A new-to-me old barn
Yesterday's storm
Bighorn Sheep, mom and youngster
Rust patterns
A Coyote's last look back
A view from Quarry Lake, Canmore
Yesterday's Bald Eagle
Sun halo over Glenmore Reservoir
Pam and friend
Old granaries on the prairie
When the storm moved in
Bighorn Sheep on the slope
Town of Canmore, Alberta
Wood Duck male
Swainson's Hawk
Beneath the cloud
Chains
A fine old barn
Mushrooms in Gayle's garden
A drive through Kananaskis
A favourite subject with photographers
Rural decay
Evening Grosbeak female
Artichoke flower with different bee species
Once a home
Old dolls, Pioneer Acres Museum, Alberta
Merlin
Cockshutt tractor, Pioneer Acres
Oilbird / Steatornis caripensis, Trinidad
At the Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis) cave, Trini…
Ring-billed Gull / Larus delawarensis
Great Horned Owl juvenile
Complete with little red birdhouse
Great Blue Heron, fishing
Yellow Oriole, Asa Wright, Trinidad
Kohleria tubiflora, Trinidad
Old barn
Cosmos beauty
Side by side
Impressive peak in Kananaskis - Mt. Sparrowhawk?
Friendly visitor
Fish Creek Park on a low-light day
Yesterday's Great Horned Owl
A mountain meadow, Kananaskis, Alberta
Same kind of flower as yesterday's
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Bald Eagle / Haliaeetus leucocephalus


Needless to say, this is not a photo that was taken in the wild! I would never be able to get such a close shot or even a close view like this, unless the bird was captive for one reason or another. This bird had just had some flight training and was given a hosepipe shower to cool off.
This particular Bald Eagle resides at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, southern Alberta. This 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 often see Bald Eagles flying wild, both in the city and in the surrounding areas. Usually when I see one, it is flying or perched far away. Too far away to see any detail at all, which is why I love going to this Centre, to see raptors up close.
"Once a common sight in much of the continent, the bald eagle was severely affected in the mid-20th century by a variety of factors, among them the thinning of egg shells attributed to use of the pesticide DDT. Bald eagles, like many birds of prey, were especially affected by DDT due to biomagnification. DDT itself was not lethal to the adult bird, but it interfered with the bird's calcium metabolism, making the bird either sterile or unable to lay healthy eggs. Female eagles laid eggs that were too brittle to withstand the weight of a brooding adult, making it nearly impossible for the eggs to hatch. It is estimated that in the early 18th century, the bald eagle population was 300,000–500,000,[118] but by the 1950s there were only 412 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states of the US. Other factors in bald eagle population reductions were a widespread loss of suitable habitat, as well as both legal and illegal shooting. DDT was completely banned in Canada in 1989, though its use had been highly restricted since the late 1970s." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_eagle
This summer, we had practically no 'normal' summer days. They have been either too hot thanks to our endless heatwave, or too smoky thanks to all the wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta. The forecast for this day looked good, sunshine all day, with rain forecast on several of the coming days. I decided to finally do a drive all the way down south to near Lethbridge, so that I could again visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. Last year, I did this drive for the very first time on my own and I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my courage to do it again. During the 511 kms that I drove, I had to ask for help with directions twice - both times in the same small hamlet!
The forecast was for sun all day, but there was no mention of the smoke haze that completely blocked out the mountains and pretty much the foothills, too. Shortly after leaving home, I was almost tempted to turn around and come home, but I had noticed rain in the forecast for some coming days. I reckoned I would still be able to photograph the fairly close birds at the Centre, which worked out fine.
Amazingly, I had managed to make myself get up early on the morning of 3 August 2017, and set off just before 8:30 am. My intention was to drive straight to Coaldale without stopping anywhere en route. Not an easy thing for me to do, as I much prefer driving the backroads rather than the highways. However, I knew it would take me a few hours to get there and I wanted to have as much time as possible down there. On the way home, I drove just one dusty, gravel road, but saw nothing but a couple of Horned Larks perched on fence posts. A couple of old barns (that I had seen before) and a few scenic shots, were more or less all I took.
Twelve hours later, I finally arrived home, at 8:30 pm, totally tired out, and my car was just about out of gas. For the first time in the year that I have had this vehicle, the gas level warning light came on.
This particular Bald Eagle resides at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, southern Alberta. This 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 often see Bald Eagles flying wild, both in the city and in the surrounding areas. Usually when I see one, it is flying or perched far away. Too far away to see any detail at all, which is why I love going to this Centre, to see raptors up close.
"Once a common sight in much of the continent, the bald eagle was severely affected in the mid-20th century by a variety of factors, among them the thinning of egg shells attributed to use of the pesticide DDT. Bald eagles, like many birds of prey, were especially affected by DDT due to biomagnification. DDT itself was not lethal to the adult bird, but it interfered with the bird's calcium metabolism, making the bird either sterile or unable to lay healthy eggs. Female eagles laid eggs that were too brittle to withstand the weight of a brooding adult, making it nearly impossible for the eggs to hatch. It is estimated that in the early 18th century, the bald eagle population was 300,000–500,000,[118] but by the 1950s there were only 412 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states of the US. Other factors in bald eagle population reductions were a widespread loss of suitable habitat, as well as both legal and illegal shooting. DDT was completely banned in Canada in 1989, though its use had been highly restricted since the late 1970s." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_eagle
This summer, we had practically no 'normal' summer days. They have been either too hot thanks to our endless heatwave, or too smoky thanks to all the wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta. The forecast for this day looked good, sunshine all day, with rain forecast on several of the coming days. I decided to finally do a drive all the way down south to near Lethbridge, so that I could again visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. Last year, I did this drive for the very first time on my own and I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my courage to do it again. During the 511 kms that I drove, I had to ask for help with directions twice - both times in the same small hamlet!
The forecast was for sun all day, but there was no mention of the smoke haze that completely blocked out the mountains and pretty much the foothills, too. Shortly after leaving home, I was almost tempted to turn around and come home, but I had noticed rain in the forecast for some coming days. I reckoned I would still be able to photograph the fairly close birds at the Centre, which worked out fine.
Amazingly, I had managed to make myself get up early on the morning of 3 August 2017, and set off just before 8:30 am. My intention was to drive straight to Coaldale without stopping anywhere en route. Not an easy thing for me to do, as I much prefer driving the backroads rather than the highways. However, I knew it would take me a few hours to get there and I wanted to have as much time as possible down there. On the way home, I drove just one dusty, gravel road, but saw nothing but a couple of Horned Larks perched on fence posts. A couple of old barns (that I had seen before) and a few scenic shots, were more or less all I took.
Twelve hours later, I finally arrived home, at 8:30 pm, totally tired out, and my car was just about out of gas. For the first time in the year that I have had this vehicle, the gas level warning light came on.
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