Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: vapour

This is an early evening view over the Arima Valley, Trinidad, taken from the verandah at the Asa Wright Nature Centre. The photo was taken on 20 March 2017, the last evening of our amazing trip before returning home to Canada. This Centre covers nearly 1,500 protected acres of mainly forested land in the Arima and Aripo Valleys of the Northern Range. In the morning, we went on a trip to the Aripo Savannah and the Arena Forest, and then the afternoon was spent at Asa Wright, watching the birds and packing our bags. This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! We were so lucky with our flights, as we were just in time to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up the mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a minibus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. Even after a year, I still remember the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure. This is a video that I found on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it. youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015. youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk

Yesterday, 14 January 2017, this was the sight to greet me when I drove to Fish Creek Park to meet with others to go east of the city, looking for birds. There was far more dense mist rising from the river than appears in this photo. Everywhere looked so pretty, and this frost-covered bush was a delight to see. I think there were about 8 cars in convoy, as we headed eastward, out of the city. For much of the day, birding was extremely slow, especially as we were not seeing any owls : ) As the day wore on, several cars returned to the city. The first owl to be seen was a Great Horned Owl, perched in a row of trees alongside the road. It was so well hidden by a tangle of thin twigs and branches, making it impossible to photograph. Eventually, we saw our first Snowy Owl at 2:30 pm, perched on a very distant fencepost. A second Snowy was seen 15 to 20 minutes later, again very, very distant. Then, shortly before the trip ended, the friends in the car in which I was travelling, decided to go back to a certain area to see if we could see any Short-eared Owls. On the way there, we spotted another Snowy Owl, on a power pole way, way down the road. Managed to get a quick couple of very distant shots before it flew off to hunt. I had found no Snowy Owls or Short-eared Owls the previous afternoon, when I had gone there on my own. This time, we spotted two Short-eared Owls, perched far, far away along a fence line. Useless for photos, though. Thanks so much for driving the whole day, Carolyn - greatly appreciated by all of us! So glad you wanted to stay a bit longer than the actual trip, as we had a few lucky sightings, even if they were all very distant. A beautiful, sunny day to be out, too, and thankfully the deep-freeze had just ended. Thanks so much, Terry, for organizing this trip! It always makes for a very enjoyable day out.

Yesterday afternoon, 31 January 2016, I decided to go for a drive east of the city. The weather was getting sunny and I needed to get out for a while. On the way home, I passed the huge Shepard Energy Centre along the Glenmore Trail and pulled over to take a quick shot of the billowing clouds of vapour. “The $1.4-billion plant in east Calgary is capable of generating more than 800 megawatts of electricity for the provincial grid, the city-owned utility company said in a release. 'The facility is the largest of its kind in the province and an important step in Alberta's transition away from aging coal-fired generation facilities,' Enmax said. Enmax announced the project in 2007 and it became a joint venture with Edmonton-based Capital Power Corporation as a 50 per cent owner in late 2012. It uses combined-cycle technology that has two combustion turbines to generate electricity while making use of waste heat through a steam turbine for extra power production. The centre is about 30 per cent more efficient than conventional coal plants and will emit less than half the CO2 per megawatt hour, as well as less carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide gases, Enmax says. Its cooling towers will also use 14 million litres of reclaimed water per day from the city’s Bonnybrook wastewater treatment plant, the company says. "With this crucial infrastructure added to Alberta's electricity system, we will bring reliable electricity to Albertans for decades to come,” said Enmax CEO Gianna Manes in a release.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/shepard-energy-centre-powe... Grand opening video globalnews.ca/video/2019487/grand-opening-of-calgarys-she... calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-s-largest-natural-gas-fuelled-...

That is where we must be, LOL! Four of us piled into a car this morning and headed out to Canmore, Kananaskis, in the Rocky Mountains just before Banff. The morning started out at -30C and then rose and dropped a degree every once in a while and then grew colder and seemingly damper as the afternoon wore on. Hope this cold mist rising from the creek will give you an idea of the chill! Canmore is 108 kilometers, 68 miles and a 50 minute drive west of Calgary. A friend picked me up at 6:10 a.m. (I'd been up since 4:00 a.m.!), which was so much appreciated. It was the Canmore Bird Count today so, despite the deepfreeze, we walked for five and a half hours (roughly 24,500 steps!). A lady who lives in Canmore generously treated us to bagels and coffee before we started the walk and warmed us up with delicious soup and goodies on a lunch-time break. The birds must have been hiding deep within the trees, as we saw only 17 species. I think my highlight was seeing several wild bunnies! Guess what is even crazier than today - we are doing the same tomorrow, but this time going east of the city to do the Drumheller Bird Count!

My youngest daughter, who had to move back to Calgary from Vancouver this year, hates our cold Calgary weather! I just couldn't resist making her this "card", from a photo I took while birding yesterday morning at Carburn Park! This is a view over the Bow River, showing the icy cold vapour rising off the water. Further back, along the edge of the river, though, the sky was blue, the sun was shining and every branch and blade of grass was covered for a short time with beautiful ice crystals. Truly a winter wonderland. Just so you know I can be kind, the actual "paper" birthday card I sent Rachel had on it a wonderful field of golden Sunflowers, LOL! Happy Birthday, Rachel!