Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: displaying

"July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission." People are remembering this exciting, successful event this week. I was trying to remember where I was when this all took place, so I checked. In the week before, we flew from Seria, Brunei, Borneo, back to England for a short while. On the journey from Borneo, we spent 6th - 13th July in Hong Kong, then in Rome, Italy, from 14th - 18th July, arriving in Birmingham, England, at my parents' house on 18th July. We ended up in Holland in October 1969 and returned to Borneo about a week before Christmas 1969. So, I am guessing that we were with my parents when the Moon Landing took place. My parents never had a TV, and I can't remember if we watched it at any friend's house. So much packing, travelling and chaos : ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This morning, 17 July 2019, I woke up to sunshine. It definitely feels like it has rained almost every day for weeks. "Risk of a thunderstorm" seems to be the norm these days. The day before yesterday, 15 July, I just needed to get out for a quick drive, so, despite the forecast for rain, I drove SW of the city along several usual roads. I soon discovered that one of the roads I was going to drive had roadworks going on - oiling the road. With a car that was already covered in dead insect "splats", from my 12-hour drive south of the city, the last thing I wanted was to add oil to the mix. So, yesterday's drive ended up being very short; just a couple of hours in total. Amazing what one can come across in a short time, though. A Wilson's Snipe was perched on a fence post, giving me yet another chance for a few photos. A Red-winged Blackbird was perched on another fence post, happily and noisily displaying its scarlet and yellow shoulder patches. Down a different road, a fluffy Tree Swallow fledgling sat on the barbed-wire by its nesting box, all alone. "Though the long tradition of “snipe hunt” pranks at summer camp has convinced many people otherwise, Wilson’s Snipes aren’t made-up creatures. These plump, long-billed birds are among the most widespread shorebirds in North America. They can be tough to see thanks to their cryptic brown and buff coloration and secretive nature. But in summer they often stand on fence posts or take to the sky with a fast, zigzagging flight and an unusual “winnowing” sound made with the tail." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id According to Fisher and Acorn's book, "Birds of Alberta", "the common Snipe is both secretive and well camouflaged, so few people notice it until it flushes suddenly from a nearby grassy tussock. As soon as the Snipe takes to the air, it performs a series of quick zigzags - an evasive maneuver designed to confuse predators. Because of this habit, Snipes were among the most difficult birds to shoot (in the days when shorebirds were hunted for sport), and skilled sportsmen were known as "snipers" - a term later adopted by the military." youtu.be/Z16CUdX2g5Q Leaving the area, ready to go home, I came across two immature Red-tailed Hawk siblings, both perched on the same wooden beam at the top of a utility pole. Such beautiful birds. Further on, I suddenly decided to drive up a road that I don't think I have ever driven before. What a treat I discovered - a gorgeous old barn! Absolutely made my day.

This morning, 16 July 2019, I woke up to find that it's raining - again! It definitely feels like it has rained almost every day for weeks. "Risk of a thunderstorm" seems to be the norm these days. Our temperature is only 11C (windchill 9C) at 10:00 am.. Yesterday afternoon, I just needed to get out for a quick drive, so, despite the forecast for rain, I drove SW of the city along several usual roads. I soon discovered that one of the roads I was going to drive had roadworks going on - oiling the road. With a car that was already covered in dead insect "splats", from my 12-hour drive south of the city, the last thing I wanted was to add oil to the mix. So, yesterday's drive ended up being very short; just a couple of hours in total. Amazing what one can come across in a short time, though. A Wilson's Snipe was perched on a fence post, giving me yet another chance for a few photos. A Red-winged Blackbird was perched on another fence post, happily and noisily displaying its scarlet and yellow shoulder patches. Down a different road, a fluffy Tree Swallow fledgling sat on the barbed-wire by its nesting box, all alone. Leaving the area, ready to go home, I came across two immature Red-tailed Hawks, both perched on the same wooden beam at the top of a utility pole. Such beautiful birds. Further on, I suddenly decided to drive up a road that I don't think I have ever driven before. What a treat I discovered - a gorgeous old barn! Absolutely made my day.

Hope someone at Flickr will fix the commenting problem that has been going on for days now! Unfortunately, with the US Thanksgiving holiday, the issue won't be fixed anytime soon. Today, 22 November 2018, is Thanksgiving Day for Americans. I had not intended posting any photos this morning, but when I realized that the next few photos to upload from our Ontario and Quebec trip were of Wild Turkeys, I thought it appropriate to edit and post some this morning. Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans, wherever you happen to be living at the moment. 9 Fun Facts about Turkeys: www.audubon.org/news/9-fun-facts-about-turkeys Day 4 of our holiday was 10 May 2018. We had a ridiiculously early start to the day, as we had been told that American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) tend to gather in and around the hotel parking lot. That information was just too good to ignore, so I think it was sometime after 4:00 am that we were out there, searching. As it turned out, in vain, though we did hear two individuals vocalizing in the dark bushes across the road. The American Woodcock is "a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_woodcock This last day was spent at Pt Pelee, walking a few trails including at The Tip again. We also drove to The Onion Fields, just north of Pt Pelee, between Hillman Marsh and Pt Pelee, where we had a great sighting - a very, very distant male Snowy Owl, sitting way out in a field, next to a white post!! Awful photos, but will eventually post one of them, just for the record. I have added Anne B's ebird list for Day 4 in a comment box below. As always, I did not manage to see every species, but was happy to see at least some of them! The next morning, 11 May, we had to do the very long drive from Pelee to Toronto, where we caught a plane to Quebec City, arriving there at 2:45 pm. From there, we had a long drive east to reach the small village of Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence Seaway. There, we would be staying for a week at the summer 'cabin' of one of our group of friends. For a more detailed account of our trip east, see www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/45038233955/in/datepost...

Hope someone at Flickr will fix the commenting problem that has been going on for days now! Unfortunately, with the US Thanksgiving holiday, the issue won't be fixed anytime soon. Today, 22 November 2018, is Thanksgiving Day for Americans. I had not intended posting any photos this morning, but when I realized that the next few photos to upload from our Ontario and Quebec trip were of Wild Turkeys, I thought it appropriate to edit and post some this morning. Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans, wherever you happen to be living at the moment. 9 Fun Facts about Turkeys: www.audubon.org/news/9-fun-facts-about-turkeys Day 4 of our holiday was 10 May 2018. We had a ridiiculously early start to the day, as we had been told that American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) tend to gather in and around the hotel parking lot. That information was just too good to ignore, so I think it was sometime after 4:00 am that we were out there, searching. As it turned out, in vain, though we did hear two individuals vocalizing in the dark bushes across the road. The American Woodcock is "a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_woodcock This last day was spent at Pt Pelee, walking a few trails including at The Tip again. We also drove to The Onion Fields, just north of Pt Pelee, between Hillman Marsh and Pt Pelee, where we had a great sighting - a very, very distant male Snowy Owl, sitting way out in a field, next to a white post!! Awful photos, but will eventually post one of them, just for the record. I have added Anne B's ebird list for Day 4 in a comment box below. As always, I did not manage to see every species, but was happy to see at least some of them! The next morning, 11 May, we had to do the very long drive from Pelee to Toronto, where we caught a plane to Quebec City, arriving there at 2:45 pm. From there, we had a long drive east to reach the small village of Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence Seaway. There, we would be staying for a week at the summer 'cabin' of one of our group of friends. For a more detailed account of our trip east, see www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/45038233955/in/datepost...

Just over two weeks ago, on 13 April 2015, I was fortunate enough to witness 24 or 25 male Sharp-tailed Grouse and just a handful of females displaying at their "lek" or communal dancing ground. On this particular day, five of us went to see this "secret" location on private property. Perhaps a trip of a lifetime! We had to leave Calgary really early in order to be at the location before the Grouse arrived before sunrise, and we had to stay until they had all left, roughly three hours later. I had been so excited to get photos of this activity, but have to say that I was disappointed with the quality of all my shots, partly due to not the best light, usually heavily zoomed (Focal Length [35mm format] - 1200 mm), and also to the conditions under which they were taken. The grassy background really didn't help, lol. Still, needless to say, I am very happy to have had this chance and to get any photos at all! If you have time, the following 2:30 minute YouTube video by Alberta Conservation Association is very good for showing the action of these birds. There are several still shots first and then the video starts. Pretty amazing! The birds remind me of a child's wind-up toy : ) youtu.be/vRUVIU4UfYo I came across an excellent brochure (pdf file) about Sharp-tailed Grouse on the Internet and will use some of the information from it, instead of using my own words to describe what goes on at a lek. I had seen females of this species before, on Christmas Bird Counts, but not a male. "Sharp-tailed grouse perform spring courtship displays on communal “dancing grounds” called leks. Here, males compete for breeding opportunities by displaying their "dancing” ability to females. Most activity on the lek occurs in the early morning just before sunrise and for a few hours afterwards. The males’ energetic display includes fluttering wings, rapid foot stomping and spinning in tight circles - reminiscent of wind-up toys. The most dominant males court females with low cooing sounds and by strutting around them with inflated air sacs on their neck and fanned tail feathers. It is nearly a winner-take-all form of competition, as only a few of the males are selected as mates by the females. Leks are found in areas with dry open ground, where dancing activity keeps the vegetation well-trampled. Leks are used over several weeks beginning in late March and are often used for years, even decades. They are an important part of sharp-tailed grouse life, and the loss of suitable lek habitat can be a limiting factor for sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta. Male sharp-tailed grouse gather on the lek in late March. In April the females arrive, sparking increased displaying by the males. Peak attendance by females on the lek occurs between mid to late April in much of Alberta. Once they have selected a male, hens breed once and then seek out a place to nest, usually in late April to early May. Leks are an integral part of the lifecycle of prairie grouse. Active leks should never be approached, as any disturbance to the birds may disrupt breeding activities and result in the abandonment of the lek. The locations of active and historical leks are of great interest to grouse biologists. Native North Americans called the sharp-tailed grouse “Fire Bird” because of their reliance on fires to keep their habitat open in wooded areas. Suppression of natural fire in parkland and boreal areas reduces the amount of open grassland available to sharp-tailed grouse. Sharp-tailed grouse were an important food source for native North Americans and they continue to be a popular game bird for hunters today. In Alberta, the sharp-tailed grouse is listed as “Sensitive.” While exact population numbers are not known, there is a feeling that sharp-tailed grouse have decreased significantly in numbers over the past 40 years. This trend is supported by lek counts, hunter surveys, aerial counts and Breeding Bird Survey data. Declining numbers are the result of a reduction in the quality and quantity of sharp-tailed grouse habitat, particularly the loss of quality nesting and brood-rearing habitat." From www.ab-conservation.com . www.ab-conservation.com/go/default/assets/File/Publicatio.. .

HAPPY EARTH DAY, everyone! Nine days ago, on 13 April 2015, I was fortunate enough to witness 24 or 25 Sharp-tailed Grouse displaying at their "lek" or communal dancing ground. On this particular day, five of us went to see this "secret" location on private property. Perhaps a trip of a lifetime! We had to leave Calgary really early in order to be at the location before the Grouse arrived before sunrise, and we had to stay until they had all left, roughly three hours later. I had been so excited to get photos of this activity, but, unfortunately, am so disappointed with the quality of all my shots, partly due to not the best light, heavily zoomed (Focal Length [35mm format] - 1200 mm), and also to the conditions under which they were taken. Still, needless to say, I am very happy to have had this chance and to get any photos at all! The following 2:30 minute YouTube video by Alberta Conservation Association is very good for showing the action of these birds. Pretty amazing! The birds remind me of a child's wind-up toy : ) youtu.be/vRUVIU4UfYo A few evenings ago, I came across an excellent brochure (pdf file) about Sharp-tailed Grouse on the Internet and will use some of the information from it, instead of using my own words to describe what goes on at a lek. I had seen females of this species before, on Christmas Bird Counts, but not a male. "Sharp-tailed grouse perform spring courtship displays on communal “dancing grounds” called leks. Here, males compete for breeding opportunities by displaying their "dancing” ability to females. Most activity on the lek occurs in the early morning just before sunrise and for a few hours afterwards. The males’ energetic display includes fluttering wings, rapid foot stomping and spinning in tight circles - reminiscent of wind-up toys. The most dominant males court females with low cooing sounds and by strutting around them with inflated air sacs on their neck and fanned tail feathers. It is nearly a winner-take-all form of competition, as only a few of the males are selected as mates by the females. Leks are found in areas with dry open ground, where dancing activity keeps the vegetation well-trampled. Leks are used over several weeks beginning in late March and are often used for years, even decades. They are an important part of sharp-tailed grouse life, and the loss of suitable lek habitat can be a limiting factor for sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta. Male sharp-tailed grouse gather on the lek in late March. In April the females arrive, sparking increased displaying by the males. Peak attendance by females on the lek occurs between mid to late April in much of Alberta. Once they have selected a male, hens breed once and then seek out a place to nest, usually in late April to early May. Leks are an integral part of the lifecycle of prairie grouse. Active leks should never be approached, as any disturbance to the birds may disrupt breeding activities and result in the abandonment of the lek. The locations of active and historical leks are of great interest to grouse biologists. Native North Americans called the sharp-tailed grouse “Fire Bird” because of their reliance on fires to keep their habitat open in wooded areas. Suppression of natural fire in parkland and boreal areas reduces the amount of open grassland available to sharp-tailed grouse. Sharp-tailed grouse were an important food source for native North Americans and they continue to be a popular game bird for hunters today. In Alberta, the sharp-tailed grouse is listed as “Sensitive.” While exact population numbers are not known, there is a feeling that sharp-tailed grouse have decreased significantly in numbers over the past 40 years. This trend is supported by lek counts, hunter surveys, aerial counts and Breeding Bird Survey data. Declining numbers are the result of a reduction in the quality and quantity of sharp-tailed grouse habitat, particularly the loss of quality nesting and brood-rearing habitat." From www.ab-conservation.com . www.ab-conservation.com/go/default/assets/File/Publicatio...

Four days ago, on 13 April 2015, I was fortunate enough to witness about 24 Sharp-tailed Grouse displaying at their "lek" or communal dancing ground. Five of us went to see this "secret" location on this day. Perhaps a trip of a lifetime. We had to leave Calgary really early in order to be at the location before the Grouse arrived before sunrise, and we had to stay until they had all left. I had been so excited to get photos of this activity, but, unfortunately, am so disappointed with the quality of all my shots, partly due to not the best light, heavily zoomed (Focal Length [35mm format] - 1200 mm), and also to the conditions under which they were taken. Still, needless to say, I am happy to have had this chance and to get any photos at all! A few evenings ago, I came across an excellent brochure (pdf file) about Sharp-tailed Grouse on the Internet and will use some of the information from it, instead of using my own words to describe what goes on at a lek. I had seen females of this species before, on Christmas Bird Counts, but not a male. "Sharp-tailed grouse perform spring courtship displays on communal “dancing grounds” called leks. Here, males compete for breeding opportunities by displaying their "dancing” ability to females. Most activity on the lek occurs in the early morning just before sunrise and for a few hours afterwards. The males’ energetic display includes fluttering wings, rapid foot stomping and spinning in tight circles - reminiscent of wind-up toys. The most dominant males court females with low cooing sounds and by strutting around them with inflated air sacs on their neck and fanned tail feathers. It is nearly a winner-take-all form of competition, as only a few of the males are selected as mates by the females. Leks are found in areas with dry open ground, where dancing activity keeps the vegetation well-trampled. Leks are used over several weeks beginning in late March and are often used for years, even decades. They are an important part of sharp-tailed grouse life, and the loss of suitable lek habitat can be a limiting factor for sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta. Male sharp-tailed grouse gather on the lek in late March. In April the females arrive, sparking increased displaying by the males. Peak attendance by females on the lek occurs between mid to late April in much of Alberta. Once they have selected a male, hens breed once and then seek out a place to nest, usually in late April to early May. Leks are an integral part of the lifecycle of prairie grouse. Active leks should never be approached, as any disturbance to the birds may disrupt breeding activities and result in the abandonment of the lek. The locations of active and historical leks are of great interest to grouse biologists. Native North Americans called the sharp-tailed grouse “Fire Bird” because of their reliance on fires to keep their habitat open in wooded areas. Suppression of natural fire in parkland and boreal areas reduces the amount of open grassland available to sharp-tailed grouse. Sharp-tailed grouse were an important food source for native North Americans and they continue to be a popular game bird for hunters today. In Alberta, the sharp-tailed grouse is listed as “Sensitive.” While exact population numbers are not known, there is a feeling that sharp-tailed grouse have decreased significantly in numbers over the past 40 years. This trend is supported by lek counts, hunter surveys, aerial counts and Breeding Bird Survey data. Declining numbers are the result of a reduction in the quality and quantity of sharp-tailed grouse habitat, particularly the loss of quality nesting and brood-rearing habitat." From www.ab-conservation.com . www.ab-conservation.com/go/default/assets/File/Publicatio...