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

Beautiful Alberta - prairie, foothills and mountains

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 15:32:47 +0000

Tomorrow, 8 October 2019, the forecast is for more snow. That means a few days spent hibernating, waiting for most of it to melt. I so rarely go for a walk, so I have no idea if any of the paths in our city parks/natural areas are actually bare by now, after our recent 3-day snow storm that dumped just over 10" of snow in the city. They won't be tomorrow.

Having seen the forecast, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people.

Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds.

Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day.

So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added two of them, just for the record. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag, which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. If I am correct, she may have been Grizzly Bear #251 or #125. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies before in all these years - a female with one cub.

Forgetmenot Pond

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 16:49:44 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

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!

Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area.

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

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.

Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 16:48:28 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Storm over Canola

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 03:30:24 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

"Bear Warning - Votiers Flats and Shannon Terrace Day Use Areas
Effective Date: August 16, 2019 until further notice
Where: All trails and area between Votiers Flats and Shannon Terrace Day Use Areas in Fish Creek Provincial Park
Why: MULTIPLE bears feeding in the area."

www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/kananaskis-country/a...

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Tonight, I was trying to finish off the photos I took on 18 August 2019, at the Saskatoon Farm and Frank Lake. Almost successful, but I still have another 9 images to edit and post when I can. Another bio-blitz is coming up and I know I will have a number of photos to deal with from that day out.

After seven or so long, brutal months of winter (coldest on record?) and then endless weeks of rain and cloud, I finally decided, enough is enough. I have become a fair-weather photographer, and we don't get that much fair weather, especially this year. So, on 18 July 2019, despite the weather forecast for a thunderstorm, I decided to drive SE of the city mid-afternoon. My plan had been to go to the Farm first and have a meal, and then continue on to Frank Lake. Seeing the beautiful storm clouds on my drive south, I was torn as to whether to go to Frank Lake first and catch a few photos. Then it occurred to me that I could also get a few sky shots once I had turned off the main highway and on to the country road leading to the Farm.

The Farm was pretty busy. So much wonderful colour everywhere that I almost forgot about the weather. That is, until I was eating outside under the open shelter. It was so cold, I had goosebumps, and the wind increased, sending a huge picnic table umbrella flying fast through the air, like an arrow. Just a short bit of rain and all returned to normal.

As usual, I wandered around the grounds, shooting flowers, rabbits, landscape, clouds, and old tractors. One barn stood out to me and had me puzzled. I have visited the farm many times before, but I don't remember seeing this particular barn before. It looked so pretty, with its colourful flower border.

Eventually, I continued my drive to Frank Lake. The storm clouds stayed with me. One side road has a small wetland on either side of the road and I pulled over to check what birds might be there. I was about to turn off my car when a loud buzzer sounded and a tornado alert was announced - to take shelter and if there was no shelter nearby, to get into a ditch or ravine. Then I heard that the area covered was further SE - in fact, where I had been a week earlier.

"Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed a weak EF0 tornado touched down two kilometres northeast of Crossfield at around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, 14 July 2019, marking the 12th confirmed twister of the season." (This was roughly 50 km north of Calgary.)

According to the weather agency, Alberta typically sees an average of 15 tornadoes per year with the peak season starting mid-to-late June and ending early-to-mid August.

So far in 2019, there have been 12 confirmed tornadoes in Alberta and three probable ones. There have also been many reports of funnel clouds." From Global News.

While i was standing by this wetland a White-faced Ibis flew in. I believe this was the first one I had really seen and photographed this year. Further on, when I was at the blind, there were so many Ruddy Ducks. The Barn Swallow pair flew back and forth to their nest that is just out of sight. I had checked to see if I could spot the Red Knot (bird), but without binoculars, it was pretty much impossible to check the very distant water birds.

A very enjoyable afternoon/evening. Mid-evening, the main highway wasn't very busy, and the rain only started when I arrived home and had to get out of the car.

Gravel and dust - a favourite road

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 21:08:25 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Two mornings ago, on 30 June 2019, I woke up earlier than usual. Once I was on my computer, I checked the weather forecast and saw raindrop icons in the forecast for the next week, but the 30th was for sun. I knew what I had to do! Luckily, I had a tank full of gas, so I grabbed both cameras and a snack or two, and headed out the door. I must be the only person who hadn't been to Kananaskis recently and taken photos of the tiny Pikas (Rock Rabbits), and that was my destination.

This was a long weekend for Canada Day, and my plan had been to keep off the roads, as I was sure they would be busy, making it more difficult to stop whenever I wanted, to take a photo or two. However, when I saw the weather forecast, it changed my mind. Sunshine, blue sky with clouds, made it a perfect day to be out - I'm sure you agreed, Bonnie : )

A day in Kananaskis is always great, but sometimes 'great' turns out to be fantastic! Can't believe how lucky I was, not just in the mountains, but on the journey there and, at the end of the day, calling in at my 'usual' area closer to home.

I suspect the Pika is most people's favourite - around 6 inches long and almost impossible to see against the mountainside of broken rocks that are the same colour as the Pika's fur. Starting to believe that maybe I was going to be out of luck, the first one appeared, racing in and out and over and between the endless, sharp rocks. Take your eyes off the animal and you stand a good chance of not being able to find it again. Then a second one appeared, a baby. It perched itself on top of a rock and simply stayed there for a few minutes. Several of my photos show the eyes closing slightly. However, eventually it did move, and off it went. When it appeared not too far away, I caught sight of it and thought at first it was a mouse, ha. So tiny!

While I was searching for a Pika, a herd of Bighorn Sheep had come down the massive mountain side and, as they usually do, gathered right in the middle of the road to lick salt left by vehicles. After quite a time, there was an almighty BOOM that startled me and a handful of others. We hadn't noticed a Park's truck arrive, armed with 'bangers' to make the Sheep move from the road. Once the Park's person had left, the Sheep returned to the road. There were several young ones along with the females.

It will take me ages to go through my photos, especially having to combine two cameras, but lots of images can wait till winter. More important, to me, is to continue editing and posting the remaining Texas photos, if/when I get time to do so.

Kananaskis, through the windshield

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:42:50 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.

I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.

"What a day I had with friends on 7 December 2014, in an absolute winter wonderland! We set off about 7:45 a.m. (still dark) and drove westwards to the Kananaskis area of our majestic mountains. Early in the drive, the sunrise turned the still distant mountains pink - this is always such an amazing sight to see. There was very low cloud lingering in some places, too, which I always love to see. This was one of the many photos I took through the windshield, that actually came out OK, other than having to remove a lot of dark spots from the dirty windshield, that were visible in the sky area. Not sure if the colour was affected - could be - but the light was absolutely amazing. I always think you need the sun on the mountains, to bring them to life.

Once we had reached Kananaskis, we drove the area of Highway 40 that was still open (the rest of this highway is closed during the winter and very early spring months, to protect the wildlife) and also the Smith-Dorrien road. There had been a recent snowfall and the trees were still covered in snow, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland. There was no wind and the temperatures hovered a few degrees around 0C. Sunshine, a few clouds, and fun company made it such a great day!

My friends had been hoping for a long time to be able to show me a winter Moose, and on this day they did really well, finding a beautiful female and, at another location, a youngish male with antlers that looked rather like two little twigs sticking out of the sides of his head. The size of both these wild animals was huge! The closest we saw them both was when they walked by the car. You can stop the car some distance away from them, but if they are busy licking off the salt and minerals from any car in sight, they sometimes might eventually come close. All the female was interested in was doing this very thing : ) She would occasionally stop, straighten up and look and listen - usually this would be because she had heard or seen people snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing on a nearby trail through the forest. The rest of the time, she licked and licked and licked some more - the slurping sound could be heard from quite some distance : ) At one point, she bent both front knees to kneel, so that she could reach the lower part of a vehicle. Lol, she did a fine job of cleaning headlights till they shone. Impressive and rather amusing at the same time. Free car wash, anyone?? I should add that caution must always be kept in mind and respect given to an animal - any wildlife can be unpredictable, and Moose can cause a lot of damage if they become aggressive..

Most of the time, the female was in the shade, which made taking photos a bit of a challenge. What a difference in the colour of her coat when she occasionally moved into the sun.

We saw the female first, then the youngish male, and then we saw the female a second time, later. After feeding on dead leaves and tiny twigs from under the deep snow, she then lay down in the snow at the edge of some trees - the first time I had ever seen a Moose lying down. Such a peaceful scene - no one else was around, either.

I always feel so privileged when I witness any kind of wildlife, especially so when you get the chance to watch a while and learn the behaviour of the animal or bird you are lucky enough to see. Of course, just being in such spectacular scenery and being able to photograph the mountains is more than enough for me."

“The moose (North America) or Eurasian elk (Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with adendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. Moose used to have a much wider range but hunting and other human activities greatly reduced it over the years. Moose have been reintroduced to some of their former habitats. Currently, most moose are found in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia. Their diet consists of both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. The most common moose predators are wolves, bears, and humans. Unlike most other deer species, moose are solitary animals and do not form herds. Although generally slow-moving and sedentary, moose can become aggressive and move surprisingly quickly if angered or startled. Their mating season in the autumn can lead to spectacular fights between males competing for a female.

The moose is a herbivore and is capable of consuming many types of plant or fruit. The average adult moose needs to consume 9,770 kcal (40.9 MJ) per day to maintain its body weight. Much of a moose's energy is derived from terrestrial vegetation, mainly consisting of forbs and other non-grasses, and fresh shoots from trees such as willow and birch. These plants are rather low in sodium, and moose generally need to consume a good quantity of aquatic plants. While much lower in energy, these plants provide the moose with its sodium requirements, and as much as half of their diet usually consists of aquatic plant life. In winter, moose are often drawn to roadways, to lick salt that is used as a snow and ice melter. A typical moose, weighing 360 kg (790 lb), can eat up to 32 kg (71 lb) of food per day.” From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose

Wide open spaces

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 15:47:35 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Did everyone remember to set their clocks forward an hour? I totally forgot - a good job I didn't have an appointment or something. This morning, too, I have had the Blue Screen of Death twice! Both times, I was on Facebook.

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 for over a week, 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.

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.

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.

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!

Another see-through barn

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 06:58:16 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

After all the stress the last five or so 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 being this bad before.

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.

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.

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???

Two of my favourite things

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 16:06:16 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

An old barn and our beautiful Alberta landscape, with a touch of filter added in post-processing.

All three photos posted this morning were taken the day before yesterday, on 28 October 2018. A group of 15 of us went S and SE of the city on a birding trip to one of my favourite areas. This included Chain Lakes and Pine Coulee 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.

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. 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.

We saw so many Swans (Tundra and Trumpeter) on various sloughs and in flight. What a sight they were, with the sun shining on their pure white feathers. Love to hear the Trumpeter Swans "trumpeting". A huge thrill was when our leader led us to a small creek where there were four American Diippers, happily bobbing and dipping, and swimming under water. They weren't bothered by our presence at all.

Terry, you took us on yet another amazing trip! You even arranged with the weatherman for a beautiful, sunny day, though the morning was very cold and windy. It couldn't have been a better outing - so very enjoyable. Thanks so much, Linda and Robin, for the ride all day - greatly appreciated!

I was off my computer all day yesterday, too. My daughter came down for the day, as she had offered to come and help me with sorting through some things and getting rid of all my old electronics at recycle places. It saved me a whole lot of bending (which kills my back) and a lot of lifting. Her help was hugely appreciated!

Last night was supposed to be THE night, ha, ha! I was going to set two or three mouse traps (which is how I started out about 6 months ago, but I caught nothing). However, do you think I could set the traps? No, I just could not see how to set them. After talking to a friend on the phone this morning, he helped me and I got the first trap in place. Two minutes later, as I was just going upstairs, I heard a loud snap. Have not had the courage yet to peer round my fridge to see if the trap went off by itself or if there is one dead mouse. If it was successful, which I doubt, friends will come over later today to remove it for me!!

Clouds over Chain Lakes

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 13:17:45 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 28 October 2018. A group of 15 of us went S and SE of the city on a birding trip to one of my favourite areas. This included Chain Lakes and Pine Coulee 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.

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. 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.

We saw so many Swans (Tundra and Trumpeter) on various sloughs and in flight. What a sight they were, with the sun shining on their pure white feathers. Love to hear the Trumpeter Swans "trumpeting". A huge thrill was when our leader led us to a small creek where there were four American Diippers, happily bobbing and dipping, and swimming under water. They weren't bothered by our presence at all.

Terry, you took us on yet another amazing trip! You even arranged with the weatherman for a beautiful, sunny day. It couldn't have been a better outing - so very enjoyable. Thanks so much, Linda and Robin, for the ride all day - greatly appreciated!

I have been off my computer all day today, too. My daughter came down for the day, as she had offered to come and help me with sorting through some things and getting rid of all my old electronics at recycle places. It saved me a whole lot of bending (which kills my back) and a lot of lifting. Her help was hugely appreciated!

Tonight is THE night, ha, ha! I am going to set two or three mouse traps (which is how I started out about 6 months ago, but I caught nothing). I absolutely dread going downstairs tomorrow morning, in case the traps have caught something. If they were successful, friends are coming over straight away to remove it/them for me!! I just hope I don't hear the snap of a trap or any squealing!!!

Heading into the mountains

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 15:50:31 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

HAPPY snowy CANADIAN THANKSGIVING!

After a couple of fairly sunny days, we are back to another snowfall this morning, 8 October 2018. Our first major snowstorm blew in at the beginning of October and now here comes the second one. I wonder if we will end up getting fall or if we are more or less going straight from summer to winter. Our temperature this morning is -2C (windchill -8C) - the norm is around 15C and we have been way below average for weeks now. Not to mention all the rain we have had.

This photo is from 25 September 2018, when the weather forecast finally looked a little more promising. We have had so many gloomy, rainy days and when I woke up that morning and saw that the sun was shining, I knew I had better get out to the mountains before the fall colours disappeared. It was almost 11:00 am before I left home, so I was limited time-wise, but still managed to get to my destination. I had taken my computer to be fixed the previous day, to clear a virus and malware after being hacked, so I had more time to get out with my camera.

I thought this might just be my last chance to see fall colours and, if I was lucky, a little Pika. Luck was on my side and I saw both. Getting photos of the little Pika required an awful lot of patience : ) A few days later, our first snowstorm arrived, bringing as much as 60 cm of snow to Kananaskis and about 38 cm to our city. How lucky we are to live so close to such magnificent scenery!

Beautiful Peyto Lake

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 17:32:18 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

On 23 June 2018, I had the wonderful chance to return to two of my favourite places in the mountains - Bow Lake and Peyto Lake. This was thanks to the annual Bus Trip for Nature Calgary, with each year being to a different location in Alberta. These two Lakes are too far for me to drive (roughly two and a half hours), but mainly because they are way out of my driving comfort zone. I think I have only ever been to Peyto Lake twice before, the first time being something like 38 years ago, and the second time being in August 2013. Almost 40 years ago, I fell in love with Bow Lake, my absolute favourite place. I have been lucky enough to visit it a handful of times in recent years.

Unfortunately, we couldn't capture the beautiful, really deep turquoise colour that Peyto lake is so well known for. Too many low clouds and an overcast, damp day, but you can still see the beauty of this lake and its gorgeous surroundings. The forecast that I had seen for this whole area had been for snow-rain showers, with a high temperature of 12C and a low of 1C. Though the day started off with rain, we were lucky that we only had a few raindrops while we were out walking. It was really dreary weather, though, which was not good as far as photography was concerned.

Our first stop was at Peyto Lake, where we walked the short distance to the wooden Lookout deck. From there, we hiked a loop through the forest, finding a few wildflowers and some beautiful Orange Peel Fungus. On the way back to the Lookout, you really need to be very careful to take a path that leads back to the correct parking lot! The last few people took the wrong path and ended up waiting for a bus that never came for them. So easily done. They were eventually found, but after a long delay.

"Peyto Lake (pea-toe) is a glacier-fed lake located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessed from the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Ebenezer William Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area. The lake is formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, between Caldron Peak, Peyto Peak and Mount Jimmy Simpson, at an elevation of 1,860 m (6,100 ft). During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake, and these suspended rock particles give the lake a bright, turquoise color. Because of its bright color, photos of the lake often appear in illustrated books, and area around the lake is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists in the park. The lake is best seen from Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefield Parkway. The lake is fed by the Peyto Creek, which drains water from the Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield), and flows into the Mistaya River."

wikimapia.org/655560/Peyto-lake

From Peyto Lake, we drove to the nearby Bow Lake, which just takes my breath away. I had told a couple of friends how beautiful it is, but that the best kind of day to visit is a sunny day with absolutely calm lake water so that reflections are seen. Well, that was definitely not the kind of day we had, but one makes the best of what one gets. We spent time there, walking part way along the edge of the lake, looking for any bird and wildflower species, and simply soaking up the amazing beauty of our surroundings.

www.travelalberta.com/ca/listings/bow-lake-1997/

On the way back to Calgary, we were very lucky to notice a handful of cars that had pulled over on the side of the road. This always makes one wonder if a bear has been sighted. Sure enough, our bus driver slowed down and stopped for a short while to allow us to take a few photos. After a few minutes, I heard our organizer tell someone (or more than one person) to stop using flash, as it was stressing out the bear. Tell me, just WHY would anyone think it was OK to use flash on a wild animal that was just a few feet away from our bus!!! An animal that was busy feeding on dandelions and had been taking no notice of us. So maddening when photographers don't have respect for wildlife and just don't think! I happened to be sitting on the 'wrong' side of the bus and had two or three rows of people who were sitting or standing up, all trying to get their shots in between the people in front of them. So, my photos are not good, but serve as a record of having had the privilege of seeing such a beautiful creature.

A final, short stop on the way home was near Castle Mountain, which is a very impressive sight. It also has an interesting history, which I will add when I eventually post a photo taken there.

Many thanks, Penny, for organizing our trip to such perfect places! I know a huge amount of work goes into making all the plans - thanks, too, to John for helping out with this. A very successful and most enjoyable outing. Shirley and Pam - I greatly appreciated your driving to meeting places here in the city!

A favourite view, Waterton Lakes National Park

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:05:56 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went the last two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town, that you can see part of in this photo. I'm not sure, but our motel might be just off the photo on the right. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made out way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were at the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossiible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.

One of my favourite mountains in Waterton is the jagged row of pinnacles that can be seen slightly right of the centre of this image. These are the Citadel Peaks pinnacles, seen from near the Prince of Wales Hotel, high up on the cliff overlooking Upper Waterton Lake. The wind was SO strong for the whole of our stay (which is why I did not stand closer to the edge!) and it is amazing that any of my photos taken on these two days came out at all. A real challenge for any camera Image Stabilization system!

I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, seen in my next image. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close. Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Colombian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.

"With its merging landforms, connected ecoregions and its mild, moist, windy climate, Waterton Lakes National Park is an amazing meeting place for an abundant and diverse collection of vegetation.

Despite it's small size (505 sq km) Waterton is graced with over 1000 species of vascular plants . Over half of Alberta's plant species are found in this tiny place. The park's four ecoregions - foothills parkland, montane, subalpine and alpine - embrace forty-five vegetation communities. Sixteen of these are considered significant because they are rare or fragile and threatened.

Waterton also has an unusually high number of rare plants - over 175 are provincially rare (e.g. mountain lady's-slipper, pygmy poppy, mountain hollyhock), and over twenty of these are found only in the Waterton area (e.g. western wakerobin, Lewis' mock-orange, white-veined wintergreen). Over 50 species are rare in Canada (e.g. Bolander's quillwort, Lyall's scorpionweed, Brewer's monkeyflower.)" From Parks Canada website.

www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/f.aspx

Apart from the wind, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. Yesterday, Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home.

Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:04:47 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went the last two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made out way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.

I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.

"Built in 1926-27 during one of Waterton’s windiest and snowiest winters, the Prince of Wales Hotel is the park's most recognized landmark.

During its construction the extreme weather conditions and poor access created many problems for contractors Douglas Oland and James Scott, from Cardston, Alberta.

On December 10 1926 hurricane-force winds (estimated at 145 km/hr) blew each of the hotel's wings about 7.5 cm off their foundation. The men managed to winch the sections back in line. Three months later winds reached speeds of over 129 km/hr, again pushing the building off its foundation. This time Oland feared structural damage if they tried to pull back the now fully-framed building so he decided to leave it slightly out of plume.

The hotel is named after Edward, Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VIII, and, like its namesake, it has a colourful history. If its Douglas fir pillars could talk they would tell you a tale of American imagination and money, built with Canadian grit and patience.

Today, many people recognize the Prince of Wales as a railway hotel, but few realize it was built by the Great Northern of United States ... and not the Canadian Pacific.

In February 1993 the Historic Sites and Monuments Board approved the Prince of Wales' designation as a National Historic Site, recognizing its architectural style (rustic design tradition, with peaked roofs, gables, balconies and timber-frame interior that give it an appearance of a giant alpine chalet) and its contribution to tourism in the mountains. On July 23 1995 a commemorative plaque ceremony was held at the hotel." From Parks Canada.

www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul4.aspx

Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.

Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. Yesterday, Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home.

Ghost Reservoir

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 17:03:35 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Ha, ha, I just HAVE to post this today! Everyone's feelings about our insane, endless winter.

youtu.be/MoYrxmxFnio

My intention on 4 October 2017, had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again. I first discovered the old barn in this photo - or is it a homestead? - on 28 October 2014.

My final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city, was at the site where the McDougall Memorial United Church had stood. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! A very sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it:

"The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta.

The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history".

After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest.

www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta

An enjoyable day out - a barn day, not a birding/wildlife day. I think the only birds I noticed were the usual Ravens. Seeing that snow was once again in our forecast in a few more days, I wanted to get this drive done while the weather was still decent.

Glorious scenery for a Christmas Bird Count!

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 16:23:44 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 27 December 2017, when six of us (in the group I was in) took 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, and lots of snow, we were thankful that only part of the day was spent out of the car! Last night, we had more snow, so I will need to clear off my car before tomorrow's Bird Count way north of the city. Not a good forecast for tomorrow - overcast with more snow.
Another three or four days of this bitter weather and things are forecast to warm up, thank goodness.

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. 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 yesterday, 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.

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. 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.

A sunrise sky that lasted till sunset

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 16:51:17 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

With a lot of snow forecast for 8 of the next 10 days, I feel very lucky that my daughter and I had such a beautiful day yesterday, 17 December 2017, for our Christmas get-together. Along with the snow will come much colder temperatures, too, unfortunately. Looks like we could be getting around 20 cm of snow tomorrow, badly timed for one of our out-of-city Christmas Bird Counts. Yesterday was rather chilly, with a cold wind. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dazzling sunlight on distant peaks

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:01:12 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A friend invited me to go with him to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan eight days ago, on 27 November 2017, with plans to meet four other mutual friends out there. What a great day we had, with amazing scenery, beautiful weather until we got into the mountains and closer to our destination, and a wonderful sighting of 11 of these fascinating birds.

I know for sure that I would never have found them on my own, especially as I don't own a pair of snowshoes, just my warm, winter boots. Out there, one absolutely has to have snowshoes, as the snow is knee- or thigh-deep, and walking is impossible without them. Mind you, last year, I did do the walk without snowshoes, but it was brutal and I was dragged uphill by a very kind friend, with help from others along the way! I was so grateful to everyone, as that was my very first sighting of these Ptarmigan, that I had longed to see for quite a few years. What a thrill it was! I had seen photos of them against the snow, and I longed to have the chance to try and take photos like that.

So, eight days ago, my friends had snowshoes and went off searching in all directions, while I searched close to where we were parked, and also enjoyed myself taking photos of the winter wonderland that surrounded us and that I so rarely see, especially in winter. From 1 December each year, the winter gates in Kananaskis close for months, partly for safety reasons, but also to allow the wildlife some peaceful time, especially when their young are born. Towards the end of our time out there, guess what my friends found. If these birds had a sense of humour, I can just picture them laughing at all the effort that everyone was putting into looking for them. At first, they flew just a short distance - actually in my direction! - but only one of them landed within my sight, and far, far away. It took me a while to see it, as especially from a distance, a white bird on white snow just isn't seen, except for the black beak and the little, shiny, black eyes.

Friend, Lyn, called out to me and was waving her arms, telling me that there were four birds near where she was standing. When I reached the spot, one had taken off, but three remained. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw one against a darker background of bushes, along with two others near it, but completely against a snowy background. Sun would have been most welcome, but unfortunately, we had to make the best of the low light. Unlike last year, my photos of these newest birds have practically no detail in their feathers - but I will very gladly take whatever I can get. Just as big a thrill to see them again as it was to see them for the very first time a year ago.

Thanks, everyone, for walking so far in difficult surroundings. The gusts of fine, blowing snow didn't exactly make it more pleasant, but actually were quite refreshing in a strange way. Lovely to spend time with you all, and you did such a great job of finding our target birds and making sure that each one of us was able to see them. Thanks so much, Tony, for inviting me and for the ride, including that extra stretch of magnificent scenery that we unexpectedly drove through after we missed a turn : ) Also, it was nice to see a Shrike perched on a fence post along the back way home. My photos were pretty bad, very blurry, but I tried to rescue the 'best' one with a touch of filter in post-processing, just so that I could add it to the album for this trip. Such a great day!

"The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico. It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id

"The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan

A white world

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 18:14:18 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This photo was taken looking towards the sun, which was hidden behind thick cloud. I happened to spot something that didn't quite look like the surrounding small coniferous trees, and I took the shot to try and see if it was one of the friends I was with. As it turned out, it wasn't, but was someone else I knew.

A friend invited me to go with him three days ago, on 27 November 2017, with plans to meet four other mutual friends out there. What a great day we had, with amazing scenery, beautiful weather until we got into the mountains and closer to our destination, and a wonderful sighting of 11 of these fascinating birds.

I know for sure that I would never have found them on my own, especially as I don't own a pair of snowshoes, just my warm, winter boots. Out there, one absolutely has to have snowshoes, as the snow is knee- or thigh-deep, and walking is impossible without them. Mind you, last year, I did do the walk without snowshoes, but it was brutal and I was dragged uphill by a very kind friend, with help from others along the way! I was so grateful to everyone, as that was my very first sighting of these Ptarmigan, that I had longed to see for quite a few years. What a thrill it was! I had seen photos of them against the snow, and I longed to have the chance to try and take photos like that.

So, three days ago, my friends had snowshoes and went off searching in all directions, while I searched close to where we were parked, and also enjoyed myself taking photos of the winter wonderland that surrounded us and that I so rarely see, especially in winter. From 1 December each year, the winter gates in Kananaskis close for months, partly for safety reasons, but also to allow the wildlife some peaceful time, especially when their young are born. Towards the end of our time out there, guess what my friends found. If these birds had a sense of humour, I can just picture them laughing at all the effort that everyone was putting into looking for them. At first, they flew just a short distance - actually in my direction! - but only one of them landed within my sight, and far, far away. It took me a while to see it, as especially from a distance, a white bird on white snow just isn't seen, except for the black beak and the little, shiny, black eyes.

Friend, Lynn, called out to me and was waving her arms, telling me that there were four birds near where she was standing. When I reached the spot, one had taken off, but three remained. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw one against a darker background of bushes, along with two others near it, but completely against a snowy background. Sun would have been most welcome, but unfortunately, we had to make the most of the low light. Unlike last year, my photos of these newest birds have practically no detail in their feathers - but I will very gladly take whatever I can get. Just as big a thrill to see them again as it was to see them for the very first time a year ago.

Thanks, everyone, for walking so far in difficult surroundings. The gusts of fine, blowing snow didn't exactly make it more pleasant, but actually were quite refreshing in a strange way. Lovely to spend time with you all, and you did such a great job of finding our target birds and making sure that each one of us was able to see them. Thanks so much, Tony, for inviting me and for the ride, including that extra stretch of magnificent scenery that we unexpectedly drove through after we missed a turn : ) Also, it was nice to see a Shrike perched on a fence post along the back way home. My photos were pretty bad, very blurry, but I tried to rescue the 'best' one with a touch of filter in post-processing, just so that I could add it to the album for this trip. Such a great day!

"The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico. It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id

"The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan

Walking in a winter wonderland

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 18:09:31 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

The first 13 photos in my White-tailed Ptarmigan album were taken a year ago. Three visits were made with different friends on 22, 23 and 29 November, 2016. A friend invited me to go with him yesterday, 27 November 2017, with plans to meet four other mutual friends out there. What a great day we had, with amazing scenery, beautiful weather until we got into the mountains and closer to our destination, and a wonderful sighting of 11 of these fascinating birds.

I know for sure that I would never have found them on my own, especially as I don't own a pair of snow shoes, just my warm, winter boots. Out there, one absolutely has to have snowshoes, as the snow is knee- or thigh-deep, and walking is impossible. Mind you, last year, I did do the walk without snowshoes, but it was brutal and I was dragged uphill by a very kind friend, with help from others along the way! I was so grateful to everyone, as that was my very first sighting of these Ptarmigan, that I had longed to see for quite a few years. What a thrill it was! I had seen photos of them against the snow, and I longed to have the chance to try and get photos like that.

So, yesterday, my friends had snowshoes and went off searching in all directions, while I searched close to where we were parked, and also enjoyed myself taking photos of the winter wonderland that surrounded us and that I so rarely see, especially in winter. From 1 December each year, the winter gates in Kananaskis close for months, partly for safety reasons, but also to allow the wildlife some peaceful time, especially when their young are born. Towards the end of our time out there, guess what my friends found. If these birds had a sense of humour, I can just picture them laughing at all the effort that everyone was putting into looking for them : ) At first, they flew just a short distance - actually in my direction! - but only one of them landed within my sight, but far, far away. It took me a while to see it, as especially from a distance, a white bird on white snow just isn't seen, except for the black beak and the little, shiny, black eyes.

Friend, Lynn, called out to me and was waving her arms, telling me that there were four birds near where she was standing. When I reached the spot, one had taken off, but three remained. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the one seen in the previous photo, against a darker background, along with two others near it, but completely against a snowy background. Sun would have been most welcome, but unfortunately, we had to make the most of the low light. Unlike last year, yesterday's birds have practically no detail in their feathers - but I will very gladly take whatever I can get. Just as big a thrill to see them again as it was to see them for the very first time a year ago.

Thanks, everyone, for walking so far in difficult surroundings. The gusts of fine, blowing snow didn't exactly make it more pleasant, but actually were quite refreshing in a strange way. Lovely to spend time with you all yesterday, and you did such a great job of finding our target birds and making sure that each one of us was able to see them. Thanks so much, Tony, for inviting me and for the ride, including that extra stretch of magnificent scenery that we unexpectedly drove through : ) Also, it was nice to see a Shrike perched on a fence post along the back way home. My photos were not good, very blurry, but I tried to rescue the 'best' one with a touch of filter in post-processing, just so that I could add it to an album for yesterday's trip. Such a great day!

"The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico. It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id

"The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan