My photos - my favourites

A group of eight of us drove south of Calgary on 18 December 2012, to take part in the annual High River Christmas Bird Count. We covered all the backroads in the SE quadrant of the huge circle around the town. One of the places we stopped at was Frank Lake, a very popular place for birders. This photo was taken, looking towards the sun, giving what I thought was quite a nice effect. Have to admit that while the others were scanning the lake for any sign of wildlife, I was enjoying myself taking scenic shots and ice-crystals : ) I've marked this shot on my map, but placed it in the middle of Frank lake, as I'm not sure just where we were. We started our search at around 8:30 a.m. and returned to the meeting place around 5:00 p.m., when we handed in our results and stayed for a delicious potluck supper. Thanks so much to the local birders who organized this most enjoyable ending to a long day! Our small group's sightings for the day: Mallard 9 in am at Frank Lake; 7 seen flying there in late pm. Common Goldeneye-4 Bald Eagle-4 ad. Northern Goshawk-2 ad. Rough-legged Hawk-1 Merlin-2 Gray Partridge-12 Sharp-tailed Grouse-5 Rock Pigeon-26 Great Horned Owl-5 Snowy Owl-1 (seen 3 times). Downy Woodpecker-1 m. Black-billed Magpie-34 Common Raven-8 Northern Shrike-1 American Tree Sparrow-3 Snow Bunting-807 Common Redpoll-925 Hoary Redpoll-1 House Sparrow-245

These must be the smallest mushrooms I've seen (maybe half an inch total across all three?) - just like three tiny, dark circles growing amongst the moss on a fallen, rotting log that I was looking down on. For some very strange reason, this is one of the only photos (out of many) that came out sharp enough to post. Most were total blurs. I was thankful for this one - and especially thankful for seeing ANY kind of fungus in this poor fungi season : ) Photographed at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park a couple of days ago. It rained here overnight, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I might still see a few more before the season is completely over. Leaves are turning yellow on our trees, so very soon the forest floor will be covered with a blanket of yellow and brown that hides everything growing beneath.

Our good friend, Doug (dougwaylett, www.flickr.com/photos/dougcwaylett/ ) passed away yesterday, following a massive heart attack. He died shortly after giving a talk on Slime Molds in the Herbarium at the University of Calgary, and then doing something that he loved to do - looking at some lichens there, which held such an interest and fascination for him. He had taught himself a tremendous amount and had, indeed, become quite an expert. He shared this expertise, along with so many wonderful photos, on Flickr, and his daughter has said that she will make sure that his photostream remains on Flickr. I am so thankful for all the many bird and botany walks and hikes the last few years, also snake monitoring - I always knew Doug would find something new or especially beautiful to show us! Sometimes, the forest would echo with a loud "Hey, Anne!" and I knew that Doug, usually down on the ground and out of sight, had found something. We are going to miss this so much, but his passion will join with our own passion and live on in each of us. Doug, may your spirit guide our footsteps and our eyes, so that we can continue to find all those priceless treasures that bring so much joy, whether they be in forest, on mountain top, or the bog we so much enjoyed. Flo, our thoughts are with you and the family - take good care of yourself.

A Northern Hawk Owl owlet that was banded recently. I believe this was the first day out of the nest for this little one, so it was still down on the ground, though it did manage to claw its way a few feet up a thin, sloping tree trunk with difficulty. This photo was taken a few weeks ago, weeks before it was banded, so the owlet will be flying anywhere it wishes now, just like Mom and Dad, hopefully safe from predators. Thought this "look" was so cute, almost like a shy child hiding behind its mother's skirt : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Hawk_Owl/id I happened to come across the following Blog and it makes quite a nice read, on the subject of baiting/not baiting owls. If you are interested in the subject, and have time, you may want to take quick look: lauraerickson.blogspot.ca/2011_03_01_archive.html

Can you imagine a brighter display of flowers than this - and to have a beautiful butterfly (with wings spread!) at rest on them? Can't remember the name of this butterfly off hand, but I love the zigzag wing edges. Needed something bright on this unpleasant, snowy day - and yes, this IS May, LOL! Seen in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. I think the ID is Cethosia biblis, Red Lacewing. Anyone else having a few problems with Flickr today? Seems very quiet - and I keep getting empty boxes with red Xs with some photostreams. If I go back and access the page again, all seems fine.

One of my favourite things to photograph - these tiny fungi with the beautiful gills. They let the sun through and light up like tiny beacons. Fortunately, this one was growing near the trail, on a dead leaf, where the sunlight could reach it. Taken at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on September 9th. One of only maybe four or five that I found to photograph on that quick visit.

Oops, again - my flash delayed the photo of this Northern Flicker, but I ended up with this gorgeous display of colour and pattern instead! So beautiful.

Couldn't help but smile when I saw my photo on my computer. I thought this was so elegant and looked like two young girls dancing together or in deep conversation. In reality, this is a major noxious weed - Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) with its tiny seedpods. Photographed (macro) at Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park, on August 18th. Posting very early in the morning today, as I will be out botanizing all day again. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_esula www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-LeafySpurge.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was thrilled to bits to be told where to find these little guys at the Calgary Zoo. For so many years, I had seen photos of them, and always wished that I could see and photograph them. Had to aim at where I thought the frog was, as it was almost pitch black, and thankfully using flash worked out well. "Many scientists believe the red-eyed tree frog developed its vivid scarlet peepers to shock predators into at least briefly questioning their meal choice. These iconic rain-forest amphibians sleep by day stuck to leaf-bottoms with their eyes closed and body markings covered. When disturbed, they flash their bulging red eyes and reveal their huge, webbed orange feet and bright blue-and-yellow flanks. This technique, called startle coloration, may give a bird or snake pause, offering a precious instant for the frog to spring to safety. Red-eyed tree frogs, despite their conspicuous coloration, are not venomous. They are found in tropical lowlands from southern Mexico, throughout Central America, and in northern South America. Nocturnal carnivores, they hide in the rain forest canopy and ambush crickets, flies, and moths with their long, sticky tongues. Red-eyed tree frogs are not endangered. But their habitat is shrinking at an alarming rate, and their highly recognizable image is often used to promote the cause of saving the world's rain forests." From animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/red-eye...