. Always makes me sad when I know my days of photographing them has come to an end, at least for this year. At least their small neighbours, a pair of Savannah Sparrows, were still hanging around, and there were endless Red-winged Blackbirds everywhere I went.<br /> <br /> There was no sign of any Bobolinks, either, and I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be one of those 'dreaded' trips where there was nothing to photograph. Thankfully, a Wilson's Snipe came out of hiding just when I was driving along the usual road. I'm always happy to see a Snipe.<br /> <br /> "Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify: Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id</a></div> Savannah 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/293827/42440222"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/02/22/42440222.dfb7a04f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">About a week ago, on 27 June 2016, I made my usual drive SW of the city, mainly to check on the last pair of Mountain Bluebirds that I have been watching. The previous pair had already disappeared from their nest box after their babies had all fledged. I missed this, as I hadn't been able to fit in a drive over there. This time, I was hoping to see the final pair one more time, but when I arrived, there was no sign of either adult, so I guess they, too, have left. Always makes me sad when I know my days of photographing them has come to an end, at least for this year. At least their small neighbours, a pair of Savannah Sparrows, were still hanging around, and there were endless Red-winged Blackbirds everywhere I went.<br /> <br /> There was no sign of any Bobolinks, either, and I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be one of those 'dreaded' trips where there was nothing to photograph. Thankfully, a Wilson's Snipe came out of hiding just when I was driving along the usual road. I'm always happy to see a Snipe.<br /> <br /> "Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify: Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42283748 tag:ipernity.com,2016-06-21,doc-42283748 Tue, 21 Jun 2016 16:22:44 +0000 2016-05-14T11:21:52-06:00 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/293827/42283748"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/48/42283748.308ea204.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 14 May 2016, I went on a morning walk with birding friends. We met at the Boat Launch in Fish Creek Park and walked in the Sikome and Lafarge Meadows areas. This included checking on the usual Great Horned Owl family - all four members were way up high in the trees, more or less hidden from view. <br /> <br /> This Clay-colored Sparrow stayed long enough to get a quick shot. On the return walk, I happened to be walking at the back of the group. I heard a bird that caught my attention and when I stopped to look, I found a beautiful little White-crowned Sparrow sitting deep within the low branches of a coniferous tree. <br /> <br /> "The Clay-colored Sparrow’s buzzy song is a signature sound of the vast shrublands of the northern prairie and Great Plains. Though they’re not brightly colored, their pale tones and overall clean, crisp markings help set them apart from other sparrows—especially useful on their wintering grounds, where they often flock with other species. These active birds tend to forage within the branches of shrubs or on the ground beneath cover. Though still very numerous, their numbers have slowly declined over the past 40 years." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clay-colored_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clay-colored_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> After this walk, I drove a short distance to see a different family of Great Horned Owls, presumably the same pair of adults that we had seen last year, nesting near the Bow Valley Ranch. Amazingly, this pair had four - yes, four! - owlets this time. Somewhat better views than of the first family, at least for the short time I was there. <br /> <br /> Bird list from the leader of our morning walk, Melanie S.:<br /> <br /> Fish Creek PP--Boat Launch, Calgary, Alberta, CA<br /> 14-May-2016 9:00 AM - 12:10 PM<br /> Protocol: Traveling<br /> 3.5 kilometer(s)<br /> Comments: 10 to 15 deg C. Sunny. Nature Calgary field trip, leader Melanie Seneviratne.<br /> 46 species (+1 other taxa)<br /> <br /> Canada Goose 24<br /> Gadwall 8<br /> American Wigeon 10<br /> Mallard 22<br /> Blue-winged Teal 4<br /> Northern Shoveler 1<br /> Canvasback 1<br /> Redhead 7<br /> Lesser Scaup 6<br /> Common Goldeneye 2<br /> Common Merganser 2<br /> Pied-billed Grebe 1<br /> Double-crested Cormorant 4<br /> American White Pelican 5<br /> Great Blue Heron 1<br /> Osprey 4<br /> Northern Goshawk 1 Flew over car park as we were leaving.<br /> Swainson's Hawk 4<br /> American Coot 4<br /> Spotted Sandpiper 4<br /> Wilson's Snipe 1<br /> Franklin's Gull 3<br /> California Gull 1<br /> Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 2<br /> Great Horned Owl 4 2 adult 2 juveniles<br /> Downy Woodpecker 1<br /> Northern Flicker 2<br /> Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1<br /> Pileated Woodpecker 1<br /> Black-billed Magpie 2<br /> American Crow 2<br /> Common Raven 5<br /> Tree Swallow 250<br /> Barn Swallow 1<br /> Cliff Swallow 20<br /> Black-capped Chickadee 1<br /> White-breasted Nuthatch 1<br /> American Robin 12<br /> European Starling 10<br /> Clay-colored Sparrow 2<br /> White-crowned Sparrow 1<br /> Savannah Sparrow 3<br /> Song Sparrow 1<br /> Red-winged Blackbird 30<br /> Yellow-headed Blackbird 6<br /> Brewer's Blackbird 1<br /> Brown-headed Cowbird 5</div> Clay-colored Sparrow / Spizella pallida <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/293827/42283748"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/48/42283748.308ea204.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 14 May 2016, I went on a morning walk with birding friends. We met at the Boat Launch in Fish Creek Park and walked in the Sikome and Lafarge Meadows areas. This included checking on the usual Great Horned Owl family - all four members were way up high in the trees, more or less hidden from view. <br /> <br /> This Clay-colored Sparrow stayed long enough to get a quick shot. On the return walk, I happened to be walking at the back of the group. I heard a bird that caught my attention and when I stopped to look, I found a beautiful little White-crowned Sparrow sitting deep within the low branches of a coniferous tree. <br /> <br /> "The Clay-colored Sparrow’s buzzy song is a signature sound of the vast shrublands of the northern prairie and Great Plains. Though they’re not brightly colored, their pale tones and overall clean, crisp markings help set them apart from other sparrows—especially useful on their wintering grounds, where they often flock with other species. These active birds tend to forage within the branches of shrubs or on the ground beneath cover. Though still very numerous, their numbers have slowly declined over the past 40 years." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clay-colored_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clay-colored_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> After this walk, I drove a short distance to see a different family of Great Horned Owls, presumably the same pair of adults that we had seen last year, nesting near the Bow Valley Ranch. Amazingly, this pair had four - yes, four! - owlets this time. Somewhat better views than of the first family, at least for the short time I was there. <br /> <br /> Bird list from the leader of our morning walk, Melanie S.:<br /> <br /> Fish Creek PP--Boat Launch, Calgary, Alberta, CA<br /> 14-May-2016 9:00 AM - 12:10 PM<br /> Protocol: Traveling<br /> 3.5 kilometer(s)<br /> Comments: 10 to 15 deg C. Sunny. Nature Calgary field trip, leader Melanie Seneviratne.<br /> 46 species (+1 other taxa)<br /> <br /> Canada Goose 24<br /> Gadwall 8<br /> American Wigeon 10<br /> Mallard 22<br /> Blue-winged Teal 4<br /> Northern Shoveler 1<br /> Canvasback 1<br /> Redhead 7<br /> Lesser Scaup 6<br /> Common Goldeneye 2<br /> Common Merganser 2<br /> Pied-billed Grebe 1<br /> Double-crested Cormorant 4<br /> American White Pelican 5<br /> Great Blue Heron 1<br /> Osprey 4<br /> Northern Goshawk 1 Flew over car park as we were leaving.<br /> Swainson's Hawk 4<br /> American Coot 4<br /> Spotted Sandpiper 4<br /> Wilson's Snipe 1<br /> Franklin's Gull 3<br /> California Gull 1<br /> Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 2<br /> Great Horned Owl 4 2 adult 2 juveniles<br /> Downy Woodpecker 1<br /> Northern Flicker 2<br /> Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1<br /> Pileated Woodpecker 1<br /> Black-billed Magpie 2<br /> American Crow 2<br /> Common Raven 5<br /> Tree Swallow 250<br /> Barn Swallow 1<br /> Cliff Swallow 20<br /> Black-capped Chickadee 1<br /> White-breasted Nuthatch 1<br /> American Robin 12<br /> European Starling 10<br /> Clay-colored Sparrow 2<br /> White-crowned Sparrow 1<br /> Savannah Sparrow 3<br /> Song Sparrow 1<br /> Red-winged Blackbird 30<br /> Yellow-headed Blackbird 6<br /> Brewer's Blackbird 1<br /> Brown-headed Cowbird 5</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42283704 tag:ipernity.com,2016-06-20,doc-42283704 Mon, 20 Jun 2016 17:12:53 +0000 2016-06-19T17:18:32-06:00 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/293827/42283704"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/04/42283704.82525940.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This bird was seen yesterday, 19 June 2016, at a local park during an afternoon birding walk - in fact, the very last birding walk of the season until around the end of August. We started our walk at Bankside and ended up at Mallard point four hours later, following the path along the Bow River. Driving the park road to Bankside, we stopped to check out the Burnsmead Ponds, where the beautiful Heron in my previous photo was standing. Another photographer was already there - nice to meet you, Susan, and I enjoyed our little chat.<br /> <br /> The Sunday afternoon walks are more laid back and tend to be at a more leisurely pace, which suits me much better, so I go when I can. And we always go for coffee and a bite to eat afterwards, which I enjoy just as much (if not more!) than the walk itself. Hard to believe that we ended up seeing 50 bird species! The absolute highlight was when Jeff H. heard, then spotted, a Grasshopper Sparrow. A very clever sighting! I have never seen one and, until recently, had never even heard of such a Sparrow. It couldn't have been much more difficult to see, as it only popped up from the grass and bushes two or three times for a split second, before disappearing again. Eventually, it flew to the plant seen in my next photo, and I was finally able to see it. I think this might just have been the fastest reaction with my camera that has ever happened and somehow the lens luckily focused on the bird rather than just on the leaves in front. Just enough detail to confirm the ID. Thanks so much, Jeff, for finding this great bird for us!<br /> <br /> Yesterday evening, I got an e-mail from Terry Korolyk, who has spent so many years finding, recording and reporting not only all his own bird sightings, but those of so many other people. So much work and such valuable data. He wrote the following to me:<br /> <br /> "You guys got a good one. Haven't seen a Grasshopper Sparrow report around Calgary for quite some time now. We used to occasionally get one reported east of the City. Some places in the south part of the Province used to be good for them with probably the nearest site being north of Taber. Not many reports from down there in recent years, but, I don't think anybody's gone down there looking for them." <br /> <br /> I did a quick check on ebird last night and found the following most recent sightings from Calgary and surroundings. Of course, there could have been a few unreported sightings in addition to these:<br /> <br /> 1987 - 1 reported by Nature Calgary at the Irricana Sloughs<br /> 1988 - 1 reported by Nature Calgary in Weaselhead <br /> 1988 - 6 reported by Nature Calgary at the Irricana Sloughs<br /> 1994 - 1 reported by Nature Calgary at Frank Lake<br /> <br /> "A furtive bird of open grasslands, the Grasshopper Sparrow takes its name not only from its diet, but also from its insect-like song. It is found during the breeding season across much of the eastern United States and Great Plains, nesting and feeding mostly on the ground." From AllABoutBirds,<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Grasshopper_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Grasshopper_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> "FFCPPSoc. Birding Burnsmead Ponds, Bankside to Mallard Point, FCPP, Calgary. 1:15 - 5:15 PM. Sunday, June 19/16. Our Group of Seven enjoyed a sunny, warm (20 to 24C), afternoon with only light westerly winds.<br /> <br /> 1. Pied-billed Grebe - 1<br /> 2. Double-crested Cormorant - 4<br /> 3. Great Blue Heron - 2<br /> 4. Canada Goose 6 (2 adults,4 goslings)<br /> 5. Mallard - 28<br /> 6. Gadwall - 5<br /> 7. American Wigeon - 7<br /> 8. Northern Shoveler - 2<br /> 9. Blue-winged Teal - 6<br /> 10. Common Goldeneye - 3<br /> 11. Common Merganser - 6<br /> 12. Cooper's Hawk - 1<br /> 13. Red-tailed Hawk - 1<br /> 14. Swainson's Hawk - 1<br /> 15. Osprey - 1<br /> 16. Merlin - 1<br /> 17. Ring-necked Pheasant - 3<br /> 18. American Coot - 7 (2 adult, 5 young)<br /> 19. Spotted Sandpiper - 8<br /> 20. Franklin's Gull - 275<br /> 21. Ring-billed Gull - 2<br /> 22. California Gull - 1<br /> 23. Rock (Feral) Pigeon - 3<br /> 24. Northern Flicker - 5<br /> 25. Downy Woodpecker - 3<br /> 26. Western Wood Pewee - 1 heard<br /> 27. Least Flycatcher - 2<br /> 28. Eastern Kingbird - 2<br /> 29. Warbling Vireo - 1 heard<br /> 30. Black-billed Magpie - 3<br /> 31. American Crow - 4<br /> 32. Common Raven - 5<br /> 33. Tree Swallow - 30<br /> 34. Bank Swallow - 20<br /> 35. House Wren - 5<br /> 36. American Robin - 32<br /> 37. Cedar Waxwing - 6<br /> 38. European Starling - 3<br /> 39. Yellow Warbler - 6<br /> 40. Clay-coloured Sparrow - 5<br /> 41. Savannah Sparrow - 48<br /> 42. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW - 1 found by Jeff H. Photo'd by Anne E.<br /> 43. Song Sparrow - 3<br /> 44. Lincoln's Sparrow - 1<br /> 45. Baltimore Oriole - 1<br /> 46. Red-winged Blackbird - 53<br /> 47. Yellow-headed Blackbird - 5<br /> 48. Common Grackle - 5<br /> 49. Brown-headed Cowbird - 5<br /> 50. House Sparrow - 8<br /> <br /> Muskrat - 1<br /> White-tailed Deer - 1<br /> Swallowtail Butterfly -1<br /> <br /> Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, Janet Gill"</div> Grasshopper Sparrow / Ammodramus savannarum - OR is it a Le Conte&#039;s 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/293827/42283704"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/04/42283704.82525940.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This bird was seen yesterday, 19 June 2016, at a local park during an afternoon birding walk - in fact, the very last birding walk of the season until around the end of August. We started our walk at Bankside and ended up at Mallard point four hours later, following the path along the Bow River. Driving the park road to Bankside, we stopped to check out the Burnsmead Ponds, where the beautiful Heron in my previous photo was standing. Another photographer was already there - nice to meet you, Susan, and I enjoyed our little chat.<br /> <br /> The Sunday afternoon walks are more laid back and tend to be at a more leisurely pace, which suits me much better, so I go when I can. And we always go for coffee and a bite to eat afterwards, which I enjoy just as much (if not more!) than the walk itself. Hard to believe that we ended up seeing 50 bird species! The absolute highlight was when Jeff H. heard, then spotted, a Grasshopper Sparrow. A very clever sighting! I have never seen one and, until recently, had never even heard of such a Sparrow. It couldn't have been much more difficult to see, as it only popped up from the grass and bushes two or three times for a split second, before disappearing again. Eventually, it flew to the plant seen in my next photo, and I was finally able to see it. I think this might just have been the fastest reaction with my camera that has ever happened and somehow the lens luckily focused on the bird rather than just on the leaves in front. Just enough detail to confirm the ID. Thanks so much, Jeff, for finding this great bird for us!<br /> <br /> Yesterday evening, I got an e-mail from Terry Korolyk, who has spent so many years finding, recording and reporting not only all his own bird sightings, but those of so many other people. So much work and such valuable data. He wrote the following to me:<br /> <br /> "You guys got a good one. Haven't seen a Grasshopper Sparrow report around Calgary for quite some time now. We used to occasionally get one reported east of the City. Some places in the south part of the Province used to be good for them with probably the nearest site being north of Taber. Not many reports from down there in recent years, but, I don't think anybody's gone down there looking for them." <br /> <br /> I did a quick check on ebird last night and found the following most recent sightings from Calgary and surroundings. Of course, there could have been a few unreported sightings in addition to these:<br /> <br /> 1987 - 1 reported by Nature Calgary at the Irricana Sloughs<br /> 1988 - 1 reported by Nature Calgary in Weaselhead <br /> 1988 - 6 reported by Nature Calgary at the Irricana Sloughs<br /> 1994 - 1 reported by Nature Calgary at Frank Lake<br /> <br /> "A furtive bird of open grasslands, the Grasshopper Sparrow takes its name not only from its diet, but also from its insect-like song. It is found during the breeding season across much of the eastern United States and Great Plains, nesting and feeding mostly on the ground." From AllABoutBirds,<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Grasshopper_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Grasshopper_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> "FFCPPSoc. Birding Burnsmead Ponds, Bankside to Mallard Point, FCPP, Calgary. 1:15 - 5:15 PM. Sunday, June 19/16. Our Group of Seven enjoyed a sunny, warm (20 to 24C), afternoon with only light westerly winds.<br /> <br /> 1. Pied-billed Grebe - 1<br /> 2. Double-crested Cormorant - 4<br /> 3. Great Blue Heron - 2<br /> 4. Canada Goose 6 (2 adults,4 goslings)<br /> 5. Mallard - 28<br /> 6. Gadwall - 5<br /> 7. American Wigeon - 7<br /> 8. Northern Shoveler - 2<br /> 9. Blue-winged Teal - 6<br /> 10. Common Goldeneye - 3<br /> 11. Common Merganser - 6<br /> 12. Cooper's Hawk - 1<br /> 13. Red-tailed Hawk - 1<br /> 14. Swainson's Hawk - 1<br /> 15. Osprey - 1<br /> 16. Merlin - 1<br /> 17. Ring-necked Pheasant - 3<br /> 18. American Coot - 7 (2 adult, 5 young)<br /> 19. Spotted Sandpiper - 8<br /> 20. Franklin's Gull - 275<br /> 21. Ring-billed Gull - 2<br /> 22. California Gull - 1<br /> 23. Rock (Feral) Pigeon - 3<br /> 24. Northern Flicker - 5<br /> 25. Downy Woodpecker - 3<br /> 26. Western Wood Pewee - 1 heard<br /> 27. Least Flycatcher - 2<br /> 28. Eastern Kingbird - 2<br /> 29. Warbling Vireo - 1 heard<br /> 30. Black-billed Magpie - 3<br /> 31. American Crow - 4<br /> 32. Common Raven - 5<br /> 33. Tree Swallow - 30<br /> 34. Bank Swallow - 20<br /> 35. House Wren - 5<br /> 36. American Robin - 32<br /> 37. Cedar Waxwing - 6<br /> 38. European Starling - 3<br /> 39. Yellow Warbler - 6<br /> 40. Clay-coloured Sparrow - 5<br /> 41. Savannah Sparrow - 48<br /> 42. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW - 1 found by Jeff H. Photo'd by Anne E.<br /> 43. Song Sparrow - 3<br /> 44. Lincoln's Sparrow - 1<br /> 45. Baltimore Oriole - 1<br /> 46. Red-winged Blackbird - 53<br /> 47. Yellow-headed Blackbird - 5<br /> 48. Common Grackle - 5<br /> 49. Brown-headed Cowbird - 5<br /> 50. House Sparrow - 8<br /> <br /> Muskrat - 1<br /> White-tailed Deer - 1<br /> Swallowtail Butterfly -1<br /> <br /> Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, Janet Gill"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42163342 tag:ipernity.com,2016-06-08,doc-42163342 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 15:01:29 +0000 2016-05-14T11:39:24-06:00 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/293827/42163342"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/42/42163342.7b9f1c4f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 14 May 2016, I went on a morning walk with birding friends. We met at the Boat Launch in Fish Creek Park and walked in the Sikome and Lafarge Meadows areas. This included checking on the usual Great Horned Owl family - all four members were way up high in the trees, more or less hidden from view. <br /> <br /> On the return walk, I happened to be walking at the back of the group. I heard a bird that caught my attention and when I stopped to look, I found this little White-crowned Sparrow sitting deep within the low branches of a coniferous tree. <br /> <br /> "White-crowned Sparrows appear each winter over much of North America to grace our gardens and favorite trails (they live in parts of the West year-round). The smart black-and-white head, pale beak, and crisp gray breast combine for a dashing look – and make it one of the surest sparrow identifications in North America. Watch for flocks of these sparrows scurrying through brushy borders and overgrown fields, or coax them into the open with backyard feeders. As spring approaches, listen out for this bird’s thin, sweet whistle." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> "this species of Sparrow is the most studied Sparrow in North America. It has given science tremendous insight on physiology and geographic variation in song dialects" From Birds of Alberta by Fisher and Acorn.<br /> <br /> After this walk, I drove a short distance to see a different family of Great Horned Owls, presumably the same pair of adults that we had seen last year, nesting near the Bow Valley Ranch. Amazingly, this pair had four - yes, four! - owlets this time. Somewhat better views than of the first family, at least for the short time I was there. <br /> <br /> Bird list from the leader of our morning walk, Melanie S.:<br /> <br /> Fish Creek PP--Boat Launch, Calgary, Alberta, CA<br /> 14-May-2016 9:00 AM - 12:10 PM<br /> Protocol: Traveling<br /> 3.5 kilometer(s)<br /> Comments: 10 to 15 deg C. Sunny. Nature Calgary field trip, leader Melanie Seneviratne.<br /> 46 species (+1 other taxa)<br /> <br /> Canada Goose 24<br /> Gadwall 8<br /> American Wigeon 10<br /> Mallard 22<br /> Blue-winged Teal 4<br /> Northern Shoveler 1<br /> Canvasback 1<br /> Redhead 7<br /> Lesser Scaup 6<br /> Common Goldeneye 2<br /> Common Merganser 2<br /> Pied-billed Grebe 1<br /> Double-crested Cormorant 4<br /> American White Pelican 5<br /> Great Blue Heron 1<br /> Osprey 4<br /> Northern Goshawk 1 Flew over car park as we were leaving.<br /> Swainson's Hawk 4<br /> American Coot 4<br /> Spotted Sandpiper 4<br /> Wilson's Snipe 1<br /> Franklin's Gull 3<br /> California Gull 1<br /> Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 2<br /> Great Horned Owl 4 2 adult 2 juveniles<br /> Downy Woodpecker 1<br /> Northern Flicker 2<br /> Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1<br /> Pileated Woodpecker 1<br /> Black-billed Magpie 2<br /> American Crow 2<br /> Common Raven 5<br /> Tree Swallow 250<br /> Barn Swallow 1<br /> Cliff Swallow 20<br /> Black-capped Chickadee 1<br /> White-breasted Nuthatch 1<br /> American Robin 12<br /> European Starling 10<br /> Clay-colored Sparrow 2<br /> White-crowned Sparrow 1<br /> Savannah Sparrow 3<br /> Song Sparrow 1<br /> Red-winged Blackbird 30<br /> Yellow-headed Blackbird 6<br /> Brewer's Blackbird 1<br /> Brown-headed Cowbird 5</div> White-crowned Sparrow / Zonotrichia leucophrys <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/293827/42163342"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/42/42163342.7b9f1c4f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 14 May 2016, I went on a morning walk with birding friends. We met at the Boat Launch in Fish Creek Park and walked in the Sikome and Lafarge Meadows areas. This included checking on the usual Great Horned Owl family - all four members were way up high in the trees, more or less hidden from view. <br /> <br /> On the return walk, I happened to be walking at the back of the group. I heard a bird that caught my attention and when I stopped to look, I found this little White-crowned Sparrow sitting deep within the low branches of a coniferous tree. <br /> <br /> "White-crowned Sparrows appear each winter over much of North America to grace our gardens and favorite trails (they live in parts of the West year-round). The smart black-and-white head, pale beak, and crisp gray breast combine for a dashing look – and make it one of the surest sparrow identifications in North America. Watch for flocks of these sparrows scurrying through brushy borders and overgrown fields, or coax them into the open with backyard feeders. As spring approaches, listen out for this bird’s thin, sweet whistle." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> "this species of Sparrow is the most studied Sparrow in North America. It has given science tremendous insight on physiology and geographic variation in song dialects" From Birds of Alberta by Fisher and Acorn.<br /> <br /> After this walk, I drove a short distance to see a different family of Great Horned Owls, presumably the same pair of adults that we had seen last year, nesting near the Bow Valley Ranch. Amazingly, this pair had four - yes, four! - owlets this time. Somewhat better views than of the first family, at least for the short time I was there. <br /> <br /> Bird list from the leader of our morning walk, Melanie S.:<br /> <br /> Fish Creek PP--Boat Launch, Calgary, Alberta, CA<br /> 14-May-2016 9:00 AM - 12:10 PM<br /> Protocol: Traveling<br /> 3.5 kilometer(s)<br /> Comments: 10 to 15 deg C. Sunny. Nature Calgary field trip, leader Melanie Seneviratne.<br /> 46 species (+1 other taxa)<br /> <br /> Canada Goose 24<br /> Gadwall 8<br /> American Wigeon 10<br /> Mallard 22<br /> Blue-winged Teal 4<br /> Northern Shoveler 1<br /> Canvasback 1<br /> Redhead 7<br /> Lesser Scaup 6<br /> Common Goldeneye 2<br /> Common Merganser 2<br /> Pied-billed Grebe 1<br /> Double-crested Cormorant 4<br /> American White Pelican 5<br /> Great Blue Heron 1<br /> Osprey 4<br /> Northern Goshawk 1 Flew over car park as we were leaving.<br /> Swainson's Hawk 4<br /> American Coot 4<br /> Spotted Sandpiper 4<br /> Wilson's Snipe 1<br /> Franklin's Gull 3<br /> California Gull 1<br /> Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 2<br /> Great Horned Owl 4 2 adult 2 juveniles<br /> Downy Woodpecker 1<br /> Northern Flicker 2<br /> Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1<br /> Pileated Woodpecker 1<br /> Black-billed Magpie 2<br /> American Crow 2<br /> Common Raven 5<br /> Tree Swallow 250<br /> Barn Swallow 1<br /> Cliff Swallow 20<br /> Black-capped Chickadee 1<br /> White-breasted Nuthatch 1<br /> American Robin 12<br /> European Starling 10<br /> Clay-colored Sparrow 2<br /> White-crowned Sparrow 1<br /> Savannah Sparrow 3<br /> Song Sparrow 1<br /> Red-winged Blackbird 30<br /> Yellow-headed Blackbird 6<br /> Brewer's Blackbird 1<br /> Brown-headed Cowbird 5</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42121502 tag:ipernity.com,2016-06-03,doc-42121502 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 11:23:03 +0000 2016-05-28T08:49:19-06:00 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/293827/42121502"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/02/42121502.a6b0cb14.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Needless to say, this is not the kind of photo I like taking, but this is all I could get of this distant little Le Conte's Sparrow.<br /> <br /> I only have two old photos of a Le Conte’s Sparrow on my photostream, as this is a bird I don’t usually see – and then, on 28 May 2016, during our May Species Count in Fish Creek Park (my group covered the Votier’s Flats and Shaw’s Meadow area), we saw the Sparrow in this photo. A very nice bird to include in our list of species.<br /> <br /> “A small, orange-faced sparrow of wet grasslands and grassy meadows, the Le Conte's Sparrow is difficult to see because of its secretive nature. On the breeding grounds it usually sings from concealed perches and in the winter it rarely remains in the open for more than a second.” From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Le_Contes_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Le_Contes_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> “It is a very secretive bird that prefers to spend most of its time on the ground under the cover of tall grasses. They are typically very difficult to flush, often only flushing at a distance of 1–3 m as they prefer to run across the ground. When they do emerge they rarely fly more than a foot or two above the grass and often descend again within a few meters. Because it is so rarely seen, there are still many gaps in knowledge about the Le Conte’s sparrow. Nests are often very hard to find, and individuals are more often identified by sound than by sight.” From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Conte's_sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Conte%27s_sparrow</a><br /> <br /> I will add the final list from our Leader, Gus Yaki. Some of the group (myself included) only did the Count in the morning (4 hours of walking) and three people continued in the afternoon.<br /> <br /> FFCPPSoc. Birding, May species count, Terr. #2, Votier’s Flats, FCPP, from Macleod Tr to Bridge #6, SW Calgary, 0800-1400, Sat. 28May2016. 8 km. Mostly sunny, becoming overcast at noon, light sprinkle, calm, becoming windy from N, 10 kph. 6 to 13°C. <br /> <br /> 1.Canada Goose-17 <br /> 2.Gadwall-2 <br /> 3.American Wigeon-2 <br /> 4.Mallard-36. <br /> 5.Blue-winged Teal-3 <br /> 6.Redhead-2 <br /> 7.Bufflehead-1 <br /> 8.Common Goldeneye-2 <br /> 9.Common Merganser-1 <br /> 10.Ring-necked Pheasant-3 <br /> 11.American White Pelican-27 <br /> 12.Great Blue Heron-1 (cw) <br /> 13.Turkey Vulture-1 (cw) <br /> 14.Osprey-2 <br /> 15.Cooper’s Hawk-1 (cw) <br /> 16.Swainson’s Hawk-3 <br /> 17.Red-tailed Hawk-2 <br /> 18.Sora-1 <br /> 19.Killdeer-1 (cw) <br /> 20.Spotted Sandpiper-12 <br /> 21.Franklin’s Gull-78 <br /> 22.Rock Pigeon-2 <br /> 23.Northern Saw-whet Owl-1, seen by Jordan Peshev. <br /> 24.Belted Kingfisher-2 <br /> 25.Downy Woodpecker-2 <br /> 26.Northern Flicker-5. <br /> 27.Least Flycatcher-3 <br /> 28.Red-eyed Vireo-1 <br /> 29.Black-billed Magpie-4 <br /> 30.American Crow-4 <br /> 31.Common Raven-6 <br /> 32.Tree Swallow-15 <br /> 33.Northern Rough-winged Swallow-5 <br /> 34.Bank Swallow-204 <br /> 35.Black-capped Chickadee-11 <br /> 36.Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 <br /> 37.White-breasted Nuthatch-2 <br /> 38.House Wren-4 <br /> 39.American Robin-35 <br /> 40.Gray Catbird-2 <br /> 41.European Starling-8 <br /> 42.Tennessee Warbler-2 <br /> 43.Yellow Warbler-24 <br /> 44.Chipping Sparrow-4 (cw) <br /> 45.Clay-coloured Sparrow-18 <br /> 46.Savannah Sparrow-3 <br /> 47.Le Conte’s Sparrow-1 <br /> 48.Song Sparrow-1 <br /> 49.Lincoln’s Sparrow-1 (cw) <br /> 50.White-throated Sparrow-7 <br /> 51.Rose-breasted Grosbeak-2 (cw) <br /> 52.Red-winged Blackbird-78 <br /> 53.Yellow-headed Blackbird-2 <br /> 54.Brown-headed Cowbird-19 <br /> 55.Baltimore Oriole-2 (cw) <br /> 56.House Finch-7 <br /> 57.Pine Siskin-1 <br /> 58.American Goldfinch-7 <br /> 59.House Sparrow-3<br /> <br /> Red Squirrel-4<br /> Muskrat-2<br /> Mule Deer-1<br /> Spring Azure butterfly-3<br /> Red-disked Alpine-3</div> Le Conte&#039;s 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/293827/42121502"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/02/42121502.a6b0cb14.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Needless to say, this is not the kind of photo I like taking, but this is all I could get of this distant little Le Conte's Sparrow.<br /> <br /> I only have two old photos of a Le Conte’s Sparrow on my photostream, as this is a bird I don’t usually see – and then, on 28 May 2016, during our May Species Count in Fish Creek Park (my group covered the Votier’s Flats and Shaw’s Meadow area), we saw the Sparrow in this photo. A very nice bird to include in our list of species.<br /> <br /> “A small, orange-faced sparrow of wet grasslands and grassy meadows, the Le Conte's Sparrow is difficult to see because of its secretive nature. On the breeding grounds it usually sings from concealed perches and in the winter it rarely remains in the open for more than a second.” From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Le_Contes_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Le_Contes_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> “It is a very secretive bird that prefers to spend most of its time on the ground under the cover of tall grasses. They are typically very difficult to flush, often only flushing at a distance of 1–3 m as they prefer to run across the ground. When they do emerge they rarely fly more than a foot or two above the grass and often descend again within a few meters. Because it is so rarely seen, there are still many gaps in knowledge about the Le Conte’s sparrow. Nests are often very hard to find, and individuals are more often identified by sound than by sight.” From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Conte's_sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Conte%27s_sparrow</a><br /> <br /> I will add the final list from our Leader, Gus Yaki. Some of the group (myself included) only did the Count in the morning (4 hours of walking) and three people continued in the afternoon.<br /> <br /> FFCPPSoc. Birding, May species count, Terr. #2, Votier’s Flats, FCPP, from Macleod Tr to Bridge #6, SW Calgary, 0800-1400, Sat. 28May2016. 8 km. Mostly sunny, becoming overcast at noon, light sprinkle, calm, becoming windy from N, 10 kph. 6 to 13°C. <br /> <br /> 1.Canada Goose-17 <br /> 2.Gadwall-2 <br /> 3.American Wigeon-2 <br /> 4.Mallard-36. <br /> 5.Blue-winged Teal-3 <br /> 6.Redhead-2 <br /> 7.Bufflehead-1 <br /> 8.Common Goldeneye-2 <br /> 9.Common Merganser-1 <br /> 10.Ring-necked Pheasant-3 <br /> 11.American White Pelican-27 <br /> 12.Great Blue Heron-1 (cw) <br /> 13.Turkey Vulture-1 (cw) <br /> 14.Osprey-2 <br /> 15.Cooper’s Hawk-1 (cw) <br /> 16.Swainson’s Hawk-3 <br /> 17.Red-tailed Hawk-2 <br /> 18.Sora-1 <br /> 19.Killdeer-1 (cw) <br /> 20.Spotted Sandpiper-12 <br /> 21.Franklin’s Gull-78 <br /> 22.Rock Pigeon-2 <br /> 23.Northern Saw-whet Owl-1, seen by Jordan Peshev. <br /> 24.Belted Kingfisher-2 <br /> 25.Downy Woodpecker-2 <br /> 26.Northern Flicker-5. <br /> 27.Least Flycatcher-3 <br /> 28.Red-eyed Vireo-1 <br /> 29.Black-billed Magpie-4 <br /> 30.American Crow-4 <br /> 31.Common Raven-6 <br /> 32.Tree Swallow-15 <br /> 33.Northern Rough-winged Swallow-5 <br /> 34.Bank Swallow-204 <br /> 35.Black-capped Chickadee-11 <br /> 36.Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 <br /> 37.White-breasted Nuthatch-2 <br /> 38.House Wren-4 <br /> 39.American Robin-35 <br /> 40.Gray Catbird-2 <br /> 41.European Starling-8 <br /> 42.Tennessee Warbler-2 <br /> 43.Yellow Warbler-24 <br /> 44.Chipping Sparrow-4 (cw) <br /> 45.Clay-coloured Sparrow-18 <br /> 46.Savannah Sparrow-3 <br /> 47.Le Conte’s Sparrow-1 <br /> 48.Song Sparrow-1 <br /> 49.Lincoln’s Sparrow-1 (cw) <br /> 50.White-throated Sparrow-7 <br /> 51.Rose-breasted Grosbeak-2 (cw) <br /> 52.Red-winged Blackbird-78 <br /> 53.Yellow-headed Blackbird-2 <br /> 54.Brown-headed Cowbird-19 <br /> 55.Baltimore Oriole-2 (cw) <br /> 56.House Finch-7 <br /> 57.Pine Siskin-1 <br /> 58.American Goldfinch-7 <br /> 59.House Sparrow-3<br /> <br /> Red Squirrel-4<br /> Muskrat-2<br /> Mule Deer-1<br /> Spring Azure butterfly-3<br /> Red-disked Alpine-3</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/42115030 tag:ipernity.com,2016-05-29,doc-42115030 Sun, 29 May 2016 11:28:52 +0000 2016-05-28T16:55:56-06:00 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/293827/42115030"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/50/30/42115030.fe3d6b1a.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description"></div> No wonder there are so many Savannah Sparrows : ) <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/293827/42115030"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/50/30/42115030.fe3d6b1a.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description"></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/41697822 tag:ipernity.com,2016-04-24,doc-41697822 Sun, 24 Apr 2016 12:50:03 +0000 2016-04-23T09:20:13-06:00 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/293827/41697822"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/78/22/41697822.9f2b9a22.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 23 April 2016, I joined a few friends for a walk at Inglewood Brd Sanctuary. I only took about 10 photos and this is basically the only one that I will be keeping. Posting it just for the record of where I went that day. Such dismal weather - more like winter, especially when my vehicle got a light dusting of sleet/snow on the drive home. I knew the weather would be no good for photos, but I wanted to spend some a bit of time with firends. As well as the leisurely walk, we also went to the Blackfoot Diner for lunch. Always an enjoyable experience. <br /> <br /> "A rich, russet-and-gray bird with bold streaks down its white chest, the Song Sparrow is one of the most familiar North American sparrows. Don’t let the bewildering variety of regional differences this bird shows across North America deter you: it’s one of the first species you should suspect if you see a streaky sparrow in an open, shrubby, or wet area. If it perches on a low shrub, leans back, and sings a stuttering, clattering song, so much the better." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> Today, the weather has been very unpleasant, too, but didn't stop nine of us from going on a day trip SE of Calgary, to the Frank Lake area. Will post a photo from there tomorrow morning with a species list of 56 bird species seen!</div> Song Sparrow / Melospiza melodia <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/293827/41697822"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/78/22/41697822.9f2b9a22.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 23 April 2016, I joined a few friends for a walk at Inglewood Brd Sanctuary. I only took about 10 photos and this is basically the only one that I will be keeping. Posting it just for the record of where I went that day. Such dismal weather - more like winter, especially when my vehicle got a light dusting of sleet/snow on the drive home. I knew the weather would be no good for photos, but I wanted to spend some a bit of time with firends. As well as the leisurely walk, we also went to the Blackfoot Diner for lunch. Always an enjoyable experience. <br /> <br /> "A rich, russet-and-gray bird with bold streaks down its white chest, the Song Sparrow is one of the most familiar North American sparrows. Don’t let the bewildering variety of regional differences this bird shows across North America deter you: it’s one of the first species you should suspect if you see a streaky sparrow in an open, shrubby, or wet area. If it perches on a low shrub, leans back, and sings a stuttering, clattering song, so much the better." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> Today, the weather has been very unpleasant, too, but didn't stop nine of us from going on a day trip SE of Calgary, to the Frank Lake area. Will post a photo from there tomorrow morning with a species list of 56 bird species seen!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/41680004 tag:ipernity.com,2016-04-22,doc-41680004 Fri, 22 Apr 2016 16:10:51 +0000 2015-06-06T15:43:12-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/41680004"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/00/04/41680004.7f2b4712.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">HAPPY EARTH DAY!<br /> <br /> Last year, on 6 June 2015, my place was beginning to get uncomfortably warm inside. That meant I needed air-conditioning and the only place to find it was in my car. So, off I went along the backroads SW of the city. I wasn't expecting to see anything different, but there were certain birds that I was certain I would see - birds that I really enjoy photographing. I really do need to drive somewhere different, but this drive is just a fairly short drive and fits nicely into an afternoon or early evening.<br /> <br /> The "usual" included Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. Funny how Tree Swallows will sometimes "tease" their Bluebird neighbours by flying and landing very near the Bluebird nesting box. Out of nowhere, the brilliant flash of blue of the male flies at top speed to chase the Tree Swallows away. On this day, I noticed the female Bluebird landed just a couple of feet from the Tree Swallow nesting box and just sat there with a Swallow on either side of her. No idea why she did this, as it annoyed the Swallows, and of course she was chased away.<br /> <br /> Other sightings on my drive included Red-winged Blackbirds, Black Terns, a pair of Cinnamon Teal glowing in the bright sunlight, a distant Coot feeding her little ones, a Pied-billed Grebe who was annoying an adult Coot who kept racing across the top of the water to chase the Grebe further away. My final sighting was a Coyote in a field of Dandelions. By the time I had pulled over and raised my camera, it was already heading off in the opposite direction, stopping once to look back, as Coyotes tend to do.<br /> <br /> Usually when I see a small bird perched on a fence post, it turns out to be a Savannah Sparrow, as in this case. Love their bright yellow 'eyebrows'. <br /> <br /> "Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify: Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> I almost forgot to mention the highlight of my drive! Not far from home, I noticed a Canada Goose in the distance, standing in the grasses right at the edge of the road. I thought it might just step out in front of me, so I stopped in my lane and turned on my hazard flashers. Sure enough, it did exactly what I was suspecting - and it was followed by its family of half a dozen or so goslings walking in a very disciplined single file, with Mom/Dad bringing up the rear. Fortunately, the two cars coming behind me in the other lane also slowed down and stopped till everyone was safely to the other side. May sound silly, but I find it such an amazing, humbling experience when this happens : )</div> Savannah 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/293827/41680004"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/00/04/41680004.7f2b4712.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">HAPPY EARTH DAY!<br /> <br /> Last year, on 6 June 2015, my place was beginning to get uncomfortably warm inside. That meant I needed air-conditioning and the only place to find it was in my car. So, off I went along the backroads SW of the city. I wasn't expecting to see anything different, but there were certain birds that I was certain I would see - birds that I really enjoy photographing. I really do need to drive somewhere different, but this drive is just a fairly short drive and fits nicely into an afternoon or early evening.<br /> <br /> The "usual" included Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. Funny how Tree Swallows will sometimes "tease" their Bluebird neighbours by flying and landing very near the Bluebird nesting box. Out of nowhere, the brilliant flash of blue of the male flies at top speed to chase the Tree Swallows away. On this day, I noticed the female Bluebird landed just a couple of feet from the Tree Swallow nesting box and just sat there with a Swallow on either side of her. No idea why she did this, as it annoyed the Swallows, and of course she was chased away.<br /> <br /> Other sightings on my drive included Red-winged Blackbirds, Black Terns, a pair of Cinnamon Teal glowing in the bright sunlight, a distant Coot feeding her little ones, a Pied-billed Grebe who was annoying an adult Coot who kept racing across the top of the water to chase the Grebe further away. My final sighting was a Coyote in a field of Dandelions. By the time I had pulled over and raised my camera, it was already heading off in the opposite direction, stopping once to look back, as Coyotes tend to do.<br /> <br /> Usually when I see a small bird perched on a fence post, it turns out to be a Savannah Sparrow, as in this case. Love their bright yellow 'eyebrows'. <br /> <br /> "Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify: Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> I almost forgot to mention the highlight of my drive! Not far from home, I noticed a Canada Goose in the distance, standing in the grasses right at the edge of the road. I thought it might just step out in front of me, so I stopped in my lane and turned on my hazard flashers. Sure enough, it did exactly what I was suspecting - and it was followed by its family of half a dozen or so goslings walking in a very disciplined single file, with Mom/Dad bringing up the rear. Fortunately, the two cars coming behind me in the other lane also slowed down and stopped till everyone was safely to the other side. May sound silly, but I find it such an amazing, humbling experience when this happens : )</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/41565058 tag:ipernity.com,2016-04-10,doc-41565058 Sun, 10 Apr 2016 16:29:21 +0000 2016-04-09T09:23:26-06:00 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/293827/41565058"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/50/58/41565058.1f1ddbe7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is NOT my MAIN photo of the day - I'm wondering if this one or the third one is being seen by some people as the main one, again. Also, it's almost 12:00 noon and there are only eight new photos showing from my Contacts! Is everyone out enjoying the weather, or is Flickr acting up yet again?? <br /> <br /> For maybe a week, I have been having a problem getting my photos to be bright enough. So weird - I never had this happen before. They seem to look OK when I edit them the night before, then, when I post them on Flickr the following morning, they almost always look too dark.<br /> <br /> Yesterday morning, 9 April 2016, friends Dorothy and Stephen led a group of us on a birding walk at Carburn Park. Most enjoyable, except for the very strong winds! Down by the river, especially, we were almost blown off our feet. Amazing that any bird can deal with that, but we still ended up seeing a good number of species, including this little House Sparrow busy preparing a tree cavity for a nest. The House Sparrow is an introduced species here.<br /> <br /> "One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> I will add our leaders' final list of species:<br /> <br /> Birding for Beginners, Saturday 9 April, 2016. Carburn Park. 9:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Sunny, N.Wind 49 kph. 7-10 degrees C. 22 participants.<br /> <br /> 1. Canada Goose – 20<br /> 2. Common Goldeneye – 10<br /> 3. Mallard – 10<br /> 4. Common Merganser – 4<br /> 5. Hooded Merganser – 1<br /> 6. Ring-billed Gull – 34<br /> 7. Franklin Gull – 2<br /> 8. Bald Eagle – 1<br /> 9. Bohemian Waxwings – 12<br /> 10. Black-capped Chickadees – 11<br /> 11. American Crow – 6<br /> 12. Northern Flicker – 6<br /> 12. House Finch – 4<br /> 13. Magpie – 6<br /> 14. Merlin – 1<br /> 15. Red-breasted Nuthatch - 3<br /> 16. Raven – 10<br /> 17. American Robin – 15<br /> 18. Starling – 2<br /> 19. House Sparrow – 4<br /> 20. Tree Swallow – 9<br /> 21. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1<br /> 22. Downy Woodpecker – 5<br /> <br /> White-tailed Deer – 6<br /> Black Squirrel – 6<br /> <br /> Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, Dorothy&Stephen Spring<br /> <br /> Many thanks, Dorothy and Stephen, for giving up a Saturday morning for us all. As always, the trip to Tim Hortons for coffee and lunch after the walk was great.</div> Camouflaged House Sparrow at cavity <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/293827/41565058"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/50/58/41565058.1f1ddbe7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is NOT my MAIN photo of the day - I'm wondering if this one or the third one is being seen by some people as the main one, again. Also, it's almost 12:00 noon and there are only eight new photos showing from my Contacts! Is everyone out enjoying the weather, or is Flickr acting up yet again?? <br /> <br /> For maybe a week, I have been having a problem getting my photos to be bright enough. So weird - I never had this happen before. They seem to look OK when I edit them the night before, then, when I post them on Flickr the following morning, they almost always look too dark.<br /> <br /> Yesterday morning, 9 April 2016, friends Dorothy and Stephen led a group of us on a birding walk at Carburn Park. Most enjoyable, except for the very strong winds! Down by the river, especially, we were almost blown off our feet. Amazing that any bird can deal with that, but we still ended up seeing a good number of species, including this little House Sparrow busy preparing a tree cavity for a nest. The House Sparrow is an introduced species here.<br /> <br /> "One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id</a><br /> <br /> I will add our leaders' final list of species:<br /> <br /> Birding for Beginners, Saturday 9 April, 2016. Carburn Park. 9:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Sunny, N.Wind 49 kph. 7-10 degrees C. 22 participants.<br /> <br /> 1. Canada Goose – 20<br /> 2. Common Goldeneye – 10<br /> 3. Mallard – 10<br /> 4. Common Merganser – 4<br /> 5. Hooded Merganser – 1<br /> 6. Ring-billed Gull – 34<br /> 7. Franklin Gull – 2<br /> 8. Bald Eagle – 1<br /> 9. Bohemian Waxwings – 12<br /> 10. Black-capped Chickadees – 11<br /> 11. American Crow – 6<br /> 12. Northern Flicker – 6<br /> 12. House Finch – 4<br /> 13. Magpie – 6<br /> 14. Merlin – 1<br /> 15. Red-breasted Nuthatch - 3<br /> 16. Raven – 10<br /> 17. American Robin – 15<br /> 18. Starling – 2<br /> 19. House Sparrow – 4<br /> 20. Tree Swallow – 9<br /> 21. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1<br /> 22. Downy Woodpecker – 5<br /> <br /> White-tailed Deer – 6<br /> Black Squirrel – 6<br /> <br /> Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, Dorothy&Stephen Spring<br /> <br /> Many thanks, Dorothy and Stephen, for giving up a Saturday morning for us all. As always, the trip to Tim Hortons for coffee and lunch after the walk was great.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40343784 tag:ipernity.com,2015-11-12,doc-40343784 Thu, 12 Nov 2015 16:30:28 +0000 2015-09-21T16:49:42-07:00 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/293827/40343784"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/84/40343784.96e3f173.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I love photographing these birds when I get the chance. They have such a beautiful feather pattern. Like this photo, many of my House Sparrow photos have been taken at the Calgary Zoo. This one was seen at the Zoo on 21 September 2015. The House Sparrow is an introduced species here. Is this bird a young male?<br /> <br /> "One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id</a></div> "Just" a little House 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/293827/40343784"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/37/84/40343784.96e3f173.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I love photographing these birds when I get the chance. They have such a beautiful feather pattern. Like this photo, many of my House Sparrow photos have been taken at the Calgary Zoo. This one was seen at the Zoo on 21 September 2015. The House Sparrow is an introduced species here. Is this bird a young male?<br /> <br /> "One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39836024 tag:ipernity.com,2015-09-29,doc-39836024 Tue, 29 Sep 2015 12:35:54 +0000 2015-09-21T13:08:35-06:00 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/293827/39836024"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/60/24/39836024.8a646427.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"Just" a little male House Sparrow, but I love photographing these birds when I get the chance. Like this photo, many of my House Sparrow photos have been taken at the Calgary Zoo. They have such a beautiful feather pattern. This one was seen at the Calgary Zoo on 21 September 2015. The House Sparrow is an introduced species here:<br /> <br /> "One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id</a></div> "Just" a little House 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/293827/39836024"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/60/24/39836024.8a646427.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"Just" a little male House Sparrow, but I love photographing these birds when I get the chance. Like this photo, many of my House Sparrow photos have been taken at the Calgary Zoo. They have such a beautiful feather pattern. This one was seen at the Calgary Zoo on 21 September 2015. The House Sparrow is an introduced species here:<br /> <br /> "One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow/id</a></div> Anne Elliott