https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/1305457 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/1305457 Tue, 26 May 2026 23:04:25 +0000 Tue, 26 May 2026 23:04:25 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49706670 tag:ipernity.com,2019-07-23,doc-49706670 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 16:48:39 +0000 2019-07-21T16:28:56-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49706670"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/66/70/49706670.3a97602c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Two afternoons ago, on 21 July 2019, I decided to make a short visit to a forest area to check for any fungi. We have had so much rain the last few weeks, so I felt hopeful. However, the rain has made the plants and grasses grow well, but I didn't find much in the way of fungi. <br /> <br /> As it was a Sunday afternoon, there were quite a few people in the area, so I felt brave enough to venture a little way into the forest itself. The trails were wet and muddy in many places, making all the exposed tree roots slippery. Quite treacherous, in fact. In one spot, I managed to get my right shoe wedged in between two horizontal roots and it took a bit of effort to work it free. Was it worth going? Not really, especially as far as fungi go, but I did get some fresh air and exercise.<br /> <br /> There were a few butterflies, mainly White Admirals, and the wildflowers were the usual ones such as Purple/Water Avens, which I love to see at all stages, and Sticky Purple Geranium and Richardson's Geranium.</div> White Admiral <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49706670"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/66/70/49706670.3a97602c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Two afternoons ago, on 21 July 2019, I decided to make a short visit to a forest area to check for any fungi. We have had so much rain the last few weeks, so I felt hopeful. However, the rain has made the plants and grasses grow well, but I didn't find much in the way of fungi. <br /> <br /> As it was a Sunday afternoon, there were quite a few people in the area, so I felt brave enough to venture a little way into the forest itself. The trails were wet and muddy in many places, making all the exposed tree roots slippery. Quite treacherous, in fact. In one spot, I managed to get my right shoe wedged in between two horizontal roots and it took a bit of effort to work it free. Was it worth going? Not really, especially as far as fungi go, but I did get some fresh air and exercise.<br /> <br /> There were a few butterflies, mainly White Admirals, and the wildflowers were the usual ones such as Purple/Water Avens, which I love to see at all stages, and Sticky Purple Geranium and Richardson's Geranium.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47139068 tag:ipernity.com,2018-08-12,doc-47139068 Sun, 12 Aug 2018 15:30:04 +0000 2018-06-26T13:12:59-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47139068"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/90/68/47139068.0aea3e48.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Another of the beautiful butterflies that I have been lucky enough to see at the Enmax Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. What this species lacks in brilliant colour, it certainly makes up for in intricate design! Wing span is 2 3/4 - 3 3/8 inches (7 - 8.6 cm). <br /> <br /> "Adults rest on tree trunks head downward with their wings spread open. Males perch on trees and make a cracking sound when they dart out at passing insects (and people) .... Range: Argentina north through tropical America to Mexico. A rare stray to the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1809" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1809</a><br /> <br /> The last but one time that I visited the Calgary Zoo was on 6 October 2015. I used to go fairly often, but my usual parking lot and Zoo entrance then closed for the winter. Since then, road construction and bridge replacement have been going on, but have now been completed. The drive to the north entrance of the Zoo is definitely out of my driving comfort zone, so I had been waiting for this day for a long time. June 26th 2018 was THE day - for me and for half the people in the city!! It was packed! I had decided to go before schools close for the summer. However, I suspect some schools had end-of-term Zoo visits on this day. Also, when I checked the weather forecast, rain was in the forecast for the next six days, so I knew i needed to go straight away. <br /> <br /> My visit only covered about half the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. My daughter had taken a photo of a gigantic lily pad, Victoria Water Lily / Victoria amazonica, and I really wanted to see it. There were three or four of these in a tiny pool. I love the pattern on the underside of the upturned edge of each lily pad, I didn't see a huge variety of butterfly species that day, but there were enough to keep me happily clicking for a while. They vary from day to day, as new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises..<br /> <br /> My intention had not been to visit the newly arrived Panda family, as I was sure there would be an extremely long line-up. However, I could see that there was no line-up at all and I was able to just walk in, which was great. How lucky we are to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. I'm not sure how many hours a day these animals sleep, but two of the three that could be seen slept for part of the time I was there. Had to smile at the very uncomfortable positions in which they slept. Part of the enclosure has glass, which made it almost impossible to get photos without the reflections of the crowds of people. <br /> <br /> The Bactrian Camel had recently given birth to a baby, named Gobi - such a cute little thing. No sign of the Red Pandas when I passed their enclosure. One of the birds I love to see - though these birds tend to hide! - is the amazing Himalayan Monal. The male, especially, takes my breath away each time I see it.<br /> <br /> A few hours well spent happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be almost three years before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest.</div> Cracker sp. <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47139068"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/90/68/47139068.0aea3e48.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Another of the beautiful butterflies that I have been lucky enough to see at the Enmax Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. What this species lacks in brilliant colour, it certainly makes up for in intricate design! Wing span is 2 3/4 - 3 3/8 inches (7 - 8.6 cm). <br /> <br /> "Adults rest on tree trunks head downward with their wings spread open. Males perch on trees and make a cracking sound when they dart out at passing insects (and people) .... Range: Argentina north through tropical America to Mexico. A rare stray to the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1809" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1809</a><br /> <br /> The last but one time that I visited the Calgary Zoo was on 6 October 2015. I used to go fairly often, but my usual parking lot and Zoo entrance then closed for the winter. Since then, road construction and bridge replacement have been going on, but have now been completed. The drive to the north entrance of the Zoo is definitely out of my driving comfort zone, so I had been waiting for this day for a long time. June 26th 2018 was THE day - for me and for half the people in the city!! It was packed! I had decided to go before schools close for the summer. However, I suspect some schools had end-of-term Zoo visits on this day. Also, when I checked the weather forecast, rain was in the forecast for the next six days, so I knew i needed to go straight away. <br /> <br /> My visit only covered about half the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. My daughter had taken a photo of a gigantic lily pad, Victoria Water Lily / Victoria amazonica, and I really wanted to see it. There were three or four of these in a tiny pool. I love the pattern on the underside of the upturned edge of each lily pad, I didn't see a huge variety of butterfly species that day, but there were enough to keep me happily clicking for a while. They vary from day to day, as new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises..<br /> <br /> My intention had not been to visit the newly arrived Panda family, as I was sure there would be an extremely long line-up. However, I could see that there was no line-up at all and I was able to just walk in, which was great. How lucky we are to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. I'm not sure how many hours a day these animals sleep, but two of the three that could be seen slept for part of the time I was there. Had to smile at the very uncomfortable positions in which they slept. Part of the enclosure has glass, which made it almost impossible to get photos without the reflections of the crowds of people. <br /> <br /> The Bactrian Camel had recently given birth to a baby, named Gobi - such a cute little thing. No sign of the Red Pandas when I passed their enclosure. One of the birds I love to see - though these birds tend to hide! - is the amazing Himalayan Monal. The male, especially, takes my breath away each time I see it.<br /> <br /> A few hours well spent happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be almost three years before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47107634 tag:ipernity.com,2018-08-06,doc-47107634 Mon, 06 Aug 2018 15:00:41 +0000 2018-08-05T16:44:38-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47107634"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/76/34/47107634.a9be8cfe.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After the mishap with my photos three days ago, on 3 August 2018, I decided to spend a bit of time yesterday afternoon at a park SW of the city. Two days earlier, while I was taking photos at Rod Handfield's, I suddenly noticed that the image seen in my FZ200's viewfinder was smaller than it should be and also that I could no longer take 48x zoom, just 24x. I had no idea why this was happening, until I got home and downloaded my photos to my computer. Somehow, no idea how, I must have caught the "burst" button, setting my camera to take multiple shots at a time - and when I say multiple, I mean MULTIPLE! I couldn't tell that the camera was taking more than one shot. I found that the default setting in my camera for burst was 60 images. So, every time I thought I was taking one photo, my camera was taking 60 basically identical shots. Sigh! Normally, I never use burst mode. Worst of all, the resolution of each shot is ridiculously tiny, so they are useless for almost anything other than displaying on a computer screen. <br /> <br /> This is a long weekend here, thanks to a Civic Holiday today (Monday). I was pretty sure that there would be plenty of people at this park, so I felt somewhat more confident about going a bit further into the forest. Also, there was a cycle race (?) going on, along the road that runs alongside the park. and there were a few more people in the area - just in case I came across a bear or a cougar!<br /> <br /> "In 2018 Civic Holiday is on Monday, August 6. The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August and it's a public holiday in some provinces and territories. The civic holiday is not a statutory holiday although it's a day off for many employees across the country." <a href="https://www.statutoryholidays.com/civic-holiday.php" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.statutoryholidays.com/civic-holiday.php</a><br /> <br /> On the way home from the park, I stopped to see if any Mountain Bluebirds were still around. This male of one pair looked so dishevelled - I don't remember it being windy. So much work goes into feeding a young family.</div> European Skipper <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/47107634"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/76/34/47107634.a9be8cfe.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">After the mishap with my photos three days ago, on 3 August 2018, I decided to spend a bit of time yesterday afternoon at a park SW of the city. Two days earlier, while I was taking photos at Rod Handfield's, I suddenly noticed that the image seen in my FZ200's viewfinder was smaller than it should be and also that I could no longer take 48x zoom, just 24x. I had no idea why this was happening, until I got home and downloaded my photos to my computer. Somehow, no idea how, I must have caught the "burst" button, setting my camera to take multiple shots at a time - and when I say multiple, I mean MULTIPLE! I couldn't tell that the camera was taking more than one shot. I found that the default setting in my camera for burst was 60 images. So, every time I thought I was taking one photo, my camera was taking 60 basically identical shots. Sigh! Normally, I never use burst mode. Worst of all, the resolution of each shot is ridiculously tiny, so they are useless for almost anything other than displaying on a computer screen. <br /> <br /> This is a long weekend here, thanks to a Civic Holiday today (Monday). I was pretty sure that there would be plenty of people at this park, so I felt somewhat more confident about going a bit further into the forest. Also, there was a cycle race (?) going on, along the road that runs alongside the park. and there were a few more people in the area - just in case I came across a bear or a cougar!<br /> <br /> "In 2018 Civic Holiday is on Monday, August 6. The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August and it's a public holiday in some provinces and territories. The civic holiday is not a statutory holiday although it's a day off for many employees across the country." <a href="https://www.statutoryholidays.com/civic-holiday.php" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.statutoryholidays.com/civic-holiday.php</a><br /> <br /> On the way home from the park, I stopped to see if any Mountain Bluebirds were still around. This male of one pair looked so dishevelled - I don't remember it being windy. So much work goes into feeding a young family.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44325546 tag:ipernity.com,2017-02-16,doc-44325546 Thu, 16 Feb 2017 17:20:26 +0000 2014-09-28T15:03:57-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44325546"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/55/46/44325546.a3064a7d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday's (15 February 2017) high of 16.4 C in Calgary broke a century-old record, beating the previous mark of 15.6 C set in 1916. Our crazy weather! Just the other week, we had windchills as cold as -34C. The last few days have been so mild and wonderful, and the snow is rapidly melting. Makes a wet mess on the roads and you can only drive for a few seconds before the car windows are filthy again. Now if only all the snow and ice could disappear before our next snowfall, it would be worthwhile washing the car.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-weather-record-high-1.3985229" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-weather-record-hig...</a><br /> <br /> It's 11:30 am and there are only six new photos showing from my Contacts! Are there really so few people posting on Flickr today (and recently), or is it yet another Flickr glitch?<br /> <br /> I have been taking so few photos recently, so am now having to dig into my archives most of the time. The few times I have been out, I have either seen nothing or nothing that I can photograph. I am longing for a day out with tons of things to see and photograph : )<br /> <br /> When I visited the Calgary Zoo on 28 September 2014, I called in at the Conservatory - my favourite place in the Zoo, for tropical plants and butterflies. I haven't been to the Zoo for about a year and a half now and really miss it a lot.<br /> <br /> This butterfly is a Chocolate Pansy / Chocolate Soldier / Junonia iphita. Though not a colourful species, it does have quite attractive markings.<br /> <br /> "The Chocolate Pansy or Chocolate Soldier (Junonia iphita) is a butterfly found in Asia.... Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junonia_iphita" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junonia_iphita</a><br /> <br /> "Both sexes are very similar in appearance, but the female has slightly broader and more rounded wings. On the underside the wings are pale brown with a dark stripe, and look like a dead leaf.<br /> <br /> Junonia iphita is found mainly in degraded and disturbed forest habitats including palm plantations, small clearings, and along roadsides and riverbanks at elevations between sea level and at least 1200m. It also occurs in primary rainforest and temperate evergreen and deciduous forests.<br /> <br /> Both sexes are low flying, and spend long periods basking on herbage or on the ground. They are relatively easy to approach, and rarely fly far if disturbed. When not basking they tend to sit on the leaves of bushes or saplings, where they often remain motionless for several minutes even in hot sunny weather." From Learn about Butterflies.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Malaysia - Junonia iphita.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Malaysia%20-%20Junonia%20ip...</a></div> Chocolate Pansy / Chocolate Soldier / Junonia iphita <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/44325546"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/55/46/44325546.a3064a7d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday's (15 February 2017) high of 16.4 C in Calgary broke a century-old record, beating the previous mark of 15.6 C set in 1916. Our crazy weather! Just the other week, we had windchills as cold as -34C. The last few days have been so mild and wonderful, and the snow is rapidly melting. Makes a wet mess on the roads and you can only drive for a few seconds before the car windows are filthy again. Now if only all the snow and ice could disappear before our next snowfall, it would be worthwhile washing the car.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-weather-record-high-1.3985229" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-weather-record-hig...</a><br /> <br /> It's 11:30 am and there are only six new photos showing from my Contacts! Are there really so few people posting on Flickr today (and recently), or is it yet another Flickr glitch?<br /> <br /> I have been taking so few photos recently, so am now having to dig into my archives most of the time. The few times I have been out, I have either seen nothing or nothing that I can photograph. I am longing for a day out with tons of things to see and photograph : )<br /> <br /> When I visited the Calgary Zoo on 28 September 2014, I called in at the Conservatory - my favourite place in the Zoo, for tropical plants and butterflies. I haven't been to the Zoo for about a year and a half now and really miss it a lot.<br /> <br /> This butterfly is a Chocolate Pansy / Chocolate Soldier / Junonia iphita. Though not a colourful species, it does have quite attractive markings.<br /> <br /> "The Chocolate Pansy or Chocolate Soldier (Junonia iphita) is a butterfly found in Asia.... Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junonia_iphita" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junonia_iphita</a><br /> <br /> "Both sexes are very similar in appearance, but the female has slightly broader and more rounded wings. On the underside the wings are pale brown with a dark stripe, and look like a dead leaf.<br /> <br /> Junonia iphita is found mainly in degraded and disturbed forest habitats including palm plantations, small clearings, and along roadsides and riverbanks at elevations between sea level and at least 1200m. It also occurs in primary rainforest and temperate evergreen and deciduous forests.<br /> <br /> Both sexes are low flying, and spend long periods basking on herbage or on the ground. They are relatively easy to approach, and rarely fly far if disturbed. When not basking they tend to sit on the leaves of bushes or saplings, where they often remain motionless for several minutes even in hot sunny weather." From Learn about Butterflies.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Malaysia - Junonia iphita.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Malaysia%20-%20Junonia%20ip...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/41646326 tag:ipernity.com,2016-04-19,doc-41646326 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:20:53 +0000 2016-04-18T12:55:10-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/41646326"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/26/41646326.1ebf0a2c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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 (34.7 acres) is located seven kilometres west of Water Valley just off Highway 579.<br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.mountainviewgazette.ca/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110614/MVG0801/306149999/-1/mvg/bagnall-park-grand-opening-friday" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.mountainviewgazette.ca/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201...</a><br /> <br /> Yesterday, 18 April 2016, I went NW of Calgary with a small group of friends to explore the William J. Bagnall WIldness Park. This was actually my very first visit to this wilderness park. A couple of friends had mentioned it recently and two weeks ago, on 5 April 2016, I finally decided to go and explore the area. That day, I drove through some beautiful scenery, but discovered after I got home that, in fact, I had not even been in the park itself. Instead, I had kept driving past the entrance way along what I think is the Harold Creek Rd.<br /> <br /> William J. Bagnall Wilderness Park is only small, with a fairly short trail that loops back to the parking lot. It leads through the forest, down the forested hillside to the creek which still has a layer of old snow and ice on it, and then back up the slope to where the cars were parked. <br /> <br /> It was still too early for plants and fungi to be growing, but the friends I went with are specialists in mosses, lichens and fungi, with most impressive knowledge of every kind of nature, including birds. The second photo I posted this morning shows one of the rather attractive lichens that we saw on a rocky outdrop that was covered in these circular patterns. <br /> <br /> As far as photography goes, there was not very much to photograph, though I did catch this little Red Squirrel near the parking lot. I also stood listening to the call of a Varied Thrush and, when I was ahead of the rest of the group, I suddenly saw a bird fly into a distant tree. Couldn't find it in my viewfinder, but I could tell exactly where the call was coming from. Then the bird flew and I got a tiny glimpse of its colour. A tiny Comma butterfly gave me a chance to use my camera, too.<br /> <br /> We stopped and ate our lunch at the small picnic area that has an outhouse. Always a welcome sight! Once back at the cars, we then returned to the city via Highway 22. Thanks so much for driving, Peter - much appreciated. It was pure luxury to travel my usual owling route with someone else driving! A great day in glorious weather and in great company. Nothing like having summer weather in mid-April. It's supposed to get up to 27C this afternoon, which is crazy. A week from today, though, the forecast is for 3C and snow, lol!</div> Comma butterfly - one of my favourites <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/41646326"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/26/41646326.1ebf0a2c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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 (34.7 acres) is located seven kilometres west of Water Valley just off Highway 579.<br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.mountainviewgazette.ca/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110614/MVG0801/306149999/-1/mvg/bagnall-park-grand-opening-friday" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.mountainviewgazette.ca/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201...</a><br /> <br /> Yesterday, 18 April 2016, I went NW of Calgary with a small group of friends to explore the William J. Bagnall WIldness Park. This was actually my very first visit to this wilderness park. A couple of friends had mentioned it recently and two weeks ago, on 5 April 2016, I finally decided to go and explore the area. That day, I drove through some beautiful scenery, but discovered after I got home that, in fact, I had not even been in the park itself. Instead, I had kept driving past the entrance way along what I think is the Harold Creek Rd.<br /> <br /> William J. Bagnall Wilderness Park is only small, with a fairly short trail that loops back to the parking lot. It leads through the forest, down the forested hillside to the creek which still has a layer of old snow and ice on it, and then back up the slope to where the cars were parked. <br /> <br /> It was still too early for plants and fungi to be growing, but the friends I went with are specialists in mosses, lichens and fungi, with most impressive knowledge of every kind of nature, including birds. The second photo I posted this morning shows one of the rather attractive lichens that we saw on a rocky outdrop that was covered in these circular patterns. <br /> <br /> As far as photography goes, there was not very much to photograph, though I did catch this little Red Squirrel near the parking lot. I also stood listening to the call of a Varied Thrush and, when I was ahead of the rest of the group, I suddenly saw a bird fly into a distant tree. Couldn't find it in my viewfinder, but I could tell exactly where the call was coming from. Then the bird flew and I got a tiny glimpse of its colour. A tiny Comma butterfly gave me a chance to use my camera, too.<br /> <br /> We stopped and ate our lunch at the small picnic area that has an outhouse. Always a welcome sight! Once back at the cars, we then returned to the city via Highway 22. Thanks so much for driving, Peter - much appreciated. It was pure luxury to travel my usual owling route with someone else driving! A great day in glorious weather and in great company. Nothing like having summer weather in mid-April. It's supposed to get up to 27C this afternoon, which is crazy. A week from today, though, the forecast is for 3C and snow, lol!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40496318 tag:ipernity.com,2015-12-02,doc-40496318 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 16:24:32 +0000 2015-06-24T17:00:42-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40496318"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/18/40496318.753d8c62.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 June 2015, when I called in after a volunteer shift. <br /> <br /> "The upperside of the wings are clear white with black wing tips, one black spot (two in the female) on the forewing, and a black patch on the leading edge of the hindwing. The underside of the hindwing is a pale mustard-yellow colour. Wingspan: 32 to 47 mm.<br /> <br /> An almost ubiquitous species of the northern hemisphere, the Cabbage White was first introduced into North America in Quebec in the 1860s. It dramatically spread across the continent in the next few decades. It now ranges in Canada from coast to coast."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cabbage-white/?id=1370403265562" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cab...</a></div> Cabbage White butterfly <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40496318"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/63/18/40496318.753d8c62.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken at the Reader Rock Garden on 24 June 2015, when I called in after a volunteer shift. <br /> <br /> "The upperside of the wings are clear white with black wing tips, one black spot (two in the female) on the forewing, and a black patch on the leading edge of the hindwing. The underside of the hindwing is a pale mustard-yellow colour. Wingspan: 32 to 47 mm.<br /> <br /> An almost ubiquitous species of the northern hemisphere, the Cabbage White was first introduced into North America in Quebec in the 1860s. It dramatically spread across the continent in the next few decades. It now ranges in Canada from coast to coast."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cabbage-white/?id=1370403265562" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cab...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39756896 tag:ipernity.com,2015-09-24,doc-39756896 Thu, 24 Sep 2015 14:43:24 +0000 2015-09-08T14:26:49-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39756896"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/96/39756896.b97f9256.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Problems with Flickr, again. This morning, I'm finding it difficult to even open the Flickr website. It worked this one time, but not two others - the pink and blue dots rolled forever. Hmm, I wonder what else I'll find that won't work. Just found the following from a Staff Member on the Help Forum:<br /> <br /> "It looks like we are experiencing some network related issues. We are working hard to resolve them." <br /> <br /> This photo was taken about two and a half weeks ago, on 8 September 2015. In the morning, I joined a group of friends for a three-hour stroll at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 38 bird species were seen, though I didn't manage to see any of the tiny, fast-moving Warblers. It was good to see 28 Wood Ducks, but they were far, far away, in an area that is still closed due to devastating flood damage. The Sanctuary had been closed for about two years for this reason and only very recently re-opened just a part of the area.<br /> <br /> The Calgary Zoo is very close to the Sanctuary, so after our morning walk, I decided to call in at the Zoo. I hadn't been for about a year and I really missed going there. Of course, many of the garden flowers were past their prime, but I did find a few that were fit to photograph. <br /> <br /> I knew I wouldn't be able to walk far, having already been walking all morning, but I really wanted to get to the ENMAX Conservatory to see what was going on. I had been longing all spring and summer to see the tropical butterflies and plants. The butterfly season will be coming to an end for these tropical beauties, but there were still plenty of them to be seen. Also, I was told that this month, the parking lot that I use will close for the winter and I don't like the drive back home from the north parking area, using Deerfoot Trail, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. <br /> <br /> There was so much activity going on at the Zoo this day. People everywhere, carrying large animals wrapped in white, protective coverings, preparing for the ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival that has now just started. Each animal is an individual lantern and there are so many of them. I noticed that several of the real animals in their enclosures were watching all the unaccustomed activity, which made me smile.<br /> <br /> A good day, despite the overcast sky, and plenty of photo opportunities. Recently, I have been finding far fewer things to photograph, with fall on its way and now already arrived, so a day like this was more than welcome.</div> Tiger Longwing butterfly / Heliconius hecale <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39756896"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/96/39756896.b97f9256.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Problems with Flickr, again. This morning, I'm finding it difficult to even open the Flickr website. It worked this one time, but not two others - the pink and blue dots rolled forever. Hmm, I wonder what else I'll find that won't work. Just found the following from a Staff Member on the Help Forum:<br /> <br /> "It looks like we are experiencing some network related issues. We are working hard to resolve them." <br /> <br /> This photo was taken about two and a half weeks ago, on 8 September 2015. In the morning, I joined a group of friends for a three-hour stroll at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 38 bird species were seen, though I didn't manage to see any of the tiny, fast-moving Warblers. It was good to see 28 Wood Ducks, but they were far, far away, in an area that is still closed due to devastating flood damage. The Sanctuary had been closed for about two years for this reason and only very recently re-opened just a part of the area.<br /> <br /> The Calgary Zoo is very close to the Sanctuary, so after our morning walk, I decided to call in at the Zoo. I hadn't been for about a year and I really missed going there. Of course, many of the garden flowers were past their prime, but I did find a few that were fit to photograph. <br /> <br /> I knew I wouldn't be able to walk far, having already been walking all morning, but I really wanted to get to the ENMAX Conservatory to see what was going on. I had been longing all spring and summer to see the tropical butterflies and plants. The butterfly season will be coming to an end for these tropical beauties, but there were still plenty of them to be seen. Also, I was told that this month, the parking lot that I use will close for the winter and I don't like the drive back home from the north parking area, using Deerfoot Trail, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. <br /> <br /> There was so much activity going on at the Zoo this day. People everywhere, carrying large animals wrapped in white, protective coverings, preparing for the ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival that has now just started. Each animal is an individual lantern and there are so many of them. I noticed that several of the real animals in their enclosures were watching all the unaccustomed activity, which made me smile.<br /> <br /> A good day, despite the overcast sky, and plenty of photo opportunities. Recently, I have been finding far fewer things to photograph, with fall on its way and now already arrived, so a day like this was more than welcome.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39652828 tag:ipernity.com,2015-09-12,doc-39652828 Sat, 12 Sep 2015 12:35:32 +0000 2015-09-08T13:56:20-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39652828"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/28/39652828.b7a70dcf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken four days ago, on 8 September 2015. In the morning, I joined a group of friends for a three-hour stroll at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 38 bird species were seen, though I didn't manage to see any of the tiny, fast-moving Warblers. It was good to see 28 Wood Ducks, but they were far, far away, in an area that is still closed due to devastating flood damage. The Sanctuary had been closed for about two years for this reason and only very recently re-opened just a part of the area.<br /> <br /> The Calgary Zoo is very close to the Sanctuary, so after our morning walk, I decided to call in at the Zoo. I hadn't been for about a year and I really missed going there. Of course, many of the garden flowers were past their prime, but I did find a few that were fit to photograph. <br /> <br /> I knew I wouldn't be able to walk far, having already been walking all morning, but I really wanted to get to the ENMAX Conservatory to see what was going on. I had been longing all summer to see the tropical butterflies and plants. The butterfly season will be coming to an end for these tropical beauties, but there were still plenty of them to be seen. Also, this month, the parking lot that I use will close for the winter and I don't like the drive back home from the north parking area, using Deerfoot Trail, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. <br /> <br /> There was so much activity going on at the Zoo the other day. People everywhere, carrying large animals wrapped in white, protective coverings, preparing for the upcoming ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival. Each animal is an individual lantern and there are so many of them. I noticed that several of the real animals in their enclosures were watching all the unaccustomed activity, which made me smile.<br /> <br /> A good day, despite the overcast sky, and plenty of photo opportunities. Recently, I have been finding far fewer things to photograph, with fall on its way, so a day like this was more than welcome.</div> Tiger Longwing butterfly / Heliconius hecale <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39652828"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/28/28/39652828.b7a70dcf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This photo was taken four days ago, on 8 September 2015. In the morning, I joined a group of friends for a three-hour stroll at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 38 bird species were seen, though I didn't manage to see any of the tiny, fast-moving Warblers. It was good to see 28 Wood Ducks, but they were far, far away, in an area that is still closed due to devastating flood damage. The Sanctuary had been closed for about two years for this reason and only very recently re-opened just a part of the area.<br /> <br /> The Calgary Zoo is very close to the Sanctuary, so after our morning walk, I decided to call in at the Zoo. I hadn't been for about a year and I really missed going there. Of course, many of the garden flowers were past their prime, but I did find a few that were fit to photograph. <br /> <br /> I knew I wouldn't be able to walk far, having already been walking all morning, but I really wanted to get to the ENMAX Conservatory to see what was going on. I had been longing all summer to see the tropical butterflies and plants. The butterfly season will be coming to an end for these tropical beauties, but there were still plenty of them to be seen. Also, this month, the parking lot that I use will close for the winter and I don't like the drive back home from the north parking area, using Deerfoot Trail, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. <br /> <br /> There was so much activity going on at the Zoo the other day. People everywhere, carrying large animals wrapped in white, protective coverings, preparing for the upcoming ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival. Each animal is an individual lantern and there are so many of them. I noticed that several of the real animals in their enclosures were watching all the unaccustomed activity, which made me smile.<br /> <br /> A good day, despite the overcast sky, and plenty of photo opportunities. Recently, I have been finding far fewer things to photograph, with fall on its way, so a day like this was more than welcome.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/38548678 tag:ipernity.com,2015-06-03,doc-38548678 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 15:06:45 +0000 2015-05-31T10:23:39-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/38548678"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/86/78/38548678.46c6dd3d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This very quick shot is of one of the very small, Blue butterflies that arrive each spring. There are a few different ones, and I'm not good at telling which is which, so won't attempt to identify this one. <br /> <br /> It was seen at one of our stops on 31 May 2015, during the annual May Species Count. Eight of us covered a large area SW of Calgary, checking out the backroads, ponds, wetlands, sloughs. The highlight each May is calling in at a wonderful property where we are able to see some great species, including Evening Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, and this year, a tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird male. <br /> <br /> We had a great day, stopping en route at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to eat our lunch. This year, we didn't go into the park to look for Calypso Orchids, partly because a week ago, we did call in and found several of the small, pink Orchids. The temperature was 12C - 23C, with blue sky. Total distance travelled was 93 km and our total number of bird species was 63. <br /> <br /> After the Count, we called in at a little tea place and enjoyed relaxing with welcome cups of coffee. Thanks so much, Monica, for treating us all to this and for driving your daughter and myself around all day - greatly appreciated! I'll add that, as usual, there were a lot of the birds that I didn't see - I don't use binoculars and also so many of the birds seemed to be the seen from the opposite side of the car, lol.</div> Small Blue sp. <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/38548678"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/86/78/38548678.46c6dd3d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This very quick shot is of one of the very small, Blue butterflies that arrive each spring. There are a few different ones, and I'm not good at telling which is which, so won't attempt to identify this one. <br /> <br /> It was seen at one of our stops on 31 May 2015, during the annual May Species Count. Eight of us covered a large area SW of Calgary, checking out the backroads, ponds, wetlands, sloughs. The highlight each May is calling in at a wonderful property where we are able to see some great species, including Evening Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, and this year, a tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird male. <br /> <br /> We had a great day, stopping en route at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to eat our lunch. This year, we didn't go into the park to look for Calypso Orchids, partly because a week ago, we did call in and found several of the small, pink Orchids. The temperature was 12C - 23C, with blue sky. Total distance travelled was 93 km and our total number of bird species was 63. <br /> <br /> After the Count, we called in at a little tea place and enjoyed relaxing with welcome cups of coffee. Thanks so much, Monica, for treating us all to this and for driving your daughter and myself around all day - greatly appreciated! I'll add that, as usual, there were a lot of the birds that I didn't see - I don't use binoculars and also so many of the birds seemed to be the seen from the opposite side of the car, lol.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37949930 tag:ipernity.com,2015-04-30,doc-37949930 Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:46:48 +0000 2013-04-09T12:59:16-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37949930"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/30/37949930.061d0811.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is a photo from my archives, taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 9 April 2013. There were very few butterflies in April, but over the following months till around September/October, numbers increased and the tropical plants grew much larger, and it once again became a hot, humid, tropical paradise : ) I'm not sure, but I think the plant in this photos is Duranta (repens?).<br /> <br /> This year, 2015, I think the Zoo obtained butterfly pupae around mid-April, so about two weeks ago. I haven't been to the Zoo for months, so even if it's still a bit soon to see a good variety of butterfly species, I really should get over there before too long. Part of the trouble is that one of my favourite places to go is Frank Lake, which takes about the same amount of time to drive to as to drive over to the Zoo. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Siproeta-stelenes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Siproeta-stelenes</a></div> Malachite butterfly on blue <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37949930"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/30/37949930.061d0811.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is a photo from my archives, taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 9 April 2013. There were very few butterflies in April, but over the following months till around September/October, numbers increased and the tropical plants grew much larger, and it once again became a hot, humid, tropical paradise : ) I'm not sure, but I think the plant in this photos is Duranta (repens?).<br /> <br /> This year, 2015, I think the Zoo obtained butterfly pupae around mid-April, so about two weeks ago. I haven't been to the Zoo for months, so even if it's still a bit soon to see a good variety of butterfly species, I really should get over there before too long. Part of the trouble is that one of my favourite places to go is Frank Lake, which takes about the same amount of time to drive to as to drive over to the Zoo. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Siproeta-stelenes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Siproeta-stelenes</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37863356 tag:ipernity.com,2015-04-08,doc-37863356 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 15:13:29 +0000 2014-07-14T17:24:41-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37863356"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/56/37863356.96185b60.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Monday, 14 July 2014, was another hot day, and my computer room became unbearably uncomfortable. That meant only one thing - I would have to drive around in my car for some air-conditioning. Spent about four hours cruising the backroads SW of the city, not seeing a whole lot. Went as far as Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, with the intention of doing just a very short walk into the forest. Didn't get that far, though, as there were things to photograph around the edge of the tiny parking lot and just part way along the path that leads to the two short boardwalks. <br /> <br /> The first thing I saw and heard was a Tennessee Warbler and when I reached it, discovered that there were now several young ones, too. Talk about friendly little birds - not sure that they didn't think I was going to feed them. Interesting to see birds that acted rather like the Black-capped Chickadees - just as fast-moving, too, making it difficult to get even a half-decent photo. <br /> <br /> The next thing that welcomed me to the park was a beautiful Western Wood Lily. They always almost glow amongst all the greenery. A few other plants that I photographed included Sticky Purple Geranium and Richardson's Geranium, Purple Avens, One-flowered WIntergreen, One-sided Wintergreen, Pink Pyrola, Twin Flower, Creamy Peavine, Round-leaved Orchid and Bishop's Cap that was already in seed. Also saw several kinds of insect, including this small (wingspan: 22 - 26 mm), bright European Skipper. Please correct me if the ID is incorrect - thanks.<br /> <br /> On the way home from Brown-Lowery, I saw a couple of fun things. One was a Wilson's Snipe on a wooden post to which was attached a Bluebird/Tree Swallow nesting box. I've never seen one by a nesting box before. The other thing I saw was a Ruffed Grouse female walking along the side of the main road. Didn't realize what it was until I had driven past it. Did a quick U-turn and, rounding a bend, saw not just the adult standing on the road, but also a young one. I pulled over to the edge of the road and very slowly walked a little closer - then I noticed about four other youngsters in the grass. Mom walked very slowly to the middle of the road and one brave little soul took a few very hesitant steps towards her. It wasn't quite sure that it liked being that far out in the open, so started to return to its siblings. This was repeated a few times, with me becoming more anxious that a car was bound to come racing down the road at any minute. Another of the babies tried to take a few brave steps - which is when a vehicle appeared. With Mom and two of her babies on the road, where they'd been for maybe 10 minutes, I just had to signal to the driver, who slowed down, waited a moment, and then got out of her car and loudly clapped her hands. Off they all flew, into the long grass. I suspect she was a country girl - and not a photographer, lol! If only she had scared them off to the side of the road that they had been trying to get to! And so ended my fun experience ..... and I returned to my house, that felt like walking into an oven.<br /> <br /> "Skippers are members of the Lepidoptera family that do not fit the cookie mold for either butterflies or moths. They are usually small and have a rapid, fluttering, 'skipping' flight style that is difficult to follow. They are classed in the family Hesperiidae and are not actually considered true butterflies, but they are more closely related to them than they are moths.<br /> <br /> Physical characteristics include antennae with a 'hook' on the end. Butterflies have clubbed antennae and moths have feathery antennae or simple straight filaments. Skippers have a thick, fuzzy body more in keeping with moths and larger compound eyes as well.<br /> <br /> These little guys are generally recognized by their dull brown, tan or pale gold colors and are often overlooked in the garden. It's a shame, because these are some of the most entertaining insects you can find. They have good eyesight and are seldom still for more than a few moments. They skip from flower to flower and prefer plants of the Asteraceae family, although they do tend to really enjoy my Buddleja when it is in bloom as well.<br /> <br /> One of the most unique habits some Skippers have is the tendency to hold their fore wings and hind wings at two different angles. This gives them a little 'fighter jet' appearance and as as quick as they are, it is a great description." From dave'sgarden.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/5254/#b#ixzz3Wjigsg25" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/5254/#b#ixzz3Wjigsg25</a></div> European Skipper <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37863356"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/56/37863356.96185b60.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Monday, 14 July 2014, was another hot day, and my computer room became unbearably uncomfortable. That meant only one thing - I would have to drive around in my car for some air-conditioning. Spent about four hours cruising the backroads SW of the city, not seeing a whole lot. Went as far as Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, with the intention of doing just a very short walk into the forest. Didn't get that far, though, as there were things to photograph around the edge of the tiny parking lot and just part way along the path that leads to the two short boardwalks. <br /> <br /> The first thing I saw and heard was a Tennessee Warbler and when I reached it, discovered that there were now several young ones, too. Talk about friendly little birds - not sure that they didn't think I was going to feed them. Interesting to see birds that acted rather like the Black-capped Chickadees - just as fast-moving, too, making it difficult to get even a half-decent photo. <br /> <br /> The next thing that welcomed me to the park was a beautiful Western Wood Lily. They always almost glow amongst all the greenery. A few other plants that I photographed included Sticky Purple Geranium and Richardson's Geranium, Purple Avens, One-flowered WIntergreen, One-sided Wintergreen, Pink Pyrola, Twin Flower, Creamy Peavine, Round-leaved Orchid and Bishop's Cap that was already in seed. Also saw several kinds of insect, including this small (wingspan: 22 - 26 mm), bright European Skipper. Please correct me if the ID is incorrect - thanks.<br /> <br /> On the way home from Brown-Lowery, I saw a couple of fun things. One was a Wilson's Snipe on a wooden post to which was attached a Bluebird/Tree Swallow nesting box. I've never seen one by a nesting box before. The other thing I saw was a Ruffed Grouse female walking along the side of the main road. Didn't realize what it was until I had driven past it. Did a quick U-turn and, rounding a bend, saw not just the adult standing on the road, but also a young one. I pulled over to the edge of the road and very slowly walked a little closer - then I noticed about four other youngsters in the grass. Mom walked very slowly to the middle of the road and one brave little soul took a few very hesitant steps towards her. It wasn't quite sure that it liked being that far out in the open, so started to return to its siblings. This was repeated a few times, with me becoming more anxious that a car was bound to come racing down the road at any minute. Another of the babies tried to take a few brave steps - which is when a vehicle appeared. With Mom and two of her babies on the road, where they'd been for maybe 10 minutes, I just had to signal to the driver, who slowed down, waited a moment, and then got out of her car and loudly clapped her hands. Off they all flew, into the long grass. I suspect she was a country girl - and not a photographer, lol! If only she had scared them off to the side of the road that they had been trying to get to! And so ended my fun experience ..... and I returned to my house, that felt like walking into an oven.<br /> <br /> "Skippers are members of the Lepidoptera family that do not fit the cookie mold for either butterflies or moths. They are usually small and have a rapid, fluttering, 'skipping' flight style that is difficult to follow. They are classed in the family Hesperiidae and are not actually considered true butterflies, but they are more closely related to them than they are moths.<br /> <br /> Physical characteristics include antennae with a 'hook' on the end. Butterflies have clubbed antennae and moths have feathery antennae or simple straight filaments. Skippers have a thick, fuzzy body more in keeping with moths and larger compound eyes as well.<br /> <br /> These little guys are generally recognized by their dull brown, tan or pale gold colors and are often overlooked in the garden. It's a shame, because these are some of the most entertaining insects you can find. They have good eyesight and are seldom still for more than a few moments. They skip from flower to flower and prefer plants of the Asteraceae family, although they do tend to really enjoy my Buddleja when it is in bloom as well.<br /> <br /> One of the most unique habits some Skippers have is the tendency to hold their fore wings and hind wings at two different angles. This gives them a little 'fighter jet' appearance and as as quick as they are, it is a great description." From dave'sgarden.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/5254/#b#ixzz3Wjigsg25" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/5254/#b#ixzz3Wjigsg25</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35820631 tag:ipernity.com,2014-11-07,doc-35820631 Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:45:43 +0000 2014-10-14T14:20:09-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35820631"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/146/06/31/35820631.339f3b45.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 14 October 2014. I’m not completely sure of this butterfly’s ID, but I think it might be a Doris butterfly (Heliconius doris). If anyone can confirm or correct this, it would be greatly appreciated.<br /> <br /> Many thanks for the correct ID, Bob (Decker) - Heliconius hortense. Much appreciated!<br /> <br /> Whenever one goes into the Butterfly room, it’s very warm and humid. This is bad enough in the summer, but now that we need sweaters and jackets, it feels unbearably hot in there. When I was there briefly with my daughter the other day, it took 20-30 minutes for my camera lens to defog, and by then, it was just about time to leave, ha.</div> Mexican Longwing / Heliconius hortense <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35820631"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/146/06/31/35820631.339f3b45.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 14 October 2014. I’m not completely sure of this butterfly’s ID, but I think it might be a Doris butterfly (Heliconius doris). If anyone can confirm or correct this, it would be greatly appreciated.<br /> <br /> Many thanks for the correct ID, Bob (Decker) - Heliconius hortense. Much appreciated!<br /> <br /> Whenever one goes into the Butterfly room, it’s very warm and humid. This is bad enough in the summer, but now that we need sweaters and jackets, it feels unbearably hot in there. When I was there briefly with my daughter the other day, it took 20-30 minutes for my camera lens to defog, and by then, it was just about time to leave, ha.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35145697 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-21,doc-35145697 Sun, 21 Sep 2014 15:01:50 +0000 2014-09-18T15:05:11-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35145697"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/56/97/35145697.d8c870c1.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Three days ago, I finally managed to get out along the Elbow Falls Trail that goes westwards into the beginning of the mountains. This was the first time I had managed to get out there this year and, really on the spur of the moment, that's where I decided to go. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. After the two heavy snowfalls on 9 and 10 September, I wasn't sure what to expect before I reached the beginning of the mountains, but every bit of snow had disappeared. The furthest point of my drive was Forgetmenot Pond, one of my favourite places to go. Too many other people had also decided to come out to this beautiful spot, unfortunately. This drive is the only one I will do on my own into the mountains, and it only takes about an hour to get from home to the Pond. <br /> <br /> On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from the pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, and managed to find just a few that were in good enough condition to photograph. Other than that, I didn't see a whole lot during the few hours I was out. The scenery is spectacular and there were patches of trees that have turned yellow. Some of the trees looked as though their leaves were past their fall prime, and I came away wondering if I was a bit too early or a bit too late (seems to be the latter) to see the best of the fall colours. Found this small Moth on an outhouse wall : ) The final place I called in at was Maclean Pond, but the light was fading somewhat and so I didn't feel like going far into the forest. I had just got back into my car when I happened to look up just in time to see a family of beautiful Bluejays not far from the parking lot. Managed to get a few shots, but distant and not as sharp as they should have been. A nice way to end the day, though.</div> Delicate <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35145697"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/56/97/35145697.d8c870c1.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Three days ago, I finally managed to get out along the Elbow Falls Trail that goes westwards into the beginning of the mountains. This was the first time I had managed to get out there this year and, really on the spur of the moment, that's where I decided to go. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. After the two heavy snowfalls on 9 and 10 September, I wasn't sure what to expect before I reached the beginning of the mountains, but every bit of snow had disappeared. The furthest point of my drive was Forgetmenot Pond, one of my favourite places to go. Too many other people had also decided to come out to this beautiful spot, unfortunately. This drive is the only one I will do on my own into the mountains, and it only takes about an hour to get from home to the Pond. <br /> <br /> On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from the pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, and managed to find just a few that were in good enough condition to photograph. Other than that, I didn't see a whole lot during the few hours I was out. The scenery is spectacular and there were patches of trees that have turned yellow. Some of the trees looked as though their leaves were past their fall prime, and I came away wondering if I was a bit too early or a bit too late (seems to be the latter) to see the best of the fall colours. Found this small Moth on an outhouse wall : ) The final place I called in at was Maclean Pond, but the light was fading somewhat and so I didn't feel like going far into the forest. I had just got back into my car when I happened to look up just in time to see a family of beautiful Bluejays not far from the parking lot. Managed to get a few shots, but distant and not as sharp as they should have been. A nice way to end the day, though.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34803793 tag:ipernity.com,2014-08-29,doc-34803793 Fri, 29 Aug 2014 12:01:21 +0000 2014-08-27T19:00:50-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34803793"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/37/93/34803793.a334709f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Hope I have the correct ID for this colourful Moth. I noticed two of them high up on a wall in an outdoor washroom at St. Mary Reservoir, and of course couldn't resist taking a few shots.<br /> <br /> I spent 26, 27 and 28 August 2014 on a road trip with friends Cathy and Terry, spending the first two days in Waterton Lakes National Park and the third day driving east of Waterton in search of Burrowing Owls and Yellow-bellied Marmots. During our three days away, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. This always happens when I go anywhere with Cathy and Terry - every day is a very long, fun-filled day, full of exciting finds. <br /> <br /> Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! Yesterday, I posted a photo of the storm that was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning, and very strong winds. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang!<br /> <br /> Will briefly mention a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of some species of Grouse (still not sure what kind). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators.<br /> <br /> Cathy and Terry, thanks so much for yet another wonderful trip with you! Can't thank you enough for inviting me along. You always do such a great job of finding so many interesting things for us to see and enjoy. Lots of fun!</div> Pale Enargia (Enargia decolor) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34803793"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/37/93/34803793.a334709f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Hope I have the correct ID for this colourful Moth. I noticed two of them high up on a wall in an outdoor washroom at St. Mary Reservoir, and of course couldn't resist taking a few shots.<br /> <br /> I spent 26, 27 and 28 August 2014 on a road trip with friends Cathy and Terry, spending the first two days in Waterton Lakes National Park and the third day driving east of Waterton in search of Burrowing Owls and Yellow-bellied Marmots. During our three days away, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. This always happens when I go anywhere with Cathy and Terry - every day is a very long, fun-filled day, full of exciting finds. <br /> <br /> Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! Yesterday, I posted a photo of the storm that was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning, and very strong winds. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang!<br /> <br /> Will briefly mention a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of some species of Grouse (still not sure what kind). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators.<br /> <br /> Cathy and Terry, thanks so much for yet another wonderful trip with you! Can't thank you enough for inviting me along. You always do such a great job of finding so many interesting things for us to see and enjoy. Lots of fun!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34486043 tag:ipernity.com,2014-08-18,doc-34486043 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 16:13:21 +0000 2014-08-17T10:41:16-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34486043"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/60/43/34486043.0375d702.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'm not sure, but I think this is a Small Cabbage White, rather than a Large Cabbage White - the black marking on the wing tip is only pale. Also not sure, but I think this is a male. I found other photos on Google showing males with just a very faint second spot. If anyone knows for sure, please do let me know. This was spotted in Carburn Park yesterday morning, 17 August 2014.<br /> <br /> "The upperside of the wings are clear white with black wing tips, one black spot (two in the female) on the forewing, and a black patch on the leading edge of the hindwing. The underside of the hindwing is a pale mustard-yellow colour. Wingspan: 32 to 47 mm.<br /> <br /> An almost ubiquitous species of the northern hemisphere, the Cabbage White was first introduced into North America in Quebec in the 1860s. It dramatically spread across the continent in the next few decades. It now ranges in Canada from coast to coast."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cabbage-white/?id=1370403265562" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cab...</a></div> Cabbage White butterfly <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34486043"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/145/60/43/34486043.0375d702.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'm not sure, but I think this is a Small Cabbage White, rather than a Large Cabbage White - the black marking on the wing tip is only pale. Also not sure, but I think this is a male. I found other photos on Google showing males with just a very faint second spot. If anyone knows for sure, please do let me know. This was spotted in Carburn Park yesterday morning, 17 August 2014.<br /> <br /> "The upperside of the wings are clear white with black wing tips, one black spot (two in the female) on the forewing, and a black patch on the leading edge of the hindwing. The underside of the hindwing is a pale mustard-yellow colour. Wingspan: 32 to 47 mm.<br /> <br /> An almost ubiquitous species of the northern hemisphere, the Cabbage White was first introduced into North America in Quebec in the 1860s. It dramatically spread across the continent in the next few decades. It now ranges in Canada from coast to coast."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cabbage-white/?id=1370403265562" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/butterflies-of-canada/cab...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34363965 tag:ipernity.com,2014-08-08,doc-34363965 Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:16:12 +0000 2014-08-02T13:17:13-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34363965"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/39/65/34363965.c5fa064f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 2 August 2014, I went on a birding trip with friends to Bow Valley Provincial Park, west of Calgary, at the very foot of the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Takes around 45 minutes to drive there from the western edge of Calgary. This was the park that I finally made myself drive to on 20 July, with my youngest daughter. It's a good thing that my daughter and I didn't come across certain certain things that were seen on 2 August! Not sure if the insect in my macro image is a moth or butterfly - I think a moth, though the antennae don't appear to be very wide.<br /> <br /> I'm going to use the trip leader's write-up of the events of the day - thank you, Andrew, for yet another great trip to a very beautiful place. Each year, this trip to the park makes such a great day. Hope you don't mind my using your report here! I should add that all these birds were far, far away, too far for photos and, for me with no binoculars, too far to see either properly or at all. We walked about 6 km in total.<br /> <br /> "We had six participants on this trip.<br /> <br /> We arrived at BVPP with early morning temperatures which started to warm up.<br /> <br /> We walked around the Flowing Waters Trail where we heard many of the species we recorded. The highlight of this segment was a Blue Headed Vireo (conceivably a Cassin's but we decided Blue Headed was the higher probability, based on location and the song). I do have some photographs but doubt they would delineate between the two species. (Later: confirmed to be a Cassin's).<br /> <br /> We had lunch in the Whitefish area and then went over to the Many Springs Trail.<br /> <br /> As we were assembling in the small Many Springs Trail's car parking area, we looked back along the road we just driven in by and saw a fairly large very glossy, very black Black Bear amble across the road and vanish into the woods.<br /> <br /> We carried on walking around the trail. About half way around we heard a call from ahead which sounded something like "bear on the trail". We exchanged a few shouted communications with the group ahead of us and <br /> concluded that there was a black bear with two cubs wandering around on the trail about 200m ahead of us. We all looked at the (suddenly small looking) bear spray I had with me and decided to turn around and head back to the car park. There were still six of us when we got back.<br /> <br /> We stopped briefly at Middle Lake and then stopped at the Morleyville Church on Hwy 1A on the way back to Calgary.<br /> <br /> We had cell coverage all day so I recorded all of the sightings on the Birdlog app, which created the convenient summary of the trip which follows.<br /> <br /> Checklists included in this summary:<br /> (1): Bow Valley PP - Flowing Waters Trails<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 8:30 AM<br /> (2): Whitefish<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 11:30 AM<br /> (3): Bow Valley PP - Many Springs Trail<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 12:15 PM<br /> (4): Bow Valley PP Middle Lake<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 1:40 PM<br /> (5): Morleyville Church - Aug 2, 2014, 2:49 PM<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 2:45 PM<br /> <br /> 1 Mallard -- (2)<br /> 4 Common Merganser -- (2)<br /> 1 Common Loon -- (4)<br /> 2 Red-tailed Hawk -- (1),(3)<br /> 2 Spotted Sandpiper -- (2)<br /> 2 Solitary Sandpiper -- (3)<br /> 2 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1)<br /> 1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) -- (1)<br /> 1 Merlin -- (5)<br /> 1 Western Wood-Pewee -- (3)<br /> 1 Willow Flycatcher -- (1)<br /> 1 Cassin's Vireo -- (1)<br /> 8 Black-billed Magpie -- (5)<br /> 4 American Crow -- (2),(4)<br /> 3 Common Raven -- (2),(3)<br /> 6 Northern Rough-winged Swallow -- (1)<br /> 12 Tree Swallow -- (1)<br /> 2 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3)<br /> 3 Mountain Chickadee -- (1),(3)<br /> 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch -- (1)<br /> 1 Townsend's Solitaire -- (3)<br /> 1 Swainson's Thrush -- (1)<br /> 6 American Robin -- (1),(3)<br /> 6 Cedar Waxwing -- (1),(3)<br /> 1 Northern Waterthrush -- (1)<br /> 3 Yellow Warbler -- (1)<br /> 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) -- (1)<br /> 1 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1)<br /> 1 Savannah Sparrow -- (5)<br /> 3 Song Sparrow -- (1),(3)<br /> 2 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (3)<br /> 1 American Goldfinch -- (1)<br /> <br /> Andrew Hart"</div> Moth on Creeping Thistle <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34363965"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/39/65/34363965.c5fa064f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">On 2 August 2014, I went on a birding trip with friends to Bow Valley Provincial Park, west of Calgary, at the very foot of the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Takes around 45 minutes to drive there from the western edge of Calgary. This was the park that I finally made myself drive to on 20 July, with my youngest daughter. It's a good thing that my daughter and I didn't come across certain certain things that were seen on 2 August! Not sure if the insect in my macro image is a moth or butterfly - I think a moth, though the antennae don't appear to be very wide.<br /> <br /> I'm going to use the trip leader's write-up of the events of the day - thank you, Andrew, for yet another great trip to a very beautiful place. Each year, this trip to the park makes such a great day. Hope you don't mind my using your report here! I should add that all these birds were far, far away, too far for photos and, for me with no binoculars, too far to see either properly or at all. We walked about 6 km in total.<br /> <br /> "We had six participants on this trip.<br /> <br /> We arrived at BVPP with early morning temperatures which started to warm up.<br /> <br /> We walked around the Flowing Waters Trail where we heard many of the species we recorded. The highlight of this segment was a Blue Headed Vireo (conceivably a Cassin's but we decided Blue Headed was the higher probability, based on location and the song). I do have some photographs but doubt they would delineate between the two species. (Later: confirmed to be a Cassin's).<br /> <br /> We had lunch in the Whitefish area and then went over to the Many Springs Trail.<br /> <br /> As we were assembling in the small Many Springs Trail's car parking area, we looked back along the road we just driven in by and saw a fairly large very glossy, very black Black Bear amble across the road and vanish into the woods.<br /> <br /> We carried on walking around the trail. About half way around we heard a call from ahead which sounded something like "bear on the trail". We exchanged a few shouted communications with the group ahead of us and <br /> concluded that there was a black bear with two cubs wandering around on the trail about 200m ahead of us. We all looked at the (suddenly small looking) bear spray I had with me and decided to turn around and head back to the car park. There were still six of us when we got back.<br /> <br /> We stopped briefly at Middle Lake and then stopped at the Morleyville Church on Hwy 1A on the way back to Calgary.<br /> <br /> We had cell coverage all day so I recorded all of the sightings on the Birdlog app, which created the convenient summary of the trip which follows.<br /> <br /> Checklists included in this summary:<br /> (1): Bow Valley PP - Flowing Waters Trails<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 8:30 AM<br /> (2): Whitefish<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 11:30 AM<br /> (3): Bow Valley PP - Many Springs Trail<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 12:15 PM<br /> (4): Bow Valley PP Middle Lake<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 1:40 PM<br /> (5): Morleyville Church - Aug 2, 2014, 2:49 PM<br /> Date: Aug 2, 2014, 2:45 PM<br /> <br /> 1 Mallard -- (2)<br /> 4 Common Merganser -- (2)<br /> 1 Common Loon -- (4)<br /> 2 Red-tailed Hawk -- (1),(3)<br /> 2 Spotted Sandpiper -- (2)<br /> 2 Solitary Sandpiper -- (3)<br /> 2 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1)<br /> 1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) -- (1)<br /> 1 Merlin -- (5)<br /> 1 Western Wood-Pewee -- (3)<br /> 1 Willow Flycatcher -- (1)<br /> 1 Cassin's Vireo -- (1)<br /> 8 Black-billed Magpie -- (5)<br /> 4 American Crow -- (2),(4)<br /> 3 Common Raven -- (2),(3)<br /> 6 Northern Rough-winged Swallow -- (1)<br /> 12 Tree Swallow -- (1)<br /> 2 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3)<br /> 3 Mountain Chickadee -- (1),(3)<br /> 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch -- (1)<br /> 1 Townsend's Solitaire -- (3)<br /> 1 Swainson's Thrush -- (1)<br /> 6 American Robin -- (1),(3)<br /> 6 Cedar Waxwing -- (1),(3)<br /> 1 Northern Waterthrush -- (1)<br /> 3 Yellow Warbler -- (1)<br /> 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) -- (1)<br /> 1 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1)<br /> 1 Savannah Sparrow -- (5)<br /> 3 Song Sparrow -- (1),(3)<br /> 2 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (3)<br /> 1 American Goldfinch -- (1)<br /> <br /> Andrew Hart"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34015929 tag:ipernity.com,2014-07-20,doc-34015929 Sun, 20 Jul 2014 12:26:55 +0000 2011-05-02T14:51:49-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34015929"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/59/29/34015929.a06cf7d9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Last night, I typed all my descriptions for today in Microsoft Office, as I have a very early start to the day. This morning, I get the message that "Something went wrong" and to try repairing it from Programs and Features in the Control Panel. Tried that and it didn't work, so I may have to finish off my descriptions this evening if I run out of time this morning. Strange that it worked perfectly just a few hours ago.<br /> <br /> This Monarch butterfly image is from my archives, taken on 2 May 2011. I needed a change of subject on my photostream. Taken in the Butterfly room at the Calgary Zoo. We don't normally get Monarch butterflies in the wild this far north, though in 2012, they happened to make their way further north than usual, as far as Calgary and even further north. What a treat that was. Previously posted photo of a Monarch caterpillar on Milkweed in a comment box below.<br /> <br /> "The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer. In Europe, it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 cms (3½–4 in). (The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing[7] from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger. The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer in the Americas which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly)" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly)</a></div> Monarch beauty <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/34015929"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/59/29/34015929.a06cf7d9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Last night, I typed all my descriptions for today in Microsoft Office, as I have a very early start to the day. This morning, I get the message that "Something went wrong" and to try repairing it from Programs and Features in the Control Panel. Tried that and it didn't work, so I may have to finish off my descriptions this evening if I run out of time this morning. Strange that it worked perfectly just a few hours ago.<br /> <br /> This Monarch butterfly image is from my archives, taken on 2 May 2011. I needed a change of subject on my photostream. Taken in the Butterfly room at the Calgary Zoo. We don't normally get Monarch butterflies in the wild this far north, though in 2012, they happened to make their way further north than usual, as far as Calgary and even further north. What a treat that was. Previously posted photo of a Monarch caterpillar on Milkweed in a comment box below.<br /> <br /> "The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer. In Europe, it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 cms (3½–4 in). (The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing[7] from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger. The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer in the Americas which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly)" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly)</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32576723 tag:ipernity.com,2014-05-07,doc-32576723 Wed, 07 May 2014 13:05:25 +0000 2012-09-25T14:59:46-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32576723"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/143/67/23/32576723.47cddf0b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'm not sure if I have the correct ID for this tropical butterfly, seen in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, on 25 September 2012. Any confirmation or correction would be greatly appreciated - thanks!</div> Great Mormon / Papilio memno <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32576723"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/143/67/23/32576723.47cddf0b.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I'm not sure if I have the correct ID for this tropical butterfly, seen in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, on 25 September 2012. Any confirmation or correction would be greatly appreciated - thanks!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32491317 tag:ipernity.com,2014-05-04,doc-32491317 Sun, 04 May 2014 14:43:06 +0000 2012-09-25T15:10:00-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32491317"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/142/13/17/32491317.a95617b2.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Photographed this Julia Heliconian / Dryas iulia butterfly in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 25 September 2012. This brush-footed species is popular in butterfly houses as it is active throughout the day and is long-lived. Photo of the underside view is posted in comment box below.<br /> <br /> I wanted a bright, colourful image this morning, as we are back to winter once again. Just five minutes ago, I wrote that the snow seemed to have stopped, at least for the moment, and now it has started again.</div> Julia Heliconian / Dryas iulia <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32491317"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/142/13/17/32491317.a95617b2.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Photographed this Julia Heliconian / Dryas iulia butterfly in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 25 September 2012. This brush-footed species is popular in butterfly houses as it is active throughout the day and is long-lived. Photo of the underside view is posted in comment box below.<br /> <br /> I wanted a bright, colourful image this morning, as we are back to winter once again. Just five minutes ago, I wrote that the snow seemed to have stopped, at least for the moment, and now it has started again.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32421751 tag:ipernity.com,2014-04-29,doc-32421751 Tue, 29 Apr 2014 14:53:16 +0000 2012-09-25T15:07:06-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32421751"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/142/17/51/32421751.8e7e5184.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 25 September 2012.<br /> <br /> Males are black with six orange dots on the dorsal surface of the wings whereas females are very different, black with a light yellow band across the center of the fore wings.</div> Grecian Shoemaker, Catonephele numilia <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/32421751"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/142/17/51/32421751.8e7e5184.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 25 September 2012.<br /> <br /> Males are black with six orange dots on the dorsal surface of the wings whereas females are very different, black with a light yellow band across the center of the fore wings.</div> Anne Elliott