Great Gray Owl in late-morning sun
False Dandelion / Hypochaeris radicata
Hike on Erik Butters' beautiful land
I like the post as much as the bird
Yellow Warbler male
Yellow lady's-slipper
One of my favourite views
Raindrop refractions
Elephant's head / Pedicularis groenlandica
Spotted Sandpiper
Flycatcher sp. - Willow or Alder Flycatcher
Yesterday's summer hail
Gaillardia
Mountain Death Camas / Zigadenus elegans
Middle Lake, Bow Valley Provincial Park
Egyptian Walking Onion
And then there were only THREE!
Bobolink male
Showy Milkweed / Asclepias speciosa
Willow Flycatcher
Fleabane
Hope he's one of the lucky ones
Kalm's Lobelia / Lobelia kalmii
A forest find
Bobolink male / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Wild Rose in the rain
Forest refractions on a wet Dandelion : )
Just a little stretch
It's the Bobolink again
Red River Hog / Potamochoerus porcus
My first Bald Eagle on a fence post
Iris at Olds College Botanical Gardens and Wetland…
Brown-headed Cowbird / Molothrus ater
Chilean Flamingo
A distant Bobolink
Tattered and torn - and still beautiful
Beautiful wings of a female Mountain Bluebird
Ornamental Spurge / Euphorbia polychroma (Cushion…
Red-winged Blackbird female with bokeh
A closer view - male Bobolink
Clay-colored Sparrow / Spizella pallida
Female Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Such an elegant bird
Sleeping down at the pond
Grasshopper Sparrow / Ammodramus savannarum - OR i…
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A second's rest, together


This photo and the next one (lichen) were taken two days ago, on 25 June 2016, when I drove SW of the city to possibly meet friends. No one was sure how bad the weather was going to be, as the forecast was for rain and thunderstorms. It had rained overnight, so everywhere was soaking wet. Normally, on a day like that, I stay home, but I'm really glad I did go, especially as I was able to find a Bobolink again. Or, perhaps I should say it found me. Three times now, when I have been photographing a particular pair of Mountain Bluebirds, I have heard a certain persistent call, turned around, and there was a Bobolink sitting on a fence post across the road. It just kept up this call until I stopped what I was doing, crossed the road, and started taking photos of him, as if to say: "Hey, take my photo, too!"
I didn't think any friends were going to turn up, as I hadn't seen anything that looked like a small convoy of cars. Then suddenly, one single car came around a distant corner and stopped. Three people got out - Andrew, Tony and Howard. Three people who are excellent birders and who didn't let the weather keep them from doing what they love.
After they had had a far sighting of a Bobolink, I followed them slowly as far as Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, where the day's walk was supposed to take part, stopping to look at various birds along the way, Once there, we parted ways, as I didn't want hours of walking in mud and dripping trees. Instead, I wandered for a few minutes near the parking lot, where I took the lichen photo, and then I returned to the Bluebirds, where the Bobolink reappeared and repeated his behavior, giving me another chance for photos. The Bluebird babies are getting quite noisy and, judging by the number of insects they are being fed, they must be ready to fledge any day now.
Thought I would add a link here, to a short video about two local friends (Don and Andrew Stiles, father and son) who have spent many years building bluebird boxes and monitoring Mountain Bluebirds. Inspiring to see the dedication these two people have for the preservation of this beautiful species of bird.
calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=678225&binId=1.120191...
In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
I didn't think any friends were going to turn up, as I hadn't seen anything that looked like a small convoy of cars. Then suddenly, one single car came around a distant corner and stopped. Three people got out - Andrew, Tony and Howard. Three people who are excellent birders and who didn't let the weather keep them from doing what they love.
After they had had a far sighting of a Bobolink, I followed them slowly as far as Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, where the day's walk was supposed to take part, stopping to look at various birds along the way, Once there, we parted ways, as I didn't want hours of walking in mud and dripping trees. Instead, I wandered for a few minutes near the parking lot, where I took the lichen photo, and then I returned to the Bluebirds, where the Bobolink reappeared and repeated his behavior, giving me another chance for photos. The Bluebird babies are getting quite noisy and, judging by the number of insects they are being fed, they must be ready to fledge any day now.
Thought I would add a link here, to a short video about two local friends (Don and Andrew Stiles, father and son) who have spent many years building bluebird boxes and monitoring Mountain Bluebirds. Inspiring to see the dedication these two people have for the preservation of this beautiful species of bird.
calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=678225&binId=1.120191...
In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
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