Elephant's ears / Bergenia cordifolia
The highlight of my day
Changes by new owners in "The Famous Five" field
The Famous Five
Redhead beauty
Life in the cemetery
A flower for Mother's Day
A turn of the head
Bird's-eye primrose / Primula mistassinica
Cooper's Hawk
First Morel mushroom of the year (for me)
My best bird photo on Thursday : )
Morel mushroom in its natural setting
My favourite view in Bow Valley Provincial Park
Tree Swallow on road sign
The joy of Dandelions
Evening Grosbeaks / Coccothraustes vespertinus
Female Red-winged Blackbird / Agelaius phoeniceus
Arrow-leaved Coltsfoot / Petasites sagittatus
Glorious splash of colour
Sun halo
Before they go to seed
One of three
Finally .... little goslings
A splash of red
Dark phase Swainson's Hawk
Red-necked Grebe & reflection
Yellow and red
Horned Lark in April snow
Puffed up for warmth
Like the sun on a grey, gloomy, rainy day
Red-necked Grebe pair
Lovely lady
Siberian Bugloss / Brunnera macrophylla
One of my favourite barns
Swainson's Hawk
A time to reflect
Caragana - invasive beauty
Pika, up close
Letting his presence be known
Double Bloodroot / Sanguinaria canadensis f. multi…
Feed me
Pasqueflower / Pulsatilla vulgaris
Red-necked Grebe
Blossom - pretty in pink
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209 visits
Long-billed Curlew / Numenius americanus


About two weeks ago, on 4 May 2015, we finally had a day without strong winds. I decided that it might be a good day to drive SE of the city again to see what I could find. The last few times I had been there recently, the wind had been so strong, making it almost impossible to stand, let alone take photos.
The very first thing I saw when I reached the gravel road off 23 at Frank Lake, was a beautiful Western Meadowlark. I only see one occasionally, though yesterday I did see a second one later in the afternoon.
At, or near, the bird blind/hide, there were a few Eared Grebes, Coots, Canada Geese, numerous and noisy Franklin's Gulls, a Ruddy Duck, a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, several Western Grebes (further away and barely within camera range) and American Avocets. White-faced Ibis were either down on the ground in the distance or flying around, mixed in with the Franklin's Gulls.
After visiting the blind, I drove around the lake, seeing the second Meadowlark and, to my delight, a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were extremely well-camouflaged against the stubble and dried grasses in a field. The Curlew is North America's largest shorebird. I'm sure I have seen one before, probably through someone's scope, but never really "seen" one properly. Managed to get a few shots, though the birds don't show up very clearly. The angle in this photo also makes the bill look just a little shorter than it is. The female has a much longer bill than the male. Hopefully, someone will correct my ID if I am wrong - thanks!
“Long-billed Curlews spend summers in areas of western North America with sparse, short grasses, including shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies as well as agricultural fields. After their young leave the nest they may move to areas with taller, denser grasses. In winter they migrate to the coasts and to interior Mexico, where you can find them in wetlands, tidal estuaries, mudflats, flooded fields, and occasionally beaches.” From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Curlew/lifehistory
Along one of the roads, friend Greg passed me, going in the same direction. He stopped briefly and said he was on his way to help mutual friend, George. A few hours later, I saw a photo on Facebook of the predicament that George had found himself in. When I say his vehicle was stuck in deep mud, I really mean STUCK, lol! Not sure how he managed to find such wet, muddy ground, as everywhere else is bone dry. Well done, George! The things we birders/photographers sometimes go through to get photos!
At the end of the lake drive, I decided to drive north on the Blackie road, stopping at one of the sloughs there, where I was able to get photos of the American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. So, all in all, an enjoyable, quite rewarding afternoon, spent in one of my favourite areas.
The very first thing I saw when I reached the gravel road off 23 at Frank Lake, was a beautiful Western Meadowlark. I only see one occasionally, though yesterday I did see a second one later in the afternoon.
At, or near, the bird blind/hide, there were a few Eared Grebes, Coots, Canada Geese, numerous and noisy Franklin's Gulls, a Ruddy Duck, a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, several Western Grebes (further away and barely within camera range) and American Avocets. White-faced Ibis were either down on the ground in the distance or flying around, mixed in with the Franklin's Gulls.
After visiting the blind, I drove around the lake, seeing the second Meadowlark and, to my delight, a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were extremely well-camouflaged against the stubble and dried grasses in a field. The Curlew is North America's largest shorebird. I'm sure I have seen one before, probably through someone's scope, but never really "seen" one properly. Managed to get a few shots, though the birds don't show up very clearly. The angle in this photo also makes the bill look just a little shorter than it is. The female has a much longer bill than the male. Hopefully, someone will correct my ID if I am wrong - thanks!
“Long-billed Curlews spend summers in areas of western North America with sparse, short grasses, including shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies as well as agricultural fields. After their young leave the nest they may move to areas with taller, denser grasses. In winter they migrate to the coasts and to interior Mexico, where you can find them in wetlands, tidal estuaries, mudflats, flooded fields, and occasionally beaches.” From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Curlew/lifehistory
Along one of the roads, friend Greg passed me, going in the same direction. He stopped briefly and said he was on his way to help mutual friend, George. A few hours later, I saw a photo on Facebook of the predicament that George had found himself in. When I say his vehicle was stuck in deep mud, I really mean STUCK, lol! Not sure how he managed to find such wet, muddy ground, as everywhere else is bone dry. Well done, George! The things we birders/photographers sometimes go through to get photos!
At the end of the lake drive, I decided to drive north on the Blackie road, stopping at one of the sloughs there, where I was able to get photos of the American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. So, all in all, an enjoyable, quite rewarding afternoon, spent in one of my favourite areas.
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