Yesterday's treat
Prairie Falcon perched on an old wind pump
Yesterday's glorious sky
Closer view, but poor quality
Dark-eyed beauty
Northern Hawk Owl from 2016
Wolf's Milk Slime / Lycogala epidendrum
Two of a family of three
Non-wild horses in a wild landscape
Northern Hawk Owl
Meadow Vole for a tasty snack
Summer colour
Atop a utility pole
Red-winged Blackbird female or juvenile
A backward glance
Winter in the Nanton, Alberta, area
Northern Hawk Owl
Lying on a bed of hoarfrost
Goat's-beard with visitor
Snowy Owl along the fenceline
The old-fashioned way
With a little filtered help
Northern Hawk Owl
The beautiful mountains of Alberta
The size of a popcan
Sharp-tailed Grouse
The peace of a prairie farm - my main photo today
Better than nothing - this is NOT my main photo!
Unidentified fruit
Cheery sunflower
Filtered
Sleepy Great Horned Owl
Winter on the prairies
Sharp-tailed Grouse - not my main photo!
Eared Grebe
Great Gray Owl in early morning sunlight
Great Horned Owl
Modern - but I like it
Jazzing up the old silos - with Pacman
Ferocious hunter, but looking cute
Down by the river on a frosty morning
Sleeping in the sunshine
Continuing the hunt
It's Pika time - again
Moose from the archives
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233 visits
Female Mountain Bluebird with lunch for her babies


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...
On 18 June 2016, I went for a drive SW of the city, checking out a few of my usual roads. Almost straight away, I spotted a beautiful Wilson's Snipe perched on a fence rail in a different area than I usually photograph Snipe.
I had pulled over on the other side of the road and managed to get just three shots when a car came along in the opposite direction. The lady slowed down and asked if I was a birdwatcher. She told me that she had just passed an enormous Bald Eagle - bigger than any she had ever seen - perched on a fence post. Well, of course the Snipe flew off and I definitely wasn't expecting a Bald Eagle to still be sitting where it had been seen. I thanked the thoughtful lady and continued my drive, eventually spotting 'something' big in the distance. I couldn't believe it when I saw it was the Eagle. Expecting it to take off as soon as it saw my car, it surprised me by remaining right where it was. Wrong side of the road and with its back to me, but I was in awe! I think this was the first time I had ever seen a Bald Eagle perched on a fence post.
I was even more grateful to have seen this majestic bird of prey when I went to check on a nearby Mountain Bluebird pair and there was nothing to be seen. I then stopped at a different pair and, though I did see the female high up on the wire, there was no activity at all. When I eventually reached a third box - where I had recently photographed the male with a beautiful moth in its beak - I saw a Tree Swallow's face peeping out of the hole. When I was there two days earlier, I just knew that the babies were going to fledge any moment and I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to visit them in their last two days.
After driving further to see if I could see either of the Great Gray Owls or the Bobolinks, I was out of luck with both. This made the Bald Eagle sighting more special than ever! Then, driving down a road that I don't normally drive, I spotted a 'new' pair of Mountain Bluebirds. Both Mom and Dad were kept so busy, collecting caterpillars, moths and other insects to feed to their babies. These were definitely 'Bluebirds of Happiness' that evening. Soon, the grey sky and low light finally took a toll on my camera or, should I say, my knowledge of how to use it? It was time to call it quits and head for home.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
On 18 June 2016, I went for a drive SW of the city, checking out a few of my usual roads. Almost straight away, I spotted a beautiful Wilson's Snipe perched on a fence rail in a different area than I usually photograph Snipe.
I had pulled over on the other side of the road and managed to get just three shots when a car came along in the opposite direction. The lady slowed down and asked if I was a birdwatcher. She told me that she had just passed an enormous Bald Eagle - bigger than any she had ever seen - perched on a fence post. Well, of course the Snipe flew off and I definitely wasn't expecting a Bald Eagle to still be sitting where it had been seen. I thanked the thoughtful lady and continued my drive, eventually spotting 'something' big in the distance. I couldn't believe it when I saw it was the Eagle. Expecting it to take off as soon as it saw my car, it surprised me by remaining right where it was. Wrong side of the road and with its back to me, but I was in awe! I think this was the first time I had ever seen a Bald Eagle perched on a fence post.
I was even more grateful to have seen this majestic bird of prey when I went to check on a nearby Mountain Bluebird pair and there was nothing to be seen. I then stopped at a different pair and, though I did see the female high up on the wire, there was no activity at all. When I eventually reached a third box - where I had recently photographed the male with a beautiful moth in its beak - I saw a Tree Swallow's face peeping out of the hole. When I was there two days earlier, I just knew that the babies were going to fledge any moment and I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to visit them in their last two days.
After driving further to see if I could see either of the Great Gray Owls or the Bobolinks, I was out of luck with both. This made the Bald Eagle sighting more special than ever! Then, driving down a road that I don't normally drive, I spotted a 'new' pair of Mountain Bluebirds. Both Mom and Dad were kept so busy, collecting caterpillars, moths and other insects to feed to their babies. These were definitely 'Bluebirds of Happiness' that evening. Soon, the grey sky and low light finally took a toll on my camera or, should I say, my knowledge of how to use it? It was time to call it quits and head for home.
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