https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/412591 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/412591 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 01:42:50 +0000 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 01:42:50 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/51201488 tag:ipernity.com,2019-10-08,doc-51201488 Tue, 08 Oct 2019 17:00:38 +0000 2019-10-07T14:36:11-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/51201488"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/14/88/51201488.759f0f0f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Well, hello again, winter!! Yesterday, it looked like late fall. Today, we are having another snowfall, giving us our second world of white already this fall. Because of the forecast for today, I knew I had better get down to the Saskatoon Farm yesterday. I had wanted to buy a few of their vegetables, but they hold their special event at a weekend and I had no intention of facing masses of cars and people. Instead, I did a long drive into Kananaskis two days ago, which turned out to be a really good decision. <br /> <br /> Yesterday, 7 October 2019, was overcast and not good for photos, which didn't really matter, as I barely used my camera at the farm. Basically, apart from sunflowers hanging their heads, everything had already died and much had been removed. There was no colour left, and the wonderful days of visits to the farm to happily snap endless photos full of colour are now over till next spring and summer. Can't wait!<br /> <br /> After enjoying lunch there, and buying two kinds of frozen, home-made soup, I drove along one nearby road just to see if there was anything of interest. I came across an old wooden shed (outhouse?). A touch of filter in post-processing brought out the wood details.<br /> <br /> For me, the next few days will be days to hibernate, hoping that the ground (and my car) will become bare again. The forecast reckons Calgary will be getting about 10 cm of snow today. Looks like we should have sunshine on the coming days. This year has been an absolutely crazy year as far as the weather is concerned!<br /> <br /> "Domestic guineafowl, sometimes called pintades, pearl hen, or gleanies, are poultry originating from Africa. They are the domesticated form of the helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) and are related to other game birds such as the pheasants, turkeys and partridges. Although the timing of their domestication is unknown, there is evidence that domestic guineafowl were present in Greece by the 5th century BC." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> "The Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It breeds in Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced into the West Indies and southern France.... While guineafowl are native to Africa, the Helmeted Guineafowl has been domesticated and both feral and wild-type birds have been introduced elsewhere." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl</a><br /> <br /> “Frequently domesticated and included in exotic bird collections, the helmeted guineafowl is an easily recognizable bird and the most widespread game bird in Africa. In other parts of the world, feral and farm populations of these birds can be frequently seen and escapees are regular.” <br /> <br /> <a href="http://birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmeted-Guineafowl.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmete...</a></div> Domesticated Helmeted Guineafowl / "Numida meleagris" <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/293827/51201488"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/14/88/51201488.759f0f0f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Well, hello again, winter!! Yesterday, it looked like late fall. Today, we are having another snowfall, giving us our second world of white already this fall. Because of the forecast for today, I knew I had better get down to the Saskatoon Farm yesterday. I had wanted to buy a few of their vegetables, but they hold their special event at a weekend and I had no intention of facing masses of cars and people. Instead, I did a long drive into Kananaskis two days ago, which turned out to be a really good decision. <br /> <br /> Yesterday, 7 October 2019, was overcast and not good for photos, which didn't really matter, as I barely used my camera at the farm. Basically, apart from sunflowers hanging their heads, everything had already died and much had been removed. There was no colour left, and the wonderful days of visits to the farm to happily snap endless photos full of colour are now over till next spring and summer. Can't wait!<br /> <br /> After enjoying lunch there, and buying two kinds of frozen, home-made soup, I drove along one nearby road just to see if there was anything of interest. I came across an old wooden shed (outhouse?). A touch of filter in post-processing brought out the wood details.<br /> <br /> For me, the next few days will be days to hibernate, hoping that the ground (and my car) will become bare again. The forecast reckons Calgary will be getting about 10 cm of snow today. Looks like we should have sunshine on the coming days. This year has been an absolutely crazy year as far as the weather is concerned!<br /> <br /> "Domestic guineafowl, sometimes called pintades, pearl hen, or gleanies, are poultry originating from Africa. They are the domesticated form of the helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) and are related to other game birds such as the pheasants, turkeys and partridges. Although the timing of their domestication is unknown, there is evidence that domestic guineafowl were present in Greece by the 5th century BC." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> "The Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It breeds in Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced into the West Indies and southern France.... While guineafowl are native to Africa, the Helmeted Guineafowl has been domesticated and both feral and wild-type birds have been introduced elsewhere." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl</a><br /> <br /> “Frequently domesticated and included in exotic bird collections, the helmeted guineafowl is an easily recognizable bird and the most widespread game bird in Africa. In other parts of the world, feral and farm populations of these birds can be frequently seen and escapees are regular.” <br /> <br /> <a href="http://birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmeted-Guineafowl.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmete...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/50117010 tag:ipernity.com,2019-08-11,doc-50117010 Sun, 11 Aug 2019 15:39:28 +0000 2019-08-08T14:02:23-06:00 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/293827/50117010"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/70/10/50117010.870a6f78.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Three days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 9:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 305 km.</div> Old barn and Mule <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/293827/50117010"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/70/10/50117010.870a6f78.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Three days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.<br /> <br /> My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 9:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn. <br /> <br /> For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.<br /> <br /> After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.<br /> <br /> From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.<br /> <br /> Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.<br /> <br /> Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.<br /> <br /> Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 305 km.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49126878 tag:ipernity.com,2019-05-21,doc-49126878 Tue, 21 May 2019 22:26:55 +0000 2019-05-19T10:13:49-06:00 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/293827/49126878"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/78/49126878.c76a97a2.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I KNOW YOU LOVE DOGS, PAM. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SEE THIS SWEET FARM DOG THAT LIVES AT THE SASKATOON FARM - A PLACE I LOVE TO VISIT.<br /> <br /> It is almost time for Smugmug to close down Flickr for maintenance so that they can perform the mammoth task of transferring every single thing on Flickr to a new server. Hard to imagine, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the transfer all goes smoothly. There will probably be a few glitches to iron out afterwards, but these will no doubt eventually be fixed. <br /> <br /> The day before yesterday, 19 May 2019, I was out for the day with my daughter, to celebrate Mother's Day and yet another birthday for me. I always look forward to a day like this - my favourite way to spend a day! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy and windy, especially when we went to Frank Lake after spending time at the Saskatoon Farm. We both still managed to get a few photos and, today, the colourful ones are most welcome, as we have yet another gloomy day. I think it must have rained again last night, as I can see there are puddles out there.<br /> <br /> Our day started with a delicious breakfast at the Farm, after which we walked around the grounds. I always enjoy seeing the farm cats and dogs wandering about, inside and outside. Visitors are not allowed to bring dogs, which means that the farm animals can roam in peace. <br /> <br /> The gardens have not yet been planted with flowers - just as well, as I noticed that there was a risk of frost on two recent nights. There are flowers blooming in the greenhouses, though.<br /> <br /> Our next destination was Frank Lake, where we hoped to see at least a few birds. It was very quiet, with little to photograph - not the best time of the day. Two Eared Grebes were swimming near the blind, but what a challenge they were! Non stop swimming and constantly changing direction, fast. I think I ended up with a couple of photos that might be sharp enough to post - the rest have been deleted. A Yellow-headed Blackbird, perched on a cattail, was swaying in and out of the viewfinder.<br /> <br /> It felt really good to get out, as I have been spending so much time going through all the images from our trip to South Texas. It did feel a little strange to be driving, as I have barely been out the last few weeks.</div> Farm dog <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/293827/49126878"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/78/49126878.c76a97a2.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I KNOW YOU LOVE DOGS, PAM. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SEE THIS SWEET FARM DOG THAT LIVES AT THE SASKATOON FARM - A PLACE I LOVE TO VISIT.<br /> <br /> It is almost time for Smugmug to close down Flickr for maintenance so that they can perform the mammoth task of transferring every single thing on Flickr to a new server. Hard to imagine, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the transfer all goes smoothly. There will probably be a few glitches to iron out afterwards, but these will no doubt eventually be fixed. <br /> <br /> The day before yesterday, 19 May 2019, I was out for the day with my daughter, to celebrate Mother's Day and yet another birthday for me. I always look forward to a day like this - my favourite way to spend a day! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy and windy, especially when we went to Frank Lake after spending time at the Saskatoon Farm. We both still managed to get a few photos and, today, the colourful ones are most welcome, as we have yet another gloomy day. I think it must have rained again last night, as I can see there are puddles out there.<br /> <br /> Our day started with a delicious breakfast at the Farm, after which we walked around the grounds. I always enjoy seeing the farm cats and dogs wandering about, inside and outside. Visitors are not allowed to bring dogs, which means that the farm animals can roam in peace. <br /> <br /> The gardens have not yet been planted with flowers - just as well, as I noticed that there was a risk of frost on two recent nights. There are flowers blooming in the greenhouses, though.<br /> <br /> Our next destination was Frank Lake, where we hoped to see at least a few birds. It was very quiet, with little to photograph - not the best time of the day. Two Eared Grebes were swimming near the blind, but what a challenge they were! Non stop swimming and constantly changing direction, fast. I think I ended up with a couple of photos that might be sharp enough to post - the rest have been deleted. A Yellow-headed Blackbird, perched on a cattail, was swaying in and out of the viewfinder.<br /> <br /> It felt really good to get out, as I have been spending so much time going through all the images from our trip to South Texas. It did feel a little strange to be driving, as I have barely been out the last few weeks.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269734 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-11,doc-48269734 Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:05:58 +0000 2019-03-05T16:18:22-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269734"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/34/48269734.6c84a962.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After all the stress the last nine or ten days over a photo of me being posted on Facebook, I was absolutely desperate to get out for a few hours on 5 March 2019, even though I really didn't feel like going. After losing so many hours of sleep ever since then, I would happily have climbed back into bed instead, even more so once I hit the highway south. There were so many huge semi-trailer trucks and at times they seemed to be in competition with each other. I don't remember it usually being this bad.<br /> <br /> Anyway, I headed south-east of the city, though I would have loved to go east instead. The whole Facebook mess has left me feeling like I shouldn't go in that direction, though, needless to say, plenty of people are still going out there. <br /> <br /> The weather was beautiful and milder than the last 6 or 7 weeks of deep-freeze. First of all, I did the usual drive around Frank Lake - and saw nothing. After driving a few roads north of there, I again saw no birds, other than four Magpies. Feeling totally uninspired and my heart just wasn't into it at all, I ended up calling in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home. <br /> <br /> A plate of delicious quiche, a few potato wedges, fruit salad and a much-needed cup of coffee were so welcome. After that, I asked if the huge greenhouse was open. When I tried to get in, I couldn't and had to ask someone to drag the extremely heavy door. Someone must have closed it sometime, as when I went to leave, after spending time with two pigs, lots of chickens, turkeys, domestic Helmeted Guineafowl, two bunnies and lots of House Sparrows, I couldn't budge the sliding door. Same thing with the other three doors. It was ages before someone heard my banging on the door and I was so thankful when a young man turned off his snow-clearing machine and yanked the door open. I told him that I had visions of having to sleep there overnight!</div> A face only a mother could love <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/293827/48269734"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/34/48269734.6c84a962.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After all the stress the last nine or ten days over a photo of me being posted on Facebook, I was absolutely desperate to get out for a few hours on 5 March 2019, even though I really didn't feel like going. After losing so many hours of sleep ever since then, I would happily have climbed back into bed instead, even more so once I hit the highway south. There were so many huge semi-trailer trucks and at times they seemed to be in competition with each other. I don't remember it usually being this bad.<br /> <br /> Anyway, I headed south-east of the city, though I would have loved to go east instead. The whole Facebook mess has left me feeling like I shouldn't go in that direction, though, needless to say, plenty of people are still going out there. <br /> <br /> The weather was beautiful and milder than the last 6 or 7 weeks of deep-freeze. First of all, I did the usual drive around Frank Lake - and saw nothing. After driving a few roads north of there, I again saw no birds, other than four Magpies. Feeling totally uninspired and my heart just wasn't into it at all, I ended up calling in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home. <br /> <br /> A plate of delicious quiche, a few potato wedges, fruit salad and a much-needed cup of coffee were so welcome. After that, I asked if the huge greenhouse was open. When I tried to get in, I couldn't and had to ask someone to drag the extremely heavy door. Someone must have closed it sometime, as when I went to leave, after spending time with two pigs, lots of chickens, turkeys, domestic Helmeted Guineafowl, two bunnies and lots of House Sparrows, I couldn't budge the sliding door. Same thing with the other three doors. It was ages before someone heard my banging on the door and I was so thankful when a young man turned off his snow-clearing machine and yanked the door open. I told him that I had visions of having to sleep there overnight!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48211886 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-06,doc-48211886 Wed, 06 Mar 2019 06:59:26 +0000 2019-03-05T15:58:58-07:00 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/293827/48211886"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/18/86/48211886.c29616cf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After all the stress the last seven days over a photo of me being posted on Facebook, I was absolutely desperate to get out for a few hours today, even though I really didn't feel like going. After losing so many hours of sleep the past few days, I would happily have climbed back into bed instead, even more so once I hit the highway south. There were so many huge semi-trailer trucks and at times they seemed to be in competition with each other. I don't remember it usually being this bad.<br /> <br /> Anyway, I headed south-east of the city, though I would have loved to go east instead. The whole Facebook mess has left me feeling like I shouldn't go and see the owls another time, though, needless to say, plenty of people are still going out there. <br /> <br /> The weather was beautiful and milder than the last 6 or 7 weeks of deep-freeze. First of all, I did the usual drive around Frank Lake - and saw nothing. After driving a few roads north of there, I again saw no birds, other than four Magpies. Feeling totally uninspired and my heart just wasn't into it at all, I ended up calling in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home. <br /> <br /> A plate of delicious quiche, a few fries, fruit salad and a much-needed cup of coffee was so welcome. After that, I asked if the huge greenhouse was open. When I tried to get in, I couldn't and had to ask someone to drag the extremely heavy door. Someone must have closed it sometime, as when I went to leave, after spending time with two pigs, lots of chickens, turkeys, Helmeted Guineafowl, two bunnies and lots of House Sparrows, I couldn't budge the sliding door. Same thing with the other three doors. It was ages before someone heard my banging on the door and I was so thankful when a young man turned off his snow-clearing machine and yanked the door open. I told him that I had visions of having to sleep there overnight! Does anyone know if I murdered 100 people in a previous life, lol???<br /> <br /> "The Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It breeds in Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced into the West Indies and southern France.... While guineafowl are native to Africa, the Helmeted Guineafowl has been domesticated and both feral and wild-type birds have been introduced elsewhere." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl</a><br /> <br /> “Frequently domesticated and included in exotic bird collections, the helmeted guineafowl is an easily recognizable bird and the most widespread game bird in Africa. In other parts of the world, feral and farm populations of these birds can be frequently seen and escapees are regular.” <br /> <br /> <a href="http://birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmeted-Guineafowl.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmete...</a></div> Helmeted Guineafowl <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/293827/48211886"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/18/86/48211886.c29616cf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After all the stress the last seven days over a photo of me being posted on Facebook, I was absolutely desperate to get out for a few hours today, even though I really didn't feel like going. After losing so many hours of sleep the past few days, I would happily have climbed back into bed instead, even more so once I hit the highway south. There were so many huge semi-trailer trucks and at times they seemed to be in competition with each other. I don't remember it usually being this bad.<br /> <br /> Anyway, I headed south-east of the city, though I would have loved to go east instead. The whole Facebook mess has left me feeling like I shouldn't go and see the owls another time, though, needless to say, plenty of people are still going out there. <br /> <br /> The weather was beautiful and milder than the last 6 or 7 weeks of deep-freeze. First of all, I did the usual drive around Frank Lake - and saw nothing. After driving a few roads north of there, I again saw no birds, other than four Magpies. Feeling totally uninspired and my heart just wasn't into it at all, I ended up calling in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home. <br /> <br /> A plate of delicious quiche, a few fries, fruit salad and a much-needed cup of coffee was so welcome. After that, I asked if the huge greenhouse was open. When I tried to get in, I couldn't and had to ask someone to drag the extremely heavy door. Someone must have closed it sometime, as when I went to leave, after spending time with two pigs, lots of chickens, turkeys, Helmeted Guineafowl, two bunnies and lots of House Sparrows, I couldn't budge the sliding door. Same thing with the other three doors. It was ages before someone heard my banging on the door and I was so thankful when a young man turned off his snow-clearing machine and yanked the door open. I told him that I had visions of having to sleep there overnight! Does anyone know if I murdered 100 people in a previous life, lol???<br /> <br /> "The Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It breeds in Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced into the West Indies and southern France.... While guineafowl are native to Africa, the Helmeted Guineafowl has been domesticated and both feral and wild-type birds have been introduced elsewhere." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl</a><br /> <br /> “Frequently domesticated and included in exotic bird collections, the helmeted guineafowl is an easily recognizable bird and the most widespread game bird in Africa. In other parts of the world, feral and farm populations of these birds can be frequently seen and escapees are regular.” <br /> <br /> <a href="http://birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmeted-Guineafowl.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">birding.about.com/od/Grouse-Quail-And-Pheasants/p/Helmete...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47959442 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-04,doc-47959442 Fri, 04 Jan 2019 06:39:36 +0000 2018-12-29T11:39:12-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47959442"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/94/42/47959442.aefa1bd7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No more Llama photos (till next year) and no more red barn photos from this Bird Count. Promise! I didn't want to be posting any of these in between photos taken in Quebec last May, so now they are out of the way.<br /> <br /> I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Llama beauty <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/293827/47959442"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/94/42/47959442.aefa1bd7.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No more Llama photos (till next year) and no more red barn photos from this Bird Count. Promise! I didn't want to be posting any of these in between photos taken in Quebec last May, so now they are out of the way.<br /> <br /> I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47959436 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-04,doc-47959436 Fri, 04 Jan 2019 06:37:03 +0000 2018-12-29T11:39:32-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47959436"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/94/36/47959436.7683c1f1.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No more Llama photos (till next year) and no more red barn photos from this Bird Count. Promise! I didn't want to be posting any of these in between photos taken in Quebec last May, so now they are out of the way.<br /> <br /> I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> The white Llama <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/293827/47959436"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/94/36/47959436.7683c1f1.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No more Llama photos (till next year) and no more red barn photos from this Bird Count. Promise! I didn't want to be posting any of these in between photos taken in Quebec last May, so now they are out of the way.<br /> <br /> I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47943572 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-03,doc-47943572 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 06:12:02 +0000 2018-12-29T11:35:11-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47943572"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/72/47943572.635f468b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. Some farms have one or more donkeys/llamas, as they are good for keeping coyotes away. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Overload of Llamas : ) <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/293827/47943572"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/72/47943572.635f468b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. Some farms have one or more donkeys/llamas, as they are good for keeping coyotes away. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47943564 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-03,doc-47943564 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 06:09:49 +0000 2018-12-29T11:36:10-07:00 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/293827/47943564"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/64/47943564.b077e57d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Llama <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/293827/47943564"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/64/47943564.b077e57d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47943554 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-03,doc-47943554 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 06:06:09 +0000 2018-12-29T11:36:47-07:00 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/293827/47943554"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/54/47943554.72af307b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Up close with a Llama <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/293827/47943554"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/54/47943554.72af307b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47943514 tag:ipernity.com,2019-01-03,doc-47943514 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 06:03:13 +0000 2018-12-29T11:34:48-07:00 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/293827/47943514"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/14/47943514.c91b0027.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Llama in winter <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/293827/47943514"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/35/14/47943514.c91b0027.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. <br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated, <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47922988 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-30,doc-47922988 Sun, 30 Dec 2018 16:26:03 +0000 2018-12-29T11:38:40-07:00 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/293827/47922988"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/29/88/47922988.c9271038.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="183" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Hi, Pam, hope this Llama makes you smile : )<br /> <br /> The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to them by other farmers who no longer wanted them. This light-coloured one is so regal. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Andolesian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them yesterday. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious gourds. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful yesterday, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. Today, 30 December 2018, it is -9C (windchill -20C) and it has been snowing.<br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated : ) <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Christmas Llama - oops, Bird! - Count <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/293827/47922988"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/29/88/47922988.c9271038.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="183" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Hi, Pam, hope this Llama makes you smile : )<br /> <br /> The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to them by other farmers who no longer wanted them. This light-coloured one is so regal. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Andolesian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them yesterday. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious gourds. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful yesterday, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. Today, 30 December 2018, it is -9C (windchill -20C) and it has been snowing.<br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated : ) <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47922894 tag:ipernity.com,2018-12-30,doc-47922894 Sun, 30 Dec 2018 16:23:21 +0000 2018-12-29T12:14:26-07:00 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/293827/47922894"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/94/47922894.30911b1f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. The light-coloured one is so regal. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Andolesian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them yesterday. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious gourds. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful yesterday, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. Today, 30 December 2018, it is -9C (windchill -20C) and it has been snowing.<br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated : ) <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Have you ever seen a furry pig? <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/293827/47922894"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/94/47922894.30911b1f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.<br /> <br /> One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. The light-coloured one is so regal. <br /> <br /> "Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Andolesian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them yesterday. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious gourds. Apparently, babies are striped. <br /> <br /> "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica</a><br /> <br /> Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tannasenvironmental.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.tannasenvironmental.com/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm</a><br /> <br /> The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )<br /> <br /> The weather was so beautiful yesterday, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. Today, 30 December 2018, it is -9C (windchill -20C) and it has been snowing.<br /> <br /> A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated : ) <br /> <br /> Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47624292 tag:ipernity.com,2018-11-07,doc-47624292 Wed, 07 Nov 2018 16:30:27 +0000 2018-10-17T15:46:58-07:00 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/293827/47624292"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/42/92/47624292.9de3d087.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This morning, my appointment to get two cortisone injections in my knees has just been cancelled and rescheduled for Monday. With a temperature of -9C (windchill -13C), I wish that meant I didn't need to go out in the cold and clear the snow off my car. However, I have a few errands that I really need to run.<br /> <br /> On 17 October 2018, I managed to get over to Carburn Park for a walk. Though I have seen a number of Rusty Blackbirds, this species was still a bird I wanted to look out for. As it turned out, this was not one of my finds. However, I saw a few other things that were a delight to see, including meeting two Ferrets that were out for a walk (or rather, travelling in a stroller) with their 'people". Both are rescue animals, which was good to see. <br /> <br /> "Ferret Rescue & Education Society (FRES) is a non-profit, charitable organization that was started by a group of devoted ferret owners in the Calgary area who recognized the need for a locally based rescue dedicated to ferrets. Our committed volunteers assist FRES in their goal to find permanent homes for all of the ferrets surrendered to us. They also provide shelter, basic needs, veterinary care, and if necessary, rehabilitation for all abused, unwanted, and abandoned ferrets regardless of their health status." From the FRES website.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ferrets.ca/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ferrets.ca/</a><br /> <br /> Another lovely encounter was with the resident Great Horned Owl. Two friends that I bumped into in the park described where they had just seen it. Two or three strangers also helped pinpoint the exact tree : ) Over the years, we have seen Great Horned Owls in this park - always a joy. On this particular day, this owl was rather agitated and moved two or three times. One of the park's Eastern Gray Squirrels was teasing the owl. <br /> <br /> As if a couple of 'rescue' Ferrets and a Great Horned Owl weren't enough, we were also very lucky to see a Harlequin Duck (male) out on the Bow River. When we first saw it, it wasn't too far out on the water, but it gradually swam further and further away, diving constantly. My photos were not the greatest, but they serve as a record of seeing this very handsome duck. <br /> <br /> The weather was gorgeous, and much-deserved after the dreadful winter weather we have been having (in fall)! A perfect day to be outdoors, so I just couldn't resist. Lovely to see you, Pam, though unfortunate that you were just leaving when I arrived. Great to see you, Bonnie, and spend time with you. Had been a long time, no see.</div> Pet &#039;rescue&#039; Ferret <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/293827/47624292"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/42/92/47624292.9de3d087.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This morning, my appointment to get two cortisone injections in my knees has just been cancelled and rescheduled for Monday. With a temperature of -9C (windchill -13C), I wish that meant I didn't need to go out in the cold and clear the snow off my car. However, I have a few errands that I really need to run.<br /> <br /> On 17 October 2018, I managed to get over to Carburn Park for a walk. Though I have seen a number of Rusty Blackbirds, this species was still a bird I wanted to look out for. As it turned out, this was not one of my finds. However, I saw a few other things that were a delight to see, including meeting two Ferrets that were out for a walk (or rather, travelling in a stroller) with their 'people". Both are rescue animals, which was good to see. <br /> <br /> "Ferret Rescue & Education Society (FRES) is a non-profit, charitable organization that was started by a group of devoted ferret owners in the Calgary area who recognized the need for a locally based rescue dedicated to ferrets. Our committed volunteers assist FRES in their goal to find permanent homes for all of the ferrets surrendered to us. They also provide shelter, basic needs, veterinary care, and if necessary, rehabilitation for all abused, unwanted, and abandoned ferrets regardless of their health status." From the FRES website.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ferrets.ca/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ferrets.ca/</a><br /> <br /> Another lovely encounter was with the resident Great Horned Owl. Two friends that I bumped into in the park described where they had just seen it. Two or three strangers also helped pinpoint the exact tree : ) Over the years, we have seen Great Horned Owls in this park - always a joy. On this particular day, this owl was rather agitated and moved two or three times. One of the park's Eastern Gray Squirrels was teasing the owl. <br /> <br /> As if a couple of 'rescue' Ferrets and a Great Horned Owl weren't enough, we were also very lucky to see a Harlequin Duck (male) out on the Bow River. When we first saw it, it wasn't too far out on the water, but it gradually swam further and further away, diving constantly. My photos were not the greatest, but they serve as a record of seeing this very handsome duck. <br /> <br /> The weather was gorgeous, and much-deserved after the dreadful winter weather we have been having (in fall)! A perfect day to be outdoors, so I just couldn't resist. Lovely to see you, Pam, though unfortunate that you were just leaving when I arrived. Great to see you, Bonnie, and spend time with you. Had been a long time, no see.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47620390 tag:ipernity.com,2018-11-06,doc-47620390 Tue, 06 Nov 2018 17:08:51 +0000 2018-10-17T15:47:47-07:00 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/293827/47620390"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/03/90/47620390.d326bf99.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">To all my American friends - today is THE day. Make sure you get out and VOTE! Good luck. The world will be watching.<br /> <br /> The temperature this morning, 6 November 2018, is -10C (windchill -14C) and it is snowing again. "SNOW and ICE create messy, SLICK driving conditions in Calgary." Thanks Weather Network, just what I wanted to read : ) So glad I don't have to go out today, though I will have to tomorrow, to get a cortizone injection in both of my knees (unfortunately, two in shoulders and two in hips, for very painful bursitis (inflammation), at a later date). Never had one of these shots before and I am really hoping that they will work. I'm a mess, ha.<br /> <br /> On 17 October 2018, I managed to get over to Carburn Park for a walk. Though I have seen a number of Rusty Blackbirds, this species was still a bird I wanted to look out for. As it turned out, this was not one of my finds. However, I saw a few other things that were a delight to see, including meeting two Ferrets that were out for a walk (or rather, travelling in a stroller) with their 'people". Both are rescue animals, which was good to see. <br /> <br /> "Ferret Rescue & Education Society (FRES) is a non-profit, charitable organization that was started by a group of devoted ferret owners in the Calgary area who recognized the need for a locally based rescue dedicated to ferrets. Our committed volunteers assist FRES in their goal to find permanent homes for all of the ferrets surrendered to us. They also provide shelter, basic needs, veterinary care, and if necessary, rehabilitation for all abused, unwanted, and abandoned ferrets regardless of their health status." From the FRES website.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ferrets.ca/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ferrets.ca/</a><br /> <br /> Another lovely encounter was with the resident Great Horned Owl. Two friends that I bumped into in the park described where they had just seen it. Two or three strangers also helped pinpoint the exact tree : ) Over the years, we have seen Great Horned Owls in this park - always a joy. On this particular day, this owl was rather agitated and moved two or three times. One of the park's Eastern Gray Squirrels was teasing the owl. <br /> <br /> As if a couple of 'rescue' Ferrets and a Great Horned Owl weren't enough, we were also very lucky to see a Harlequin Duck (male) out on the Bow River. When we first saw it, it wasn't too far out on the water, but it gradually swam further and further away, diving constantly. My photos were not the greatest, but they serve as a record of seeing this very handsome duck. <br /> <br /> The weather was gorgeous, and much-deserved after the dreadful winter weather we have been having (in fall)! A perfect day to be outdoors, so I just couldn't resist. Lovely to see you, Pam, though unfortunate that you were just leaving when I arrived. Great to see you, Bonnie, and spend time with you. Had been a long time, no see.</div> A pet &#039;rescue&#039; Ferret <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/293827/47620390"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/03/90/47620390.d326bf99.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">To all my American friends - today is THE day. Make sure you get out and VOTE! Good luck. The world will be watching.<br /> <br /> The temperature this morning, 6 November 2018, is -10C (windchill -14C) and it is snowing again. "SNOW and ICE create messy, SLICK driving conditions in Calgary." Thanks Weather Network, just what I wanted to read : ) So glad I don't have to go out today, though I will have to tomorrow, to get a cortizone injection in both of my knees (unfortunately, two in shoulders and two in hips, for very painful bursitis (inflammation), at a later date). Never had one of these shots before and I am really hoping that they will work. I'm a mess, ha.<br /> <br /> On 17 October 2018, I managed to get over to Carburn Park for a walk. Though I have seen a number of Rusty Blackbirds, this species was still a bird I wanted to look out for. As it turned out, this was not one of my finds. However, I saw a few other things that were a delight to see, including meeting two Ferrets that were out for a walk (or rather, travelling in a stroller) with their 'people". Both are rescue animals, which was good to see. <br /> <br /> "Ferret Rescue & Education Society (FRES) is a non-profit, charitable organization that was started by a group of devoted ferret owners in the Calgary area who recognized the need for a locally based rescue dedicated to ferrets. Our committed volunteers assist FRES in their goal to find permanent homes for all of the ferrets surrendered to us. They also provide shelter, basic needs, veterinary care, and if necessary, rehabilitation for all abused, unwanted, and abandoned ferrets regardless of their health status." From the FRES website.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ferrets.ca/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ferrets.ca/</a><br /> <br /> Another lovely encounter was with the resident Great Horned Owl. Two friends that I bumped into in the park described where they had just seen it. Two or three strangers also helped pinpoint the exact tree : ) Over the years, we have seen Great Horned Owls in this park - always a joy. On this particular day, this owl was rather agitated and moved two or three times. One of the park's Eastern Gray Squirrels was teasing the owl. <br /> <br /> As if a couple of 'rescue' Ferrets and a Great Horned Owl weren't enough, we were also very lucky to see a Harlequin Duck (male) out on the Bow River. When we first saw it, it wasn't too far out on the water, but it gradually swam further and further away, diving constantly. My photos were not the greatest, but they serve as a record of seeing this very handsome duck. <br /> <br /> The weather was gorgeous, and much-deserved after the dreadful winter weather we have been having (in fall)! A perfect day to be outdoors, so I just couldn't resist. Lovely to see you, Pam, though unfortunate that you were just leaving when I arrived. Great to see you, Bonnie, and spend time with you. Had been a long time, no see.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47506828 tag:ipernity.com,2018-10-19,doc-47506828 Fri, 19 Oct 2018 04:01:52 +0000 2018-10-17T15:47:36-06:00 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/293827/47506828"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/28/47506828.95422aed.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday afternoon, 17 October 2018, I managed to get over to Carburn Park for a walk. Though I have seen a number of Rusty Blackbirds, this species was still a bird I wanted to look out for. As it turned out, this was not one of my finds. However, I saw a few other things that were a delight to see, including meeting this and a second Ferret that were out for a walk (or rather, travelling in a stroller) with their 'people". This is the male, larger than the other animal who was a female. Both are rescue animals, which was good to see. <br /> <br /> "Ferret Rescue & Education Society (FRES) is a non-profit, charitable organization that was started by a group of devoted ferret owners in the Calgary area who recognized the need for a locally based rescue dedicated to ferrets. Our committed volunteers assist FRES in their goal to find permanent homes for all of the ferrets surrendered to us. They also provide shelter, basic needs, veterinary care, and if necessary, rehabilitation for all abused, unwanted, and abandoned ferrets regardless of their health status." From the FRES website.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ferrets.ca/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ferrets.ca/</a><br /> <br /> Another lovely encounter was with the resident Great Horned Owl. Two friends that I bumped into in the park described where they had just seen it. Two or three strangers also helped pinpoint the exact tree : ) Over the years, we have seen Great Horned Owls in this park - always a joy. Yesterday, this owl was rather agitated and moved two or three times. One of the park's Eastern Gray Squirrels was teasing the owl. <br /> <br /> As if a couple of Ferrets and a Great Horned Owl weren't enough, we were also very lucky to see a Harlequin Duck (male) out on the Bow River. When we first saw it, it wasn't too far out on the water, but it gradually swam further and further away, diving constantly. Not the greatest photos, but they serve as a record of seeing this very handsome duck. <br /> <br /> The weather was gorgeous, and much-deserved after the dreadful winter weather we have been having (in fall)! A perfect day to be outdoors, so I just couldn't resist. Lovely to see you, Pam, though unfortunate that you were just leaving when I arrived. Great to see you, Bonnie, and spend time with you. Has been a long time, no see.</div> A Ferret in the park <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47506828"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/28/47506828.95422aed.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday afternoon, 17 October 2018, I managed to get over to Carburn Park for a walk. Though I have seen a number of Rusty Blackbirds, this species was still a bird I wanted to look out for. As it turned out, this was not one of my finds. However, I saw a few other things that were a delight to see, including meeting this and a second Ferret that were out for a walk (or rather, travelling in a stroller) with their 'people". This is the male, larger than the other animal who was a female. Both are rescue animals, which was good to see. <br /> <br /> "Ferret Rescue & Education Society (FRES) is a non-profit, charitable organization that was started by a group of devoted ferret owners in the Calgary area who recognized the need for a locally based rescue dedicated to ferrets. Our committed volunteers assist FRES in their goal to find permanent homes for all of the ferrets surrendered to us. They also provide shelter, basic needs, veterinary care, and if necessary, rehabilitation for all abused, unwanted, and abandoned ferrets regardless of their health status." From the FRES website.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ferrets.ca/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ferrets.ca/</a><br /> <br /> Another lovely encounter was with the resident Great Horned Owl. Two friends that I bumped into in the park described where they had just seen it. Two or three strangers also helped pinpoint the exact tree : ) Over the years, we have seen Great Horned Owls in this park - always a joy. Yesterday, this owl was rather agitated and moved two or three times. One of the park's Eastern Gray Squirrels was teasing the owl. <br /> <br /> As if a couple of Ferrets and a Great Horned Owl weren't enough, we were also very lucky to see a Harlequin Duck (male) out on the Bow River. When we first saw it, it wasn't too far out on the water, but it gradually swam further and further away, diving constantly. Not the greatest photos, but they serve as a record of seeing this very handsome duck. <br /> <br /> The weather was gorgeous, and much-deserved after the dreadful winter weather we have been having (in fall)! A perfect day to be outdoors, so I just couldn't resist. Lovely to see you, Pam, though unfortunate that you were just leaving when I arrived. Great to see you, Bonnie, and spend time with you. Has been a long time, no see.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47426128 tag:ipernity.com,2018-10-04,doc-47426128 Thu, 04 Oct 2018 18:27:11 +0000 2018-09-23T13:44:12-06:00 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/293827/47426128"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/61/28/47426128.0ffa7527.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Our temperature just after noon today, 4 October 20i8, is -1C (windchill -6C), with an overcast sky. There is no snow in the forecast, at least not until the weekend. The massive snowfall on 2 October is slowly melting, thank goodness. Total chaos, with so many accidents.<br /> <br /> I had been hoping to get over to Granary Road all summer, but it just didn't happen. This is a fairly new market garden, SW of the city, with an Active Learning Park, too. Before this, the area was simply a huge, empty field, except for the row of five old, red granaries/sheds. I was very disappointed some time ago, when I first saw what was being planned for that particular area. Most of all, I and many other photographers, were horrified when we discovered that the row of old granaries had been removed from the landscape. Some of you may remember my photos of these granaries, which I called "The Famous Five". They have been replaced by five new, red sheds which, I have to say, look better than I had originally thought. <br /> <br /> Link for my album, "The Famous Five" - 25 images of the original, old row of five, red granaries.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157648910659879" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157648910659879</a><br /> <br /> My daughter finally had a day free for us to get together on 23 September 2018. She suggested we could go to the Saskatoon Farm, a place we both love, for breakfast and a wander round the grounds with our cameras. After that, we drove west to Granary Road. Though the Active Learning Park had closed for the fall and winter, it was open for the day on the day we went, It covers a large area and has all sorts of learning areas, including a mushroom area and a farm animal area. We had fun trying to photograph a group of funny Alpacas there.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://granaryroad.com/active-learning/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">granaryroad.com/active-learning/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://granaryroad.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">granaryroad.com/</a><br /> <br /> There was thick fog in places on this day, but it didn't seem to affect photographing objects that were close. My favourite kind of day, spending time with my daughter.</div> Fun to spend time with <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/293827/47426128"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/61/28/47426128.0ffa7527.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Our temperature just after noon today, 4 October 20i8, is -1C (windchill -6C), with an overcast sky. There is no snow in the forecast, at least not until the weekend. The massive snowfall on 2 October is slowly melting, thank goodness. Total chaos, with so many accidents.<br /> <br /> I had been hoping to get over to Granary Road all summer, but it just didn't happen. This is a fairly new market garden, SW of the city, with an Active Learning Park, too. Before this, the area was simply a huge, empty field, except for the row of five old, red granaries/sheds. I was very disappointed some time ago, when I first saw what was being planned for that particular area. Most of all, I and many other photographers, were horrified when we discovered that the row of old granaries had been removed from the landscape. Some of you may remember my photos of these granaries, which I called "The Famous Five". They have been replaced by five new, red sheds which, I have to say, look better than I had originally thought. <br /> <br /> Link for my album, "The Famous Five" - 25 images of the original, old row of five, red granaries.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157648910659879" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157648910659879</a><br /> <br /> My daughter finally had a day free for us to get together on 23 September 2018. She suggested we could go to the Saskatoon Farm, a place we both love, for breakfast and a wander round the grounds with our cameras. After that, we drove west to Granary Road. Though the Active Learning Park had closed for the fall and winter, it was open for the day on the day we went, It covers a large area and has all sorts of learning areas, including a mushroom area and a farm animal area. We had fun trying to photograph a group of funny Alpacas there.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://granaryroad.com/active-learning/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">granaryroad.com/active-learning/</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://granaryroad.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">granaryroad.com/</a><br /> <br /> There was thick fog in places on this day, but it didn't seem to affect photographing objects that were close. My favourite kind of day, spending time with my daughter.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46588518 tag:ipernity.com,2018-04-27,doc-46588518 Fri, 27 Apr 2018 18:15:53 +0000 2018-02-17T10:33:28-06:00 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/293827/46588518"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/85/18/46588518.d130c508.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 17 February 2018, a small group of us headed way SW of the city - and into yet another snow storm. I kept checking to see if the trip was going to be cancelled, but fortunately, our leader had only read about the "few flurries" for the day. I had read further detail that said that a huge snow storm was moving into the area, bringing up to 25 cm of fresh snow, poor visibility, white-outs, treacherous roads! I knew taking photos was going to be a challenge, and seeing anything in the first place was going to be an even bigger challenge. So glad we went, though - even more so, that I wasn't driving, other than to our local meeting place in the city.<br /> <br /> The main reason for the trip was to look for Golden Eagles, though of course we were happy to see anything else, too. Last year, we saw five, but this time we couldn't find any. With such poor visibility, they could easily still have been out there.<br /> <br /> We did see Bald Eagles, though, and quite a few (mainly very distant) Sharp-tailed Grouse. At one location, they were on the road way ahead of us. They are such beautiful birds. I thought we might see some small birds during the day, but we saw no Snow Buntings or Horned Larks. A very distant Great Horned Owl was seen in the yard at one of the places that some of us always used to call in at when we were doing the annual Christmas Bird Count for the area. Also spotted a distant Merlin perched in a bare-branched tree.<br /> <br /> Three Moose were seen - one on its own and two others together at a different location. The one on its own had been standing but took a few steps and lay down in the deep snow. The other two were spotted when we were almost at the top of a steep, snow-covered back road. Our leader slowed down and, though I normally don't ask someone if they would stop for something, I did so this time. Oops, sorry, Tony, lol! We were stuck, unable to continue our climb to the top of the steep hill. Luckily, Tony is really good at reversing (and trying again)! There were also many Mule Deer to be seen, especially along the coulee. <br /> <br /> I love the landscape in this whole area and always enjoy photographing it. On this day, the weather was so bad that much of the landscape was just a faint shape in the distance, or else had completely vanished. Sometimes, it was difficult to tell if the distant shapes were actually hills or clouds!<br /> <br /> A great day, despite the weather. Thanks so much, Tony, for the ride and for another most enjoyable day!</div> Goodbye, winter - so glad you are gone! <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/293827/46588518"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/85/18/46588518.d130c508.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 17 February 2018, a small group of us headed way SW of the city - and into yet another snow storm. I kept checking to see if the trip was going to be cancelled, but fortunately, our leader had only read about the "few flurries" for the day. I had read further detail that said that a huge snow storm was moving into the area, bringing up to 25 cm of fresh snow, poor visibility, white-outs, treacherous roads! I knew taking photos was going to be a challenge, and seeing anything in the first place was going to be an even bigger challenge. So glad we went, though - even more so, that I wasn't driving, other than to our local meeting place in the city.<br /> <br /> The main reason for the trip was to look for Golden Eagles, though of course we were happy to see anything else, too. Last year, we saw five, but this time we couldn't find any. With such poor visibility, they could easily still have been out there.<br /> <br /> We did see Bald Eagles, though, and quite a few (mainly very distant) Sharp-tailed Grouse. At one location, they were on the road way ahead of us. They are such beautiful birds. I thought we might see some small birds during the day, but we saw no Snow Buntings or Horned Larks. A very distant Great Horned Owl was seen in the yard at one of the places that some of us always used to call in at when we were doing the annual Christmas Bird Count for the area. Also spotted a distant Merlin perched in a bare-branched tree.<br /> <br /> Three Moose were seen - one on its own and two others together at a different location. The one on its own had been standing but took a few steps and lay down in the deep snow. The other two were spotted when we were almost at the top of a steep, snow-covered back road. Our leader slowed down and, though I normally don't ask someone if they would stop for something, I did so this time. Oops, sorry, Tony, lol! We were stuck, unable to continue our climb to the top of the steep hill. Luckily, Tony is really good at reversing (and trying again)! There were also many Mule Deer to be seen, especially along the coulee. <br /> <br /> I love the landscape in this whole area and always enjoy photographing it. On this day, the weather was so bad that much of the landscape was just a faint shape in the distance, or else had completely vanished. Sometimes, it was difficult to tell if the distant shapes were actually hills or clouds!<br /> <br /> A great day, despite the weather. Thanks so much, Tony, for the ride and for another most enjoyable day!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46294870 tag:ipernity.com,2018-02-23,doc-46294870 Fri, 23 Feb 2018 16:55:48 +0000 2017-09-08T16:55:37-07:00 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/293827/46294870"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/48/70/46294870.516c748f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 8 September 2017, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime. These flowers were very popular with the bees, which was so good to see. <br /> <br /> As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (like most days in the summer this year) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there. <br /> <br /> This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.saskatoonfarm.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.saskatoonfarm.com/</a></div> Cute little thing <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/293827/46294870"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/48/70/46294870.516c748f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 8 September 2017, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime. These flowers were very popular with the bees, which was so good to see. <br /> <br /> As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (like most days in the summer this year) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there. <br /> <br /> This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.saskatoonfarm.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.saskatoonfarm.com/</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46234976 tag:ipernity.com,2018-02-10,doc-46234976 Sat, 10 Feb 2018 15:57:16 +0000 2017-12-17T11:38:32-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/46234976"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/49/76/46234976.bfa207de.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">With a lot of snow forecast for 8 of the following 10 days, I feel very lucky that my daughter and I had such a beautiful day on 17 December 2017, for our Christmas get-together. It was such weird weather, as the colour of the sunrise sky lasted all day, till we left just before sunset. A gorgeous Chinook Arch crossed the sky, staying the whole day. Some of the fields were bare, and others had a light dusting of snow on them.<br /> <br /> The day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm - always enjoyable. They do close from the end of the day on 23 December and open again in the morning of 17 January. A well-earned break for everyone who works there. As always, we walked around the grounds to look for things to photograph and, as usual, we were in luck - dead Sunflowers, cats, dogs, even a little House Sparrow that was inside one of the greenhouses.<br /> <br /> From there, we continued south to the area east of High River and drove some of the usual back roads; ones that I had driven just four days earlier. Of course, we were hoping that we might find a Snowy Owl, though I knew not to get our hopes up. Before too long, my daughter spotted our first Snowy Owl of the season - the tiniest speck of white that I could barely see with the naked eye, but it was a Snowy and that was all that mattered. Later in the day, she somehow spotted a second one; again, the tiniest speck perched on a very distant fence post. <br /> <br /> A few minutes before this second sighting, my daughter spotted two handsome Mule Deer bucks - looked like father and son - lying down next to a metal grain silo, near the edge of the road. They stayed there for a while, which was surprising, as males tend to be far more skittish. Eventually, they stood up and walked off into the field. <br /> <br /> Of course, we couldn't resist taking shots of any old barns, sheds and houses that we came across. Altogether, a great day that was much enjoyed. Thank you so much, Rachel, for spending the day with me, and doing something that we both love! These are my absolute favourite days in the year.</div> Cat at the Saskatoon Farm <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/293827/46234976"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/49/76/46234976.bfa207de.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">With a lot of snow forecast for 8 of the following 10 days, I feel very lucky that my daughter and I had such a beautiful day on 17 December 2017, for our Christmas get-together. It was such weird weather, as the colour of the sunrise sky lasted all day, till we left just before sunset. A gorgeous Chinook Arch crossed the sky, staying the whole day. Some of the fields were bare, and others had a light dusting of snow on them.<br /> <br /> The day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm - always enjoyable. They do close from the end of the day on 23 December and open again in the morning of 17 January. A well-earned break for everyone who works there. As always, we walked around the grounds to look for things to photograph and, as usual, we were in luck - dead Sunflowers, cats, dogs, even a little House Sparrow that was inside one of the greenhouses.<br /> <br /> From there, we continued south to the area east of High River and drove some of the usual back roads; ones that I had driven just four days earlier. Of course, we were hoping that we might find a Snowy Owl, though I knew not to get our hopes up. Before too long, my daughter spotted our first Snowy Owl of the season - the tiniest speck of white that I could barely see with the naked eye, but it was a Snowy and that was all that mattered. Later in the day, she somehow spotted a second one; again, the tiniest speck perched on a very distant fence post. <br /> <br /> A few minutes before this second sighting, my daughter spotted two handsome Mule Deer bucks - looked like father and son - lying down next to a metal grain silo, near the edge of the road. They stayed there for a while, which was surprising, as males tend to be far more skittish. Eventually, they stood up and walked off into the field. <br /> <br /> Of course, we couldn't resist taking shots of any old barns, sheds and houses that we came across. Altogether, a great day that was much enjoyed. Thank you so much, Rachel, for spending the day with me, and doing something that we both love! These are my absolute favourite days in the year.</div> Anne Elliott