Photos, videos and docs of Anne Elliott, with the keywords: "ice"

Nature's artwork

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 16:50:26 +0000

You may have already suspected that I was desperate for photo opportunities yesterday, 4 October 2019, lol! If so, how right you were. I just couldn't get it out of my head that maybe, just maybe, the snow had melted in a few places enough to let a few fungi grow. Here, in Calgary, a lot of the snow has melted, though I don't know if the local parks and natural areas still have much snow cover. However, as I discovered yesterday, closer to the mountains, there are still a few inches of the white stuff on the ground.

My intention had been to just drive west to the Bragg Creek area, to calm my mind one way or the other. Disappointment came quickly and, on the spur of the moment, I decided to drive west along Elbow Falls Trail in search of a few scenic shots. Though the landscape is always beautiful, there are only two or three places that I usually stop at, until I finally reach Forgetmenot Pond. The highway was beautifully clear of snow, but for walking, there were a few inches of snow and ice to slip and slide through. Once at the Pond, I only trudged as far as the main path that overlooks the water. At other times of the year, I walk around the pond, but not yesterday. I do not like winter walking!

The eight photos I posted this morning are the only ones to post from yesterday's quick trip. It was getting on for 3:00 pm when I left home to drive westwards and, anyway, I didn't find much to shoot.

Ice and bokeh

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 16:49:05 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Delicate hoarfrost

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 07:16:09 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Before I start on Day 7 of our two-week holiday in May 2018, I wanted to quickly add 8 photos taken the day before yesterday, 7 December 2018. I don't get over to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary very often, but I decided to join four friends for a birding walk there on Frriday morning.

It was cold, but a beautiful sunny day. Not much in the way of birds, though there were so many Canada Geese gathered on the river. Nice to see and hear three Killdeer. There was a hoarfrost, too, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland.

"The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Nature Centre have been providing migratory birds with a place to rest their wings since 1929. That's more than 80 years of conservation!

To date, 270 species of birds, 21 species of mammals and 347 species of plants have been recorded at the Sanctuary and Nature Centre by members of the public, volunteers and staff.

In 1883, Colonel James Walker settled the land that is now occupied by the sanctuary. In 1910, the current brick house - then named Inglewood - was built, and the surrounding area was named for the most prominent property in the area.

From 1929 to 1952, several Chinese families leased land from Colonel Walker and established market gardens to serve the needs of a growing city. These highly productive gardens were used to grow vegetables and bedding plants, and represent an early example of urban agriculture and horticulture in the city. As part of the engagement process for Bend in Bow, it was discovered the descendants of one of the families, the Koo family, still reside in Calgary.

Colonel Walker's son, Selby, applied to the Federal government in 1929 to have 59 acres on the west side of the Bow River be designated as a Federal Migratory Bird Sanctuary. His request was granted and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary was born.

When Selby died in 1953, Ed Jefferies acquired the property and leased it to the Alberta Fish & Game Association. In 1970, The City of Calgary purchased the property and has been managing it as a natural reserve ever since.

The sanctuary's Nature Centre was built in 1996 and grassland restoration projects began in that same year.
The Colonel Walker House is currently used by Parks staff and volunteers as a classroom and office."

www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SE-parks/Inglew...

American White Pelicans, Nikon Coolpix B700

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 22 Apr 2018 15:22:10 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I went for a short afternoon walk by the Bow River on 18 April 2018, as I needed to check the Nikon B700 which I bought two weeks ago. I wanted to check how often the camera makes a loud "clunk" and pushes a photo that is in my viewfinder upwards, downwards or off to one side or the other, when I press the shutter button to take the photo. My guess would be that this happened with at least half the photos I tried to take, resulting in useless images. In the end, I simply gave up and went home. The reason I bought this camera was that I will need, very shortly, a camera with a powerful optical zoom (my old FZ200 only has 24x optical, whereas the B700 has 60x). I carefully avoided buying the Nikon P900 because I had seen so many very blurry, blown-out photos taken by other people, which totally turned me off. The Nikon P900 has 83 (?) times optical, which is far too much for a point-and-shoot. My Panasonic FZ1000 (with only 16x optical) is still somewhere "out there", after being sent off for repair on 21 December 2017, returned to me with exactly the same Playback problem, sent off again and they needed a spare part that was going to take at least 4 weeks to get, meaning I would not get the camera back in time for a trip. I told them to have it returned to me, unfixed, as I needed it sooner than that. This was told to them two weeks ago and I still have no camera. Am I fed up of cameras? Yes, I am!!!! That is two cameras I have bought that were faulty right from the start.

These birds are so spectacular and it is always such a treat when they return to the city each spring. This group was on a band of snow in the middle of the Bow River on 18 April 2018. Though I composed this image with a lot more water showing at the bottom edge, it still worked OK. Actually, I think I like the colour, light and detail better than in a similar shot taken with my old FZ200. Love those windblown tufts of head feathers.

"The American white pelican rivals the trumpeter swan, with a similar overall length, as the longest bird native to North America. Both very large and plump, it has an overall length of about 50–70 in (130–180 cm), courtesy of the huge beak which measures 11.3–15.2 in (290–390 mm) in males and 10.3–14.2 in (260–360 mm) in females. It has a wingspan of about 95–120 in (240–300 cm). The species also has the second largest average wingspan of any North American bird, after the California condor. This large wingspan allows the bird to easily use soaring flight for migration.

The bill is huge and flat on the top, with a large throat sac below, and, in the breeding season, is vivid orange in color as are the iris, the bare skin around the eye, and the feet. In the breeding season, there is a laterally flattened "horn" on the upper bill, located about one-third the bill's length behind the tip. This is the only one of the eight species of pelican to have a bill "horn". The horn is shed after the birds have mated and laid their eggs. Outside the breeding season the bare parts become duller in color, with the naked facial skin yellow and the bill, pouch, and feet an orangy-flesh color.

Apart from the difference in size, males and females look exactly alike. Immature birds have light grey plumage with darker brownish nape and remiges. Their bare parts are dull grey. Chicks are naked at first, then grow white down feathers all over, before moulting to the immature plumage." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_white_pelican

On the way to Canmore - seven Swans a-swimming :)

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 15:44:11 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

On 24 March 2018, I went with a group of about 20 fellow-birders for a day of birding west of the city. Not the greatest weather and there was not a huge variety of bird species. However, it was great to be out in beautiful mountain scenery. Places we stopped at included Seebe Dam, where we saw several Trumpeter Swans and a pair of Bald Eagles; Exshaw; Harvey Heights; Canmore town, where we saw a Pileated Woodpecker; and we also walked the Policeman's Creek Boardwalk Trail in Canmore.

Thanks, Andrew, for a very enjoyable day out. Thanks so much, Anne B, for driving two of us all day - greatly appreciated!

Lol, for the first time ever, I've just noticed a tiny, red, blinking light in the top right corner of my keyboard. Had to Google it, to discover what it meant - my keyboard battery is dying.

Twice the beauty

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 13:38:38 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Coyote crossing the frozen Elbow River

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 16:18:29 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A huge leap from the rainforest of Trinidad photos posted yesterday to the snowy shots posted today! Yesterday, 4 March 2018, was such a beautiful day, and I decided to join seven friends for a walk down into Weaselhead in the afternoon. The previous day, a birding walk had been cancelled because the weather was so bad and the long, steep hill down to river level was very icy. It is almost unheard of for a birding walk to be cancelled! The roads were not in good condition especially the residential streets. I have a bad feeling that my car is now stuck in the ruts outside my place - when I got home after the walk, it was almost impossible to drive over the mounds of snow that have built up over the last few months. Not sure how I am going to be able to reverse out of this spot. Guess I will find out. I have lived in this city for 40 years and I don't remember ever seeing this much snow on the ground. Just crazy.

There were not a whole lot of birds to be seen on yesterday's walk, but it is always a delight to see the dainty little Common Redpolls. I seem to remember that last winter, there were no Redpolls to be seen. Nice to see a beautiful lone Coyote travelling across the frozen, snow-covered Elbow River. I will add the leaders' list of species seen in a comment box below. Coffee at Tim Horton's afterwards was enjoyable, as always. Thanks for a great walk, Janet, Bernie and Stephen! I always appreciate your giving up your Sunday afternoon for the rest of us.

I made the mistake of checking the weather forecast for Alberta for the coming spring and summer, though of course we all know that the forecast is often incorrect. For us, it will be a cold spring followed by an above normal summer. More big storms to come - actually, March is said to be our snowiest month, anyway. Looks like it could be another year without mushrooms growing, just like last year. The temperature this morning, 5 March 2018, is -22C (windchill -29C).

Lacy curtain of ice

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 16:25:25 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Around 1:30 this morning, when I had just finished editing photos to post today, I checked on the temperature. It was -25C, with a windchill of -34C! Last night, the forecast for today said -4C for this afternoon, but right now, at 9:30 am, it it still -24C, windchill -33C.

I'm glad of a warm image to post in between two cold photos taken yesterday, 11 February 2018, when I joined several friends for a cold, afternoon walk at Griffith Woods. One reason I decided to go was so that I could take a few photos to check a camera that I had collected the day before, after being 'repaired'. Long story, which I will have to add later today, if I decide to finally go for a drive this afternoon. I haven't driven anywhere out of the city since 17 December, when my daughter and I went SE of the city for our "Christmas" together. All the settings on my returned camera had been changed and I didn't notice that it was no longer on a 4:3 ratio. Hence two wide images today. These lacy icicles were hanging from someone's wooden fence.

Much later: as for my camera issue, mentioned above, I had bought a Panasonic FZ1000 over a year ago, so that I would have a back-up camera to my old FZ200, ready for my trip with friends to Trinidad & Tobago in March 2017. I didn't get the chance to try out the FZ1000 for many weeks, as I was so busy preparing for my trip. When I finally did take a few test photos, I discovered that on Playback, the camera would show a photo or two and then jump one. It kept doing this throughout the Playback. All the photos were there when I downloaded them to my computer, but I couldn't see every photo in Playback, unless I changed the direction and tried again, which was a perfect nuisance. As soon as I discovered this fault, I went back to the store and asked what would need to be done. I was told that the camera would have to be sent for repair, but I could not risk not getting the camera back in time for my trip. Anyway, finally in December, I took the camera back for the store to send it off for repair. The young guy didn't send a copy of the receipt, etc. with the camera and next thing I know is that I get a phone call saying that the repair estimate was $700+!! What! The camera was still under warranty, but the repair place didn't know this because the receipt wasn't sent. Two or three weeks later, I got a call to say that the camera was ready for pick-up. I was so glad to get it back, but that feeling was very short-lived when I discovered that Playback was still skipping images!! So what happens now? I guess they will want to send it off again. Various friends have the FZ1000 and love it - I really like the colour and image quality, but this whole fault and repair problem is giving me stress that I definitely don't need.

I ended up going for a drive SW of the city this afternoon, to my 'usual' area, partly just to get a change of scenery. Almost no wildlife to be seen, other than a Raven, a Magpie, a Rough-legged Hawk perched at the top of a tall tree, and a couple of small, unidentified birds that flew across the road ahead of me. Still, I did take a handful of winter scenic shots and a couple of barns/sheds.

To drown my sorrows over not being able to find any owls of any kind, I decided to call in at a small cafe/restaurant in the area and brought home a bowl of delicious chili with garlic bread. Made an enjoyable ending to my afternoon drive.

The beauty of winter

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 16:28:41 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Around 1:30 this morning, when I had just finished editing photos to post today, I checked on the temperature. It was -25C, with a windchill of -34C! Last night, the forecast for today said -4C for this afternoon, but right now, at 9:30 am, it it still -24C, windchill -33C.

I'm glad of a warm image to post in between two cold photos taken yesterday, 11 February 2018, when I joined several friends for a cold, afternoon walk at Griffith Woods. One reason I decided to go was so that I could take a few photos to check a camera that I had collected the day before, after being 'repaired'. Long story, which I will have to add later today, if I decide to finally go for a drive this afternoon. I haven't driven anywhere out of the city since 17 December, when my daughter and I went SE of the city for our "Christmas" together. All the settings on my returned camera had been changed and I didn't notice that it was no longer on a 4:3 ratio. Hence two wide images today.

Much later: as for my camera issue, mentioned above, I had bought a Panasonic FZ1000 over a year ago, so that I would have a back-up camera to my old FZ200, ready for my trip with friends to Trinidad & Tobago in March 2017. I didn't get the chance to try out the FZ1000 for many weeks, as I was so busy preparing for my trip. When I finally did take a few test photos, I discovered that on Playback, the camera would show a photo or two and then jump one. It kept doing this throughout the Playback. All the photos were there when I downloaded them to my computer, but I couldn't see every photo in Playback, unless I changed the direction and tried again, which was a perfect nuisance. As soon as I discovered this fault, I went back to the store and asked what would need to be done. I was told that the camera would have to be sent for repair, but I could not risk not getting the camera back in time for my trip. Anyway, finally in December, I took the camera back for the store to send it off for repair. The young guy didn't send a copy of the receipt, etc. with the camera and next thing I know is that I get a phone call saying that the repair estimate was $700+!! What! The camera was still under warranty, but the repair place didn't know this because the receipt wasn't sent. Two or three weeks later, I got a call to say that the camera was ready for pick-up. I was so glad to get it back, but that feeling was very short-lived when I discovered that Playback was still skipping images!! So what happens now? I guess they will want to send it off again. Various friends have the FZ1000 and love it - I really like the colour and image quality, but this whole fault and repair problem is giving me stress that I definitely don't need.

I ended up going for a drive SW of the city, to my 'usual' area, partly just to get a change of scenery. Almost no wildlife to be seen, other than a Raven, a Magpie, a Rough-legged Hawk perched at the top of a tall tree, and a couple of small, unidentified birds that flew across the road ahead of me. Still, I did take a handful of winter scenic shots and a couple of barns/sheds.

To drown my sorrows over not being able to find any owls of any kind, I decided to call in at a small cafe/restaurant in the area and brought home a bowl of delicious chili with garlic bread. Made an enjoyable ending to my afternoon drive.

A beautiful sign of winter

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 18:53:27 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

On 27 December 2017, there were six of us (in the group I was in) taking part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Sheep River/Priddis/Turner Valley area. Our time was spent travelling in two cars, driving the back roads SW of the city and calling in at various acreages/ farms. Thanks so much, Joe and Dave, for being the two drivers. This was so much appreciated! With brutally cold temperatures for days, and wind chills plunging to as low as -37C if not more, and lots of snow, we were thankful that only part of the day was spent out of the car!

I took part in this Count for 2015 and 2016, but had missed it for a few years before that. I believe I had only ever done it twice before that, a few years ago (December 2007 and December 30, 2008). This time, like last year, our area was in the centre of the count circle and I'm so glad I decided to go again.

A great stop was at Rod Handfield's place, which is where these beautiful icicles were hanging from the roof. Some of us go there very occasionally on botany trips and he always has the best mushrooms and other fungi growing in his forest in the fall. Rod and his wife have such a beautiful cabin there. Rod is always so wonderfully hospitable, and he had driven out to the cabin and had delicious coffee and baked goods ready for us! This was so much appreciated and enjoyed, and I know that I, for one, felt re-energized after this treat and being able to warm up in his home. As always, many thanks, Rod!

We met with nothing but pleasant landowners, so willing to allow us to wander their properties. One of them, Doug J, had the highlight of the day for us - a Steller's Jay! The status of the Steller's Jay in Alberta is "locally uncommon year-round". They are spotted most often in the Rocky Mountains. Waterton Lakes National Park seems to be the best area for these stunning birds. They have also been seen at either Exshaw or Harvey Heights - the latter, I think.

Another welcome sighting was a group of 10 Wild Turkeys at a location where we have previously seen them. Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls helped make the day enjoyable, too, along with the 'regulars', including Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Canada Geese, and three types of Chickadee. Everything seen in such spectacular scenery, too. I love this whole area and, thankfully, it is an area that I can drive to myself - but not in winter! Needless to say, I know I am very lucky.

By the way, we briefly stopped and looked down a hill to see one of the 'sets' for the TV series, "Heartland". This is a real-life farm, including the big, red barn. This is a family drama on CBC TV about a family dealing with the highs and lows of life on a horse ranch in the stunning the foothills of Alberta. I don't watch it often, but when I do, I love it, seeing the countryside so close to home. They use the old, red barn for some of the scenes, plus a replica of the barn's inside in a studio. Heartland is the longest running hour-long drama in Canadian television history, and is syndicated to countries around the world.

A short Blog article by one of the sons raised in real life on this farm that is used in Heartland:

www.cbc.ca/heartland/blog/a-bit-of-real-history-of-the-he...

youtu.be/7LEvpS4zd2E

Winter beauty

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 17:19:06 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

With our winter weather being comparatively mild (-10C warming up to -2C), I decided to join friends yesterday morning for a local walk. Usually, this walk goes eastwards but yesterday my group walked west. I haven't been in that direction for many years and couldn't even remember what the area looked like. Came home with practically no photos and certainly no decent shots. However, it was good to get some fresh air and much-needed (but very painful) exercise, in the company of good friends.

It turned out to be a long walk, with practically no birds being seen in the first part. However, we did see a very distant Northern Goshawk juvenile down on the ground, feeding apparently on a Ring-necked Pheasant. We had seen six of these Pheasants in flight in the same area.

The other highlight for me, was seeing the ice formation along the creek. I don't remember ever seeing this before, so it took me by surprise. I don't drive in the mountains in winter, so I never see any of the amazing frozen waterfalls that some people see.

Yesterday's local walk

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 17:16:46 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

The Bow River at Carburn Park

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 16:08:11 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

UPDATE about our friend, Mike Kelly, who amazingly survived an horrific vehicle accident (broken jaw, broken ankle and two broken legs), east of the city, in brutal, -30C weather. One of the two wonderful good Samaritans who saved his life turned up at Mike's hospital room! This will be so good for Mike, as he really, really wanted to meet his two life-savers and thank them in person. Hopefully, he will still get the chance to meet his other hero. We are all so grateful!

Three rather uninspiring photos posted this morning, mainly just as a record that I actually got out on a birding walk with a group of friends yesterday morning. Quite a photographic leap from the hot rainforest of Trinidad (posted yesterday) to the cold, winter sights of Calgary. One look at the weather forecast for this week and I decided that, if I was going to head over to Carburn Park, I had better do it yesterday. We are supposed to get snow this evening, overnight and the next two days. Temperature this overcast morning is -7C (windchill -15C), so not too bad.

The light was not good for photos yesterday morning and most of the birds were very distant, as usual, at this location. Funny how it always works - if one is walking along the edge of the river, the birds are mainly on the far side. We did see 29 bird species, though. My main reason for pushing myself out the front door was to catch up with friends.

Later in the day, a friend very kindly picked me up and we went to the meeting about the recent Christmas Bird Counts. What an enormous amount of detail and facts are collected each year - most impressive!

The birding blind at Frank Lake

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 16:06:42 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Our Christmas Bird Count three days ago started at Frank Lake. There was some open water closer to the outlet, but most of the lake was frozen.

Three days ago, on 19 December 2017, it was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for High River, a town to the south of Calgary. I am adding the report by Gus Yaki, the leader of our small group of 7, travelling in two cars. What Gus did not add, because he did not stay for the delicious Potluck supper after the Count, is that the forecast snow (Snowfall Warning in effect) arrived in full force in the evening and the drive back to Calgary was most unpleasant. Looked like there could be about 10" of the white stuff on top of my fence. Thanks so much, Lorrie and John, for being so kind and picking me up in the early morning and driving me all day long, and then dropping me off for the Potluck and returning later to collect me ready for the three of us to return to Calgary. Appreciated more than I can say! Thanks, also, to Greg Wagner for organizing the Count - as usual, great job! Last, but not least, many thanks to those who organized and prepared such a wonderful feast for us all to thoroughly enjoy at the end of the day! I left home around 7:00 am and arrived home about 8:15 pm, finally getting to bed at 2:00 am and eventually waking up at noon the next day! Was I tired after a full day out, especially after only two hours sleep the previous night!

I should also add my thanks to the various property owners who very kindly gave us permission to wander round their farmyards in search of any birds. Being allowed to do this adds so much more interest to our Count day, and we really appreciate it.

One exciting sighting was a beautiful female Moose, maybe two years old! This was the very first sighting ever of a Moose in our SE quadrant of the High River Count circle. From a distance, she was barely noticeable through the falling snow.

Common Redpolls were enjoyed at some feeders. They gave me the first opportunity to take photos this season. Much as I prefer photos without feeders, I am very glad for this chance. They are such dainty little birds, and fast-moving. It always looks like a feeding frenzy when they are at the feeders.

"High River CBC, SE Quadrant, including Frank Lake. 0800-1545, Tue, 19 Dec2017. Light overcast, light snow beginning at 1100. N Wind 10kph, -07 to -06°C. Ground bare initially, 3 cm at end. Little Bow River, mostly open.

Mallard-500
Northern Shoveler-1 f.
Northern Pintail-2
Common Goldeneye-3
Gray Partridge-8
Bald Eagle-1 ad, on Frank Lake
Prairie Falcon-1
Rock Pigeon-56
Great Horned Owl-6
Snowy Owl-1
Blue Jay-4
Black-billed Magpie-17
Common Raven-4
Song Sparrow-1
Snow Bunting-150
Common Redpoll-790
House Sparrow-202
Ring-necked Pheasant tracks by observation blind.

Gord Fraser, on W side of Little Bow, just N of 594 Av, had 40 Gray Partridges this a.m.

Coyote-4
Skunk track by observation blind
Meadow Vole-1
Mule Deer-6
Moose-1 f.

Km by Car- 58
Km on foot -5
Total km - 63

Time by car – 2 hrs
Time on foot-5 hrs
Total party hours-7 hrs"

Birders on an Audubon Christmas Bird Count

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 16:18:36 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

HAPPY WINTER, everyone! Today, we are one day closer to spring - yay!.

Two days ago, on 19 December 2017, it was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for High River, a town to the south of Calgary. I am adding the report by Gus Yaki, the leader of our small group of 7, travelling in two cars. What Gus did not add, because he did not stay for the delicious Potluck supper after the Count, is that the forecast snow (Snowfall Warning in effect) arrived in full force in the evening and the drive back to Calgary was most unpleasant. Looks like there could be about 10" of the white stuff on top of my fence today. Thanks so much, Lorrie and John, for being so kind and picking me up in the early morning and driving me all day long, and then dropping me off for the Potluck and returning later to collect me ready for the three of us to return to Calgary. Appreciated more than I can say! Thanks, also, to Greg Wagner for organizing the Count - as usual, great job! Last, but not least, many thanks to those who organized and prepared such a wonderful feast for us all to thoroughly enjoy at the end of the day! I left home around 7:00 am and arrived home about 8:15 pm, finally getting to bed at 2:00 am and eventually waking up at noon yesterday, which is why I posted so late yesterday! Was I tired after a full day out, especially after only two hours sleep the previous night!

I should also add my thanks to the various property owners who very kindly gave us permission to wander round their farmyards in search of any birds. Being allowed to do this adds so much more interest to our Count day, and we really appreciate it.

Some years, we have a beautiful hoarfrost and amazing sunrise at our first stop on this Count, at Frank Lake. This year, we had just a slight touch of hoarfrost and barely any colour in the sky at sunrise.

One exciting sighting was a beautiful female Moose, maybe two years old! This was the very first sighting ever of a Moose in our SE quadrant of the High River Count circle. From a distance, she was barely noticeable through the falling snow.

Common Redpolls were enjoyed at some feeders. They gave me the first opportunity to take photos this season. Much as I prefer photos without feeders, I am very glad for this chance. They are such dainty little birds, and fast-moving. It always looks like a feeding frenzy when they are at the feeders.

"High River CBC, SE Quadrant, including Frank Lake. 0800-1545, Tue, 19 Dec2017. Light overcast, light snow beginning at 1100. N Wind 10kph, -07 to -06°C. Ground bare initially, 3 cm at end. Little Bow River, mostly open.

Mallard-500
Northern Shoveler-1 f.
Northern Pintail-2
Common Goldeneye-3
Gray Partridge-8
Bald Eagle-1 ad, on Frank Lake
Prairie Falcon-1
Rock Pigeon-56
Great Horned Owl-6
Snowy Owl-1
Blue Jay-4
Black-billed Magpie-17
Common Raven-4
Song Sparrow-1
Snow Bunting-150
Common Redpoll-790
House Sparrow-202
Ring-necked Pheasant tracks by observation blind.

Gord Fraser, on W side of Little Bow, just N of 594 Av, had 40 Gray Partridges this a.m.

Coyote-4
Skunk track by observation blind
Meadow Vole-1
Mule Deer-6
Moose-1 f.
Participants:

Km by Car- 58
Km on foot -5
Total km - 63

Time by car – 2 hrs
Time on foot-5 hrs
Total party hours-7 hrs"

Distant ice patterns on the reservoir

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 16:02:34 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Today would have been my older daughter's birthday. Hard to believe that on 3 January 2018, it will have been three years since she died. Thinking of you, Fiona, as always.

This morning, 16 November 2017, it is snowing again. Our temperature is -10C (windchill -18C). I'm beginning to forget what sunshine is like!

This photo was taken at Pine Coulee Reservoir four days ago, on 12 November 2017. A group of eight of us went S and SE of the city on a birding trip to one of my favourite areas. This included Pine Coulee Reservoir, Clear Lake and the Twin Valley Reservoir. I just love some of the landscape through which we drove - barren, rugged, middle-of-nowhere kind of scenery. It looks so different in each season - I think my favourite time of year is when there is a covering of snow on the empty hills, and ice on most of the water. I've still not had the courage to drive in this area myself, as I know that I might never find my way out of it.

Several previous trips had covered part of this latest drive, but much of the return drive was in a huge area that I had never been to before. Later in the drive, we crossed the main highway #2 south and travelled the backroads way, way south of the Frank Lake area, and kept going north until we got back to the city. The Twin Valley Reservoir was one of the stops we made in this new-to-me area.

Actually, I have just been reading my account of a trip made on 9 November 2013, and discovered that, in fact, I HAD been to this area before. Just shows that I often have no idea where we are at any given time. Since the trip in 2013, I do have a somewhat better understanding of the area S and SE of Calgary. The following is from Terry Korolyk's account of that day, four years ago:

"The north end of Clear Lake was frozen, so, we headed north to the Twin Valleys Dam Reservoir, and, drove up the east side of it. This produced more Rough-legged Hawks,and, a Prairie Falcon. Some herds of Mule Deer and flocks of Gray Partridge were seen on the trip home via Highways 804, 799, 552, and Dunbow Road."

As on almost all these day trips out of the city, almost every bird is far, far away, needing at least binoculars and best of all, a scope. Two Great Horned Owls and a couple of tiny Common Redpolls were the only closer photos I took. This was the first time that I had seen Redpolls this year, so it was a nice sighting. They were flying back and forth from the trees to perch on a rough, wooden fence.

Also, as always happens, my camera lens turns to things other than birds. Scenic shots are always taken - after all, I feel that it is important to record the habitat of any birds seen. I have no excuse to give for photographing any old barn or homestead, other than that I LOVE to photograph them : )

Terry, you took us on such an amazing trip! So many new (or forgotten) places, to me at least. You even arranged with the weatherman for a beautiful, sunny day. It couldn't have been a better outing - so very enjoyable. Now all I need to do is look at a map and try and find roughly where we travelled! Really appreciate your carefully made lists of all species seen, and where.

The return of the ice pillars

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 16:27:29 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I guess I will be posting a lot of "white" photos from now on, with winter well-settled. I really hope we get plenty of Chinooks, to give us short breaks from brutally cold weather. Some winters we get them, but not always.

All three photos posted today were taken yesterday, 5 November 2017, when I joined a few birding friends for a walk in Carburn Park. Afternoons are usually not the best time of day to see birds so, as usual, we saw far fewer species than the morning groups - 19 species of bird. Though cold, it was a beautiful afternoon to be out in nature. It was cold enough for there to be a few clusters of small ice pillars along the edge of the Bow River - something I always enjoy seeing. There were so many Canada Geese on the river, quite densely packed. Not sure I've ever seen that many before.

Carburn Park is a very popular place for birding in the city, offering water and woodland species. According to eBird, a total of 211 species have been recorded within the park. In comparison, at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (the top Hot Spot in the city) 252 species have been recorded. In the Weaselhead Natural Area, 227 species have been seen.

We were mobbed by Black-capped Chickadees who followed us along some of the trails. You can always count on seeing a Chickadee - these friendly little birds are so reliable. They are just 24 hours away from death, and need to collect enough fat in order to survive. Such busy little birds. There were about 10 of them yesterday, hanging out with several Downy Woodpeckers. Over the years, I have taken many photos of them, but I so rarely go for walks any more. From now on, I know it will be much harder to make myself put on all my winter layers, including struggling to get ice grippers on to my winter boots, and leave the comfort of my home. The main roads had been cleared, and were very reasonable to drive on yesterday. I do enjoy going for coffee and a chat after these walks.

"The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand)." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id

"The chickadee's unerring spatial memory is remarkable enough, says Colin Saldanha, assistant professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University and an anatomist who has studied songbirds for six years.

But it is what happens inside the tiny songbird's brain that Saldanha finds amazing. In the fall, as the chickadee is gathering and storing seeds, Saldanha says, its hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial organization and memory in many vertebrates, expands in volume by approximately 30 percent by adding new nerve cells. In songbirds, the hippocampus is located on the dorsal surface of the forebrain right beneath the skull. In mammals, the hippocampus is located beneath the cortex.

In the spring, when its feats of memory are needed less, the chickadee's hippocampus shrinks back to its normal size, Saldanha says." From article on ScienceDaily.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030912072156.htm

Ice crystals on a mountain top

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 15:54:05 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Nine days ago, on 28 September 2016, I was with friends down on a lower plateau, in sunshine and bare ground. The day before yesterday, we weren't even sure whether to go again, as the forecast was not good, snow and -6C. In the end, seven of us reckoned we would go and see if we could get to the top of Plateau Mountain (special permission was obtained). Conditions worsened en route and, while we were driving up the rough gravel mountainside road, trees were beginning to have a light covering of snow. On our way up to the plateau top, everything disappeared from sight, swallowed up by the swirling low cloud. Once at the top, I couldn't really see anything through my viewfinder, other than an occasional shape - just grey. It really was a case of point and shoot and hope that I was capturing something. Most of the time, you could see nothing - such poor visibility. Amazingly, a few of my photos were not too bad after they had been brightened.

The mountain itself is located in the Savannah Creek Gas Field and there were two producing gas wells located on the summit of the mountain which were accessed by a road which is gated to prohibit public vehicle access. More recently, the plant we walked to was closed down. We walked over ground that was treacherous to walk on, even more so when mostly covered by snow. There are areas of patterned ground where larger pieces of rock are arranged in polygonal patterns with finer materials in the centre. These patterns were formed during the ice age when the mountain rose above the surrounding ice. Every rock and plant stem was covered in chunky ice crystals, as was this pipe that was part of the gas plant. This walk was only fairly short, but long enough, given the conditions. Long enough to take a few photos and find a few animal tracks (small, thank goodness, not Grizzly or Cougar!). For a few minutes or moments, there would be a slight opening in the low cloud and we caught sight of a tiny patch of blue sky - then the whole world around us would disappear yet again into the cloud. No sign of any of the spectacular mountains that surround Plateau Mountain. I have lots of views in my Plateau Mountain album, taken in good weather during several past visits.

Thanks so much, Sandy, for planning this trip and for the ride! The weather certainly gave us a different kind of outing, which was great. Still can't believe that I've been lucky enough to visit this area twice in eight days!

"This nearly flat high-elevation plateau is recognized for several unique features. There is an internationally recognized ice cave with ice crystals, curls, sheets and pillars (ice crystals are so fragile that a temperature increase of one degree Celsius can cause melting). The periglacial features (known as "patterned ground") in the reserve include active permafrost, sorted stone circles, polygons, steps and frost boils. The area also contains critical winter range for bighorn sheep." From www.albertaparks.ca/plateau-mountain.aspx

There are no public roads in Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve; the road to the mountain top is leased by Husky Oil; to prevent vandalism to natural gas production facilities and to lessen impact on the area's natural features, access is controlled by the locked gate; travel in the reserve is by foot only; there are no facilities on site and overnight camping and open fires are prohibited."

www.albertaparks.ca/media/2741526/plateau_mtn_mgmt_plan.pdf

The difference a week makes

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 16:47:30 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Exactly one week ago, on 28 September 2016, I was with friends down on a lower plateau, in sunshine and bare ground. Yesterday, we weren't even sure whether to go again, as the forecast was not good, snow and -6C. In the end, seven of us reckoned we would go and see if we could get to the top of Plateau Mountain. Conditions worsened en route and, while we were driving up the rough gravel mountainside road, trees were beginning to have a light covering of snow. On our way up to the plateau top, everything disappeared from sight, swallowed up by the swirling low cloud. Actually, I couldn't really see anything through my viewfinder, other than an occasional shape - just grey. It really was a case of point and shoot and hope that I was capturing something. Most of the time, you could see nothing - such poor visibility. Amazingly, a few of my photos were not too bad after they had been brightened.

The mountain itself is located in the Savannah Creek Gas Field and there were two producing gas wells located on the summit of the mountain which were accessed by a road which is gated to prohibit public vehicle access. More recently, the plant we walked to was closed down. We walked over ground that was treacherous to walk on, even more so when mostly covered by snow. There are areas of patterned ground where larger pieces of rock are arranged in polygonal patterns with finer materials in the centre. These patterns were formed during the ice age when the mountain rose above the surrounding ice. Every rock and plant stem was covered in chunky ice crystals. This walk was only fairly short, but long enough, given the conditions. Long enough to take a few photos and find a few animal tracks (small, thank goodness, not Grizzly or Cougar!). For a few minutes or moments, there would be a slight opening in the low cloud and we caught sight of a tiny patch of blue sky - then the whole world around us would disappear yet again into the thick, grey cloud. I have lots of views in my Plateau Mountain album, taken in good weather during several past visits.

Thanks so much, Sandy, for planning this trip and for the ride! The weather certainly gave us a different kind of outing, which was great. Still can't believe that I've been lucky enough to visit this area twice in eight days!

"This nearly flat high-elevation plateau is recognized for several unique features. There is an internationally recognized ice cave with ice crystals, curls, sheets and pillars (ice crystals are so fragile that a temperature increase of one degree Celsius can cause melting). The periglacial features (known as "patterned ground") in the reserve include active permafrost, sorted stone circles, polygons, steps and frost boils. The area also contains critical winter range for bighorn sheep." From www.albertaparks.ca/plateau-mountain.aspx

There are no public roads in Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve; the road to the mountain top is leased by Husky Oil; to prevent vandalism to natural gas production facilities and to lessen impact on the area's natural features, access is controlled by the locked gate; travel in the reserve is by foot only; there are no facilities on site and overnight camping and open fires are prohibited."

www.albertaparks.ca/media/2741526/plateau_mtn_mgmt_plan.pdf

Another view at William J Bagnall Wildlife Park

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 12:51:20 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

William J. Bagnall Wilderness Park is named after Mountain View County’s first reeve, who served in the position from 1961 to 1981 and also served as a councillor until 1985. The William J. Bagnall Wilderness Park is located seven kilometres west of Water Valley just off Highway 579.

"Remediation efforts for the wilderness park were undertaken after the area was made inaccessible following the flood of 2005. Included in the upgrades is a new entry and parking lot on the south side (just off Highway 579); two walking trails that will form a 1.2-kilometre loop; a historical sign detailing the history of the site as a coal mining area; a small picnic area, including outhouses, tables and pest-proof containers; along with several stairways for steep-grade accessibility." From an article in the Mountainview Gazette on 14 June 2011.

www.mountainviewgazette.ca/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201...

This was my very first visit to this wilderness park. A couple of friends had mentioned it a few days ago and I finally decided to go and explore part of the area.

Yesterday, 5 April 2016, I had to remove my car from my parking lot so that it could be cleaned. I don't have a current street pass, so I knew that I had a few hours to kill before I could get back home. The notice said that cleaning would start at 12:00 noon, so at 11:40 am, I was on my way, heading NW of the city. There was no way I was going to set my alarm clocks for 5:00 am again, so I thought I would do an afternoon/evening drive for a change. I was hoping that I might just see one of the Great Gray Owls, but there was nothing in sight, other than a couple of Ravens and a pair of distant Mountain Bluebirds.

It was kind of amusing, as there was one other car up there, moving very slowly. Turned out to be a man who told me that he had never once been there without seeing a Great Grey Owl. Well, I jokingly told him that maybe I would end up changing that for him - and sure enough, not a single owl. He's probably hoping that he never runs into me again, lol!

After calling in at the little store in Water Valley, I drove westwards, a road I had never driven before, and eventually reached the William J. Bagnall WIlderness Park. I can't remember exactly where the park began, but this is fairly typical landscape of the area.

The scenery was beautiful, with many treed ridges with small creeks in between. There were still patches of ice in places - something I hadn't seen for quite a while. I didn't look for birds, as I was so focused on the road ahead and not getting lost. A wide road, but slightly muddy gravel which made the car 'slide' a little. I'm not quite sure just where the road goes in the park, but I turned around when I came to a fork in the road and the roads became very narrow. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to drive in either direction. Oh, yes, I had forgotten, early on, I had come to a sign telling drivers that they would be driving at their own risk! I never like seeing these signs, ha, including knowing that my car is now 17 years old.

After the long drive back to the city, I was tired and just wanted to go straight home. However, I knew I just had to go and wash my absolutely filthy vehicle that was caked in so much dried mud from so many back road drives recently. Didn't want the mud falling on to a newly cleaned parking space. Took forever to wash,, but now simply gleams (temporarily!). Guess what I discovered when I did reach home - the parking lot had NOT been cleaned after all ... sigh.