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

Showing its age

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 16:59:52 +0000

Well, hello again, winter!! Yesterday, it looked like late fall. Today, we are having another snowfall, giving us our second world of white already this fall. Because of the forecast for today, I knew I had better get down to the Saskatoon Farm yesterday. I had wanted to buy a few of their vegetables, but they hold their special event at a weekend and I had no intention of facing masses of cars and people. Instead, I did a long drive into Kananaskis two days ago, which turned out to be a really good decision.

Yesterday, 7 October 2019, was overcast and not good for photos, which didn't really matter, as I barely used my camera at the farm. Basically, apart from sunflowers hanging their heads, everything had already died and much had been removed. There was no colour left, and the wonderful days of visits to the farm to happily snap endless photos full of colour are now over till next spring and summer. Can't wait!

After enjoying lunch there, and buying two kinds of frozen, home-made soup, I drove along one nearby road just to see if there was anything of interest. I came across an old wooden shed (outhouse?). A touch of filter in post-processing brought out the wood details.

For me, the next few days will be days to hibernate, hoping that the ground (and my car) will become bare again. The forecast reckons Calgary will be getting about 10 cm of snow today. Looks like we should have sunshine on the coming days. This year has been an absolutely crazy year as far as the weather is concerned!

Weathered window from the smaller red barn

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:10:09 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Our few hot days have come to an end, at least for now, and we are back to cool, rainy days (the last two days and today, with more to come). This morning, 12 August 2019, the temperature is only 12C again.

This beautifully weathered window belongs to the smaller red barn (the barn with the mule), seen in photo #5 posted this morning. I added a touch of filter in post-processing, to really bring out the grain of the wood.

Four days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.

My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn.

For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.

After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.

From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.

Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.

Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.

Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 275 km.

Rural decay, buildings by Mossleigh grain elevators

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:06:59 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Our few hot days have come to an end, at least for now, and we are back to cool, rainy days (the last two days and today, with more to come). This morning, 12 August 2019, the temperature is only 12C again.

Four days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.

My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn.

For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.

After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.

From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.

Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.

Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.

Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 275 km.

Front door of the little prairie church

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 11 Aug 2019 15:43:03 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Our few hot days have come to an end, at least for now, and we are back to cool, rainy days (yesterday and today, with more to come). This morning, 11 August 2019, the temperature is only 12C.

This front door belongs to the little country church in photo #4 this morning. This little church is open for services on the first and third Sunday of the month, at 9;00 am.. Nice that it is still being used. I added a touch of filter in post-processing, though it didn't really need it.

"Although the tiny town of Dinton, AB does not appear on most maps, it now occupies a place in motion picture history. Locations Manager Darryl Solly was asked to find a “small unadorned church” for the del Mar wedding scene in the movie, Brokeback Mountain. The unassuming Anglican chapel at Dinton, built by prairie pioneers in 1906, shown here in these exclusive pre-production photos, was the perfect spot for Alma and Ennis to be married."

The movie stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams and depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1983.

www.findingbrokeback.com/Albums/StThomasChurch.html

www.ourroots.ca/e/roots/lh6/lh6b0057.jpg

Three days ago, 8 August 2019, was definitely more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if any of the ones I had seen before were now missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.

My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 9:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn.

For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.

After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.

From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.

Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.

Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.

Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy. Total distance covered was 305 km.

Long ago, someone's pride and joy

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 10 Aug 2019 16:31:36 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Maybe an early Eaton catalogue kit home design?

The day before yesterday, 8 August 2019, was more of a barn day than a bird day. A while ago, another photographer had mentioned that a few barns in a certain area SE of Calgary had been removed and I was curious to see if I could tell which ones were missing. There is one huge barn in particular that I am always hoping still stands. I would love to be able to get photos from both sides of it, but it is way out in a farmer's field that is, of course, private property. Standing in the road, I can only get a distant shot and, as often happens, I had a problem with heat distortion on distant shots. There is an old, round, wooden grain bin and a partly hidden, smaller barn just near the barn, too. I think the first time I ever saw the barn was on 21 January 2015, when I took my daughter out for the day.

My intention two days ago had been to leave early in the morning, but it was already 10:45 am when I climbed into my car. Seeing that the weather forecast for the next six days included rain on each day, I knew I just had to do this trip straight away. Some of the roads I drove to get to my destination(s) were familiar, but others less so. There are two or three highway intersections that are confusing to me and I usually end up taking the wrong turn.

For a change, I turned off the main highway going south before my usual turn, in order to shorten the distance. My first sighting was a distant Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence at a wetland that used to be a great spot, but now is totally dried up.

After a quick stop at a tiny church that I always photograph when I am out that way, I continued east till I came to the three old Mossleigh grain elevators - one of the places I always get confused about which way to drive. Ideally, a dramatic sky would have been great, but I have taken better photos in the past.

From Mossleigh, I did my usual exploring, finding that a lovely old, wooden house was still standing. I believe this was built from a kit years ago, and it remains in reasonably good condition.

Eventually, I found the large barn that I wanted to see again. It took me a while to work out which road it was on (thought I knew!), but I found it after some driving back and forth. It was good to see the smaller barn, in less then good condition, just down the road. The other two times that I have been standing in the road to take photos of this smaller barn, a lady has come along the road from a nearby farm and very kindly told me to on in and take any photos I'd like. No-one around yesterday, so I stayed on the road,of course. At one point, I happened to glance up the road and saw what I thought was someone's dog on the crest of the road. When I zoomed in on my camera, I realized it was a coyote, who started walking towards me. Unfortunately, it turned off into the field and disappeared. When I was at this smaller barn, it amused me to see a magnificent Mule near the barn, plus a horse. The Mule looked huge and was a real poser, wanting to be in almost every shot I took. Such a gorgeous creature, that I don't remember seeing there before.

Once I had taken a few photos, I started on my homeward drive, not stopping anywhere as I could see that, if I hurried, I could get to the Saskatoon Farm in time to get a meal before the restaurant closed for the day. Yay, I just made it.

Knowing that Frank Lake was only a short drive away, I couldn't resist driving back south to have a quick look. Found a couple of my friends there and spent some enjoyable time with them. Only took a few photos there, most to be deleted, before heading home. A fun day, though hot and hazy.

Very old grain elevator in the Badlands valley

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 16:34:08 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This old grain elevator was built in the 1920's. Its roof was blown off during a bad storm in 2015. I had really hoped that a new roof could be built, to give some much-needed protection.

"There were 1,651 elevators in Alberta in 1951, but by 1982 a total of 979 elevators remained. The 1990s spelled the death of the wooden “country” or “primary” elevator. At the end of the 1990s, as the full impact of both of the ending of the Crow Rate in 1995 and further impending rail abandonment was felt, the pace of demolition accelerated at an unprecedented rate. At the end of the 1996-1997 crop year, there were only 327 elevators left. Alberta’s largest cooperative grain companies, the Alberta Wheat Pool (which amalgamated with Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1998 as Agricore) and United Grain Growers, ultimately formed a new corporate entity known as Agricore United in 2001, issuing issued public shares. Demolition of country elevators has continued, and in 2005 there were only 156 wooden elevators of any kind still standing, only a handful of which are used by the grain trade.

The Government of Alberta has recognised the signiﬁcance of the traditional wood grain elevators, and has designated 12 as Provincial Historic Resources. They are located in the following communities: Andrew, Castor, Leduc, Meeting Creek, Paradise Valley, Radway, Rowley (3 elevators), Scandia and St. Albert (2 elevators)."

www.grainelevatorsalberta.ca/articles/HRM-history.pdf

www.bigdoer.com/8049/exploring-history/prairie-sentinels-...

An interesting film about how the old grain elevators work (or worked). Grain Elevator by Charles Konowal, National Film Board of Canada, 15:57 minutes in length.

www.nfb.ca/film/grain_elevator

Wow, what a day I had the day before yesterday, 5 August 2019! For a few decades, I had longed to get out east of the city again, to the Badlands of Alberta. I had been a few times in more recent years, either on botany trips to Horseshoe Canyon, or a couple of times for the Christmas Bird Count. However, we always carpooled and we never went to the places I really, really wanted to go to. Finally, in 2014, I took my daughter out there, taking the main highway into Drumheller. She has an amazing sense of direction and is great at navigating, so I knew I wouldn't get lost.

This time, though, I wanted to avoid Drumheller itself, so I took a back way to the few places and things I wanted to see and photograph. Each year, I try and make a new, long drive that I have never done before. Trust me, a real challenge to someone with a driving phobia!! Now, there are a handful of places that I make myself get back to each summer, to make sure I don't lose the courage to make the drive by myself.

Maps had been made, a few 'drives' taken along a few bits of road on Google Earth, so I was well-prepared. Still, I felt sick to the stomach at the thought of doing the last half of the drive. If I happened to take one wrong road, would I ever get out of the Badlands?

When I checked the weather forecast, I noticed that rain was expected on some upcoming days, but not for that day, so I knew I needed to go. It was still quite hazy all day, getting up to 30C. When I was almost ready to leave home, I suddenly realized that it was a public holiday! Never a good time to visit anywhere, with so many people everywhere. Normally, I would have stayed home. Left home at 8:45 am and got back home at 7:15 pm, after driving 402 km, using roughly three-quarters of a tank of gas. In this time, I was able to see my favourite hoodoos (with so many cars parked along the road and endless people climbing all over the hoodoos), a little almost-ghost town, and one of my absolute favourite old grain elevators. My route also took me past the Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Dalum - I had seen photos of this church before and I had always wanted to photograph a church like this. One other stop had been on my mental list, but, even though I would have had time to get there, my big concern was running out of gas on the way home.

There was only one unpleasant thing that happened and it still keeps coming to mind. Along one of the paved roads on the way to the Badlands, I had noticed a very scruffy looking hawk standing on the road. I turned around and drove back to see if I could check if it was OK. Just when I was going to pull over so that I could slowly walk back, I looked in the rear view mirror and there was a car coming behind me. Not sure if the driver tried to position his wheels so that they were either side of the hawk, or not. Anyway, the bird tried to fly and got caught up by the car, which ripped and mangled it. I could see it being tossed and caught back. I walked back to see if I could tell if it was still alive. I couldn't tell, but it was a real mess. Much as I would have liked to move it to the ditch, I couldn't. Trying to convince myself that, because it had looked so scruffy to start with, and stayed on the road, maybe it had been sick. I have seen plenty of dead wildlife of all kinds, but never before have I had to witness something actually being killed. Still haunts me.

Yesterday, 6 August 2019, my daughter and I had planned to spend the day together but decided to cancel, as the forecast was for rain and it's no fun taking photos in the rain. Such a shame, as I had been looking forward to being out with her. Her free days are so few and far between. Sure enough, 4:30 pm and we had torrential rain, wind and thunder - SO glad we weren't out in this! Today, it is very overcast - happy I decided to do my long drive two days ago.

Still standing, tall and proud

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 18:35:03 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

"There were 1,651 elevators in Alberta in 1951, but by 1982 a total of 979 elevators remained. The 1990s spelled the death of the wooden “country” or “primary” elevator. At the end of the 1990s, as the full impact of both of the ending of the Crow Rate in 1995 and further impending rail abandonment was felt, the pace of demolition accelerated at an unprecedented rate. At the end of the 1996-1997 crop year, there were only 327 elevators left. Alberta’s largest cooperative grain companies, the Alberta Wheat Pool (which amalgamated with Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1998 as Agricore) and United Grain Growers, ultimately formed a new corporate entity known as Agricore United in 2001, issuing issued public shares. Demolition of country elevators has continued, and in 2005 there were only 156 wooden elevators of any kind still standing, only a handful of which are used by the grain trade.

The Government of Alberta has recognised the signiﬁcance of the traditional wood grain elevators, and has designated 12 as Provincial Historic Resources. They are located in the following communities: Andrew, Castor, Leduc, Meeting Creek, Paradise Valley, Radway, Rowley (3 elevators), Scandia and St. Albert (2 elevators)."

www.grainelevatorsalberta.ca/articles/HRM-history.pdf

www.bigdoer.com/8049/exploring-history/prairie-sentinels-...

An interesting film about how the old grain elevators work (or worked). Grain Elevator by Charles Konowal, National Film Board of Canada, 15:57 minutes in length.

www.nfb.ca/film/grain_elevator

Unfortunately, it was hazy and the sun was in the wrong direction. Better than nothing .... Too bad that the roof, which was blown off in a bad storm, has never been repaired.

Wow, what a day I had yesterday, 5 August 2019! For a few decades, I had longed to get out east of the city again, to the Badlands of Alberta. I had been a few times in more recent years, either on botany trips to Horseshoe Canyon, or a couple of times for the Christmas Bird Count. However, we always carpooled and we never went to the places I really, really wanted to go to. Finally, in 2014, I took my daughter out there, taking the main highway into Drumheller. She has an amazing sense of direction and is great at navigating, so I knew I wouldn't get lost.

This time, though, I wanted to avoid Drumheller itself, so I took a back way to the few places and things I wanted to see and photograph. Each year, I try and make a new, long drive that I have never done before. Trust me, a real challenge to someone with a driving phobia!! Now, there are a handful of places that I make myself get back to each summer, to make sure I don't lose the courage to make the drive by myself.

Maps had been made, a few 'drives' taken along a few bits of road on Google Earth, so I was well-prepared. Still, I felt sick to the stomach at the thought of doing the last half of the drive. If I happened to take one wrong road, would i ever get out of the Badlands?

When I checked the weather forecast, I noticed that rain was expected on some upcoming days, but not for yesterday, so I knew I needed to go. It was still quite hazy all day. When I was almost ready to leave home, I suddenly realized that yesterday was a public holiday! Never a good time to visit anywhere, with so many people everywhere. Normally, I would have stayed home. Left home at 8:45 am and got back home at 7:15 pm, after driving 402 km.. In this time, I was able to see my favourite hoodoos (with so many cars parked along the road and endless people climbing all over the hoodoos), a little almost-ghost town, and one of my absolute favourite old grain elevators. My route also took me past the Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Dalum - I had seen photos of this church before and I had always wanted to photograph a church like this. One other stop had been on my mental list, but, even though I would have had time to get there, my big concern was running out of gas on the way home.

There was only one unpleasant thing that happened yesterday and it still keeps coming to mind. Along one of the paved roads on the way to the Badlands, I had noticed a very scruffy looking hawk standing on the road. I turned around and drove back to see if I could check if it was OK. Just when I was going to pull over so that I could slowly walk back, I looked in the rear view mirror and there was a car coming behind me. Not sure if the driver tried to position his wheels so that they were either side of the hawk, or not. Anyway, the bird tried to fly and got caught up by the car, which ripped and mangled it. I could see it being tossed and caught back. I walked back to see if I could tell if it was still alive. I couldn't tell, but it was a real mess. Much as I would have liked to move it to the ditch, I couldn't. Trying to convince myself that, because it had looked so scruffy to start with, and stayed on the road, maybe it had been sick. I have seen plenty of dead wildlife of all kinds, but never before have I had to witness something actually being killed. Still haunts me.

Today, 6 August 2019, my daughter and I had planned to spend the day together but decided to cancel, as the forecast is for rain and it's no fun taking photos in the rain. Such a shame, as I had been looking forward to being out with her. Her free days are so few and far between.

Old, red barn

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 16:14:53 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

On 11 July 2019, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Total distance driven was 461 km, leaving home at 8:45 am and arriving back home 12 hours later, at 8:45 pm. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, to make sure I don't lose the courage to do this.

Weather-wise, it was a beautiful, sunny day, with plenty of white clouds Unlike when I did this drive in August 2018, there was no smoke from any wildfires, thank goodness.

It was a good day for Hawks, seeing some on the way south and a few on the way home. I did spot one Ferruginous Hawk, but it was perched on a very distant fence post. I'm also wondering if one of the 'hawks' was actually an immature Golden Eagle - seen in photo #4 posted this morning. I saw it from a fair distance and I remember thinking what a large hawk it was. Stopping at an angle in the middle of the road, I managed to get one shot before it took off and a couple just as it was doing so.

A couple of Common Nighthawks also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally in 2017, I managed to find four of them. In 2018, I was able to find just one. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. Very strange looking birds, and always a thrill to see one.

"On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id

"North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."

www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...

My actual destination on 11 July 2019 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken.

This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too.

I love the changing scenery as one drives south, and my drive was timed perfectly to catch the golden Canola fields. Maybe half way, I pulled over to take a few photos of an old barn and there was a truck just pulling away. I thought the guy might have been taking photos, too. We got talking and one of the things we both said was that we had never seen a blue field of Flax Later in my drive, guess what I found : ) Looked beautiful, with blue on one side of the road and a field of yellow Canola on the opposite side.

This was definitely a rewarding day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day!

Barn Swallow / Hirundo rustica

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 16:55:52 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Happy 4th July to all Americans!

About an hour after writing those words, I turned on the TV and saw the news about the strong 6.4 earthquake that has just hit southern California. Dozens of after-shocks being felt, too. Most unfortunate news.

This morning, 4 July 2019, I am posting five photos taken yesterday, on a drive south to Frank Lake. Yet again, when I checked the weather forecast, it said continuing rain for day after day after day. However, the sun was shining when I decided to drive south. The clouds were sufficiently photogenic for me to change my plans and, instead of calling in at the Saskatoon Farm, I drove straight to the Lake.

The last time I was at Frank Lake, there was one Coot, two Canada Geese, and a Red-winged and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Yesterday was so much better! The Barn Swallows were there, having built their nest a few feet away from their previous nest site. The Eared Grebes had their tiny, adorable babies, sometimes riding on their back, other times swimming separately. Same thing with the Coots - some had very young babies; others had somewhat older youngsters. One Coot adult and baby were walking in thick mud, searching for food. They both looked such a mess, as if they had rolled in the mud. A pair of Western Grebes could be seen far in the distance.

The sky began to change - the white clouds were taken over by rather menacing black ones and it became windy and the rain started. I really didn't want to drive back home on the very busy highway in pouring rain, but after waiting and hoping for it to end, I eventually had no choice but to risk it. As it turned out, there was hardly any traffic going north.

Last night, it rained here and has been raining all morning. The famous 9-day Calgary Stampede runs from 5-14 July this year, with some events already starting today. Rain during Stampede makes things so unpleasant! Judging by my Stampede photos posted on Flickr, I haven't been since 2013, when I went with my daughter - surely it hasn't been that long? I know I haven't been the last few years, as it was feeling just too much to deal with. Happy to be away from the huge masses of people and the sickening smell of grease, ha, ha! Of course, not going means not getting any mini-donuts, too. Happy Stampeding, everyone! May the sun shine ....

Farm with sheep and a donkey

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 02:46:26 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

No time to get out with my camera at the moment, so I have added another three photos from my archives. I am adding the description from a previously posted photo taken on the same day.

"Ran out of time and energy yesterday to choose and edit any photos to post this morning. Decided to do it this evening, instead. Also, I overslept this morning and had to dash out to meet friends for a three-hour walk in Fish Creek Park (saw 2 Northern Pygmy-owls, but they were both SO far away!), and would not have had time to post. Just realized that I probably won't have time tonight to look for and edit photos for tomorrow morning. Wouldn't surprise me if I oversleep again, which would not be good, as I have a very early start tomorrow and must not be late for when a friend picks me up.

My daughter and I had a such a great day on 5 September 2017. She had a free day, so we decided to drive north-east of the city and visit the Pioneer Acres Museum. The day started off with seeing three perched Swainson's Hawks, which were a bonus. We had passed the colourful old truck and tractor displayed on tall posts, to indicate Pioneer Acres, on various occasions and this time, we actually turned off the highway and went to the museum. What an amazing collection of old farming equipment, some standing outdoors and many others in large sheds. Have to say that I am always attracted to old, rusty things, and there was no shortage of these, either.

"Pioneer Acres is operated by a team of volunteer members who, in many cases, have extended their golden years of retirement, performing the duties necessary to meet the club's objectives. These include work to collect, restore, maintain and demonstrate the artifacts which were used by the pioneers of early Alberta.

The end result is that present and future generations have the opportunity to glimpse into our pioneering past through the artifacts on display and demonstrated. Younger members of the club also learn the care, maintenance and operation of these living artifacts." From link below.

www.pioneeracres.ab.ca/member.aspx

While we were walking round the grounds, visiting each massive shed in turn, my daughter spotted a Plains Garter Snake, and waved me over to see it. She also saw several birds running round behind one of the sheds, and when I went to check, I found there were four Gray Partridge running off in the distance. A distant Jackrabbit completed our wildlife sightings, first noticed when it was standing tall and upright on its back legs in 'freeze mode'. My mind wandered to Alice in Wonderland : )

Though we did not do a tour of the inside of the "Long" House, we found it an impressive building, complete with a few Sunflowers, Hollyhock and other flowers in the garden, and a tall, metal windmill.

"The "Long" House was built in 1914 by John Thomas on a farm just northwest of Irricana, Alberta. It has been lived in by three generations of the Long Family since 1914. The house was donated to Pioneer Acres, moved to our location, and restored to 1929 status." From the Pioneer Acres website.

There is also an old schoolhouse on the Museum site. "The Crown School, built in 1905, was located west of Three Hills on Highway 583. It closed in 1953 and was bought by the district of Allingham for use as a community league. In 1996, the building was relocated to Pioneer Aces of Alberta Museum." From the Alberta Teachers' Association website.

After spending a long time walking round the grounds, we decided to drive through Irricana itself in order to get back to the highway. I had seen photos on the Internet of three murals there - sunflowers, crayons, and a view of the old grain elevators that had once stood nearby - and I wanted to go and see them. All near each other, as this town only has a few streets. I had never been to Irricana before and I was impressed with what a delightful place it is, full of brightly coloured murals, and well kept. One of the outer roads had many flower beds along the edge, watered with well water, looking most attractive.

I had asked my daughter if she was interested in calling in at the Silver Springs Botanical Gardens in NW Calgary, if there was time after our drive east. I had planned the drive ahead of time, partly because I had also seen a photo somewhere on the Internet of a rather nice old barn that I really wanted to find. We were not disappointed, though it was a shame to see that the cupola had fallen from the roof since that photo was taken. I had never driven through the town of Airdrie before, but did the "drive" on Google Earth the night before and it looked straightforward enough.

Returning to the city via Cochrane, my daughter told me how to get to Silver Springs. I had never driven there before, but I had been there with a friend last year, I think on 1 October, and thoroughly enjoyed these meticulously kept gardens. We were just too hot and tired to see every inch of the garden, but finished off with photographing sunflowers and enjoying the American Goldfinches that were feeding on them, before we continued on our way.

A great day, despite the heat and smoke from the B.C. and Alberta wildfires (distant low visibility, too). Thanks so much, Rachel - hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. We drove 256 km (used about half a tank of gas, or less). I was absolutely tired out from the heat and driving unfamiliar roads."

The big white barn

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 15:48:58 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

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

From the archives. A touch of filter was added in post-processing. I will add what I wrote under another photo taken that day, of a beautiful red barn.

"For the first time in almost two years, on 12 October 2014, I finally made myself drive east of the city on my own. Recently, I did drive all the way to Drumheller and the Badlands, but I had my youngest daughter with me. The weather was beautiful again and, after six days of not going out with my camera, I was itching to go "somewhere".

Along highway 22X going east from the city, they spent so many months on major road construction, building the eastern part of a huge ring road around the city. This was one of the main reasons I hadn't driven out that way for so long, as the roads were one huge confusion. After yesterday, I can't see myself going out that way ever again, lol!

Knowing that I had to concentrate really hard on all the endless, new road signs, I was fairly sure that, now that construction had more or less ended, all I would have to do was drive eastwards in a straight line. Well, somehow, I was in the wrong lane and, to my horror, I found myself heading north on the new ring road. All I could do was just keep driving, hoping I would eventually hit Glenmore Trail which would take me east of the city. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened. I did end up in a totally different area to the east, but ended up seeing two beautiful barns - this white one and a red one - because of it.

Later in the afternoon, I ended up in the rough area I had originally planned on, thinking that surely the drive back to Calgary would be straightforward on 22X. Finding my way to 22X brought me to two lovely finds - an old grain elevator that I didn't know about, and a Great Horned Owl. How wrong I was about the return drive! Somehow, I found myself on Deerfoot Trail, heading south towards the Canada/US border (well, Okotoks might be a little less of an exaggeration, lol!). Nothing I could do, but just keep driving south until I was able to turn off at some familiar place - which happened to be The Saskatoon Farm : ) Fancy that, their restaurant was pretty much empty and I was just in time to enjoy their Quiche meal : )) And so, I eventually arrived back home, feeling both relieved - anyone with a driving phobia will understand! - and so happy and thankful for my various finds.

Some of you have already seen the following information, but for anyone else who might be interested, the folllowing link, with the information below, answers the question: "WHY ARE BARNS USUALLY PAINTED RED?"

home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm

"If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.

Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories. One is that wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red. The other is that farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.

Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse. As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.

Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used."

Day 12, SW of Port-au-Persil, Quebec

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 05:12:16 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This evening, I posted the first 18 photos taken on 18 May 2018, Day 12 of our holiday in Ontario and Quebec, This was our final day in Quebec, before flying back to Calgary early morning the next day, 19 May 2018.

Day 12 will have photos of some 50,000 Snow Geese seen along the drive back to Quebec City. We also got the chance to photograph a handful of barns, which was much enjoyed. I have a deadline for getting all these finished, and it looks like I might meet my deadline after all.

We stopped at a few places in between Tadoussac and Quebec City, including Baie-des-Rochers, Port-au-Persil briefly so that we could take a photos or two of the beautiful old church, Chapelle McLaren, with the St. Lawrence River in the distance. I managed to grab several rapid, drive-by shots of a few barns, which was great. How i would love a holiday just for old barns : )

I had to "drive" a long way on Google Earth just now, trying to find just where this beautiful barn was located. Success! We had time and there was plenty of room to pull off the road to take a few photos. It really is a beauty.

A really special place we visited closer to Quebec City was the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area. Here, we saw an estimated 50,000 Snow Geese, on land, on water, and flying, turning the sky white. This was the first time I have ever been so close to Snow Geese. Some of them waddled within just a few feet of us while we were having a picnic lunch. We went on a walk there and saw some interesting bird species, incluing one tiny Hummingbird.

Day 8, old blue house

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 06:02:48 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Tonight, I had hoped to finish off Day 8 of our two-week holiday in Pt Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). I might just add maybe another half dozen or so photos left, all taken in our friend's garden in Tadoussac, and then I will be ready to start on Day 9, 15 May 2018. I think we did a couple of local walks around Tadoussac on Day 9.

This gorgeous old house is located at 194 Rue Principale, Portneuf-sur-Mer, Quebec. An unusual colour, and I love the weathering of the painted wood. The old wooden oar adds a pleasant touch, too. This was definitely worth pulling over for so that we could take a few photos.

A 'new' old homestead

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 04:27:38 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Has everyone seen (and read!) all about the new changes for Flickr? The following are a few links about these great -sounding improvements.

blog.flickr.net/en/2018/12/17/important-service-updates-a...

blog.flickr.net/en/2018/11/01/a-sharper-focus-for-flickr/

blog.flickr.net/en/2018/11/01/changing-flickr-free-accoun...

blog.flickr.net/en/2018/10/31/putting-your-best-photo-for...

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Finally managed to edit and upload three photos from today, after having to turn off and restart my computer half a dozen times this evening. A total of about 7 hours of driving east and northeast of the city resulted in three lucky sightings, with all three owls perched high on top of ugly utility poles. However, I will take anything I can get.

The first time I drove east to look for Snowy Owls was on 5 January, which turned out to be a day of dreadul, dense fog. I quickly gave up on the idea of searching for these beautiful Snowies that day. Today, the sun was shining, so I reckoned I would try again. Not much snow to be seen in the fields - sort of a patchwork of stubble and snow, which would make finding distant owls rather difficult. I like my Snowies close, ha, so I tend not to search the fields, keeping my eyes on the road instead.

The first two owls were on the same road, quite a distance apart. Couldn't believe my luck! Once I was back on a main road, I suddenly decided to take one of the back roads and was amazed to come across a third Snowy Owl. This one was skittish and took flight when I was stopped way, way down the road. The first owl simply stayed put on its insulator. The second owl stayed for a while, but then suddenly spotted movement way across the field. Off it flew and I could see it swoop down and then land on a distant fence post. From several highly zoomed-in photos, I could see strands of dried grass in its talons and it started preening, presumably after catching and eating some poor little Meadow Vole.

A quick drive-by shot

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 06:41:13 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

No more Llama photos (till next year) and no more red barn photos from this Bird Count. Promise! I didn't want to be posting any of these in between photos taken in Quebec last May, so now they are out of the way.

I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.

One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them.

"Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.

Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs and sheep. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped.

"The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.

modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica

Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves:

www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html

www.tannasenvironmental.com/

www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm

A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )

The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C.

A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated,

Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.

Boldly red

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 06:38:22 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A favourite old barn

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 16:24:57 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

The three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.

One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms.. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. The light-coloured one is so regal.

"Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.

Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Andolesian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them yesterday. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious gourds. Apparently, babies are striped.

"The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.

modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica

Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves:

www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html

www.tannasenvironmental.com/

www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm

The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )

The weather was so beautiful yesterday, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C. Today, 30 December 2018, it is -9C (windchill -20C) and it has been snowing.

A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated : )

Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.

Red barn, High River Christmas Bird Count

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 03:59:54 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

As my computer has not shut down for a while this evening, I thought I would make the most of it and post a few more photos. Wish I knew what makes it freeze and have to be turned off over and over again. Anyway, the five photos that I posted this evening were all taken on 18 December 2018, when I took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of High River, south of Calgary. As usual, my lens turned to anything else that caught my eye, Including old barns, old cars, and farm cats. Each year, we visit this particular farm right near the end of the Count.

The weather was beautiful for us, which makes the difference. No snow on the ground either, which makes our searches so much easier. The Count last year had awful weather with a dreadful snow storm blowing in while we were having a Potluck supper. I was just so thankful that I wasn't the one driving back to Calgary in the dark and the blowing snow. What we birding people do for the sake of citizen science, ha!

This year, we were unable to book the usual community centre for a Potluck supper afterwards, which was such a shame. It always makes a great ending to a long day of birding when we can get together afterwards and eat and chat.

Searching for a Great Horned Owl - with permission

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 04:17:12 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Collected my computer from the store this evening, after two days without it. The technician was unable to duplicate the problem I was having, so I have to keep an eye on it and see if I can give him more info on when the issue happens - the issue being that my computer freezes, my photo stays on the screen, but the mouse disappears and stops working, as does the tiny blinking light on the front face off the computer tower. Couldn't turn the computer off or make anything work, each time it happened. Now I have to hurry and get everything ready for an early start tomorrow morning, for another long-day Christmas Bird Count, west of the city.

The three photos that I posted this evening were all taken on 18 December 2018, when I took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of High River, south of Calgary. As usual, my lens turned to anything else that caught my eye, Including old barns, old cars, and farm cats.

The weather was beautiful for us, which makes the difference. No snow on the ground either, which makes our searches so much easier. The Count last year had awful weather with a dreadful snow storm blowing in while we were having a Potluck supper. I was just so thankful that I wasn't the one driving back to Calgary in the dark and the blowing snow. What we birding people do for the sake of citizen science, ha!

This year, we were unable to book the usual community centre for a Potluck supper afterwards, which was such a shame. It always makes a great ending to a long day of birding when we can get together afterwards and eat and chat.

Day 6, and so ends another day, Tadoussac

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 08:44:16 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Late tonight, I decided to finish off the photos from Day 6 of our two-week holiday in May 2018. This photo was taken near the end of our fairly short afternoon drive (60 km), following the coast NE from Tadoussac as far as Grandes-Bergeronnes. I think the highlight down by the river was seeing Common Eiders. We were also lucky enough to have a Ruffed Grouse cross the road in front of our car on our drive back towards Tadoussac. Almost 2:00 am, so I will have to leave all the descriptions, maps, etc. till tomorrow.

Once I have caught up a bit, including getting all the same photos from the last few days on to the Smugmug and ipernity websites, I can start on Day 7 of our trip. That morning, we went for a birding walk along the top of the cliff near our friend's cabin. After lunch, we went on our first boat excursion, which was a whaling trip in a Zodiak, starting from Tadoussac.

A few days ago, I started on photos taken during the week four friends and I spent in Quebec, 12-18 May 2018. Some photos were taken in the small, coastal village of Tadoussac itself, others were taken in the wonderful garden of the home in which we stayed all week, and the rest were taken on several drives we made further along the coast.

At the end of our 4-day stay at Point Pelee, we had to drive all the way back to Toronto, from where we flew to Quebec City airport. From there, we had a four-hour drive to Tadoussac on the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is such a delightful, small place and in a beautiful setting. One of our friends, Anne B, and her husband have a summer cabin further along the cliff from the few stores and port. She had invited the four of us to go with her from Pelee to spend a week at her beautiful home. What an absolute treat this was! We were able to meet some of her relatives, too, who also have built cabins out there. We were looked after so well, and we were able to see and photograph all sorts of birds and other things.

"Tadoussac is quite rightly listed as one of the 50 most beautiful bays in the world.

Tadoussac is also the oldest village in Canada. In fact, the village celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2000.

But above all, Tadoussac is an internationally-renowned whale-watching site." From the link below.

www.authentikcanada.com/holidays/tourist-office-tadoussac

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoussac

Several trips were made to see different places along the coast, including the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, where we were able to see endless thousands of Snow Geese, in flight and also up close. Breathtaking!

We also had two boat trips from Tadoussac - one was a whaling trip in a Zodiac, where we saw very, very distant Beluga and Minke Whales. The Belugas looked almost like the white wave crests - but they were Belugas. The other boat trip was to the Brandy Pot Islands, inhabited by thousands of Razorbills and Common Murres, which were new birds for us, and Double-crested Cormorants that were nesting in tree tops. That long boat trip (in a tiny boat named Juno) started off in the rain and dark clouds and it was soooo cold! Thermal underwear, layers of fleece and toque and gloves were needed. This day was arranged through a contact of Anne's and it was so much enjoyed! Of course, we anchored a distance away from the island and sat there and ate our sandwiches and took endless photos - difficult when bobbing up and down on the rough water! It is forbidden to land on the island at nesting time.

Anne B, I can't thank you enough for organizing this holiday for us all and for inviting us to spend a week at your cabin. You worked so hard and it was so much appreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you for doing all the many hours of driving, too! Janet and Anne, thank you so much for compiling the lists of birds seen each day at various locations, and posted to ebird. These entries will be a huge help while I try and sort out where we were and when, and what species we saw. Miss your cookies and muffins, Janet, that you kindly made for us in Tadoussac, to go along with the wonderful meals that Anne planned and made for us : )

Link to my album (358 images) about Point Pelee and area, Ontario: www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157667191771677