Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: on nest

Tonight, I am all up-to-date again, apart from the rest of my Texas trip images. These 17 images were taken on a quick visit to a wetland within the city. I never seem to get there at a good time of day, meaning that there were not all that many ducks nearby, and the edge of the wetland was in shadow. I saw enough to make the trip worthwhile, though. Common Grackles are birds I love to see and photograph and the one in my photos caught a tiny fish. Two or three tiny Coot babies were out for a swim, and I managed to rescue a couple of photos that really should have been deleted. While I was standing there, a couple and their daughter came by and asked if I knew what the bird was that was hanging out in the shade of the bushes by the water. They didn't think it was a Great Blue Heron because its neck was so short. It took me a while to find the bird and, when I zoomed in, I was able to confirm that it was a Black-crowned Night-Heron. Our weather has been ridiculously mixed recently, from sunshine to storms and flooding. The clouds were quite spectacular when I was at the wetland.

Tonight, I am all up-to-date again, apart from the rest of my Texas trip images. These 17 images were taken on a quick visit to a wetland within the city. I never seem to get there at a good time of day, meaning that there were not all that many ducks nearby, and the edge of the wetland was in shadow. I saw enough to make the trip worthwhile, though. Common Grackles are birds I love to see and photograph and the one in my photos caught a tiny fish. Two or three tiny Coot babies were out for a swim, and I managed to rescue a couple of photos that really should have been deleted. While I was standing there, a couple and their daughter came by and asked if I knew what the bird was that was hanging out in the shade of the bushes by the water. They didn't think it was a Great Blue Heron because its neck was so short. It took me a while to find the bird and, when I zoomed in, I was able to confirm that it was a Black-crowned Night-Heron. Our weather has been ridiculously mixed recently, from sunshine to storms and flooding. The clouds were quite spectacular when I was at the wetland.

The 8 photos I posted late tonight bring me all up-to-date - except for the last few days of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas in March 2019. Not sure if I will get any sorting and editing done for Day 8 before I go out somewhere and end up with more photos : ) Tonight's photos are a few odds and ends from a birding walk with friends in Fish Creek Park, on 30 May 2019. A few nice sightings included a Swainson's Hawk perched in a tree, waiting to swoop down and catch a Richardson's Ground Squirrel. That is exactly what it did, though at first it looked like it must have missed its target. However, other birders let us know that it did catch something - a baby gopher. Other things seen included a Red-sided Garter Snake that slithered across the path in front of us - ugh! Also lots of wild Blue Clematis, pretty as ever. A Mourning Dove and a House Finch were two other birds that I managed to get a quick shot of. A rare treat was seeing a Rufous Hummingbird sitting on her tiny nest, hidden in the bushes and trees.

These will be the last photos I post for maybe a couple of weeks, as I am taking a much-needed break! These large hawks are rare to uncommon in Alberta from April to September. I have seen several of them in the wild over the years, which is pretty special, but only from a very long distance and much too far for photos. I have seen a captive one at the Zoo and down at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, but not recently. We were both delighted to see this female lying on her nest. Three days ago, I was so torn as to whether or not to accept an invite from my friend, Pam, to take a drive SE of the city. I really, really wanted to go, even more so as I have barely been out for ages. However, I am running out of time to get certain things done, and also I was concerned that if I slightly moved in a 'wrong' way, my knees would give way or my rotator cuffs and lower back would become even more painful. Not what I need, especially right now. In the end, I decided that, yes, I would go after all, and I am so glad that I made that decision. We started off at Frank Lake, a place that is very familiar to both of us. We knew that Western Grebes and Eared Grebes were being seen and we both hoped they would be there that morning. A pair of Eared Grebes gave a little performance of part of their mating dance. Taken with the Nikon B700 - in fact, I gave up using the FZ200 for pretty well all my photos at Frank Lake and just kept my fingers crossed that the new B700 would give me at least a few photos that were good enough to keep. I am still having the problem of image shift on some of the shots - photo jumps upward, downward or to one side, cutting off parts of birds and resulting in ridiculous compositions. At Frank Lake, I could rest both elbows on a very sturdy window ledge, making it impossible for normal, self-created camera shake to happen. Though I have quite a few photos of Eared Grebes on my Flickr photostream, I think I only have one previous photo of a Western Grebe. I don't see them very often and when I do, they are so far away. They were far away when we were there, but we were able to watch as they did a bit of their mating dance, including when each bird gathered a beak full of wet, rotting plant material and they went face to face in an amorous gesture. These birds also swam off separately, giving us a few chances for further shots. Still at the blind, we were so lucky when a pair of Eared Grebes came close enough to capture a shot or two of part of their mating dance. By the way, the blind is surrounded by lake and flood water! Parts of the boardwalk were under 5" or 6" of water, through which we had to wade. If you do go, make sure you concentrate, or you might find yourself swimming in the lake! Elsewhere in the whole SE area, there was a lot of water in some of the fields, creating what I suspect will turn out to be only temporary sloughs. A few of the other birds we saw two days ago at various places included a few dozen Tundra Swans; plenty of Northern Shovelers; several Western Meadowlarks; a Great Horned Owl and her little white, fuzzy owlet, sitting on a distant nest; and a Ferruginous Hawk female lying down in her nest. Of course, the usual suspects included Canada Geese, Mallards, and so on. When it came time to leave Frank Lake, I had assumed we would then start on the drive back to the city. Instead, Pam surprised me by saying that we would go further south - and further south we definitely went! Made such a great day. Thanks so much, Pam, for this treat - greatly appreciated.

This morning, 26 May 2017, I posted 9 odds and ends of recently taken photos, which I should have uploaded last night. Now I have just uploaded the three photos meant for today, hoping that they will show up as my main images - two owl photos and a Sharp-tailed Grouse photo. I think I have just a few more recent photos that I want for my albums and then, hopefully, I will be able to get back to a few more of my Trinidad shots. I keep forgetting to post a few photos from 23 April 2017, when I drove to a local park to take a quick look at the owlets in this Great Horned Owl family. This year, I have hardly seen any of the owl families here in the city - just too busy with other things. I was happy that the owlets were still in the nest a month ago, but haven't been to see these particular owlets since they branched (and fledged?). A few days ago, on 23 May 2017, I did see two owlets sitting on a very high branch with Mom just a few feet away. These owls were a different family, but living in the same park. Our weather seems to have settled down for today, thank goodness. We had a storm two days ago, on 24 May, which brought strong winds and heavy rain, even snow in some places. Seems to have been a fair amount of damage done.

This morning, 26 May 2017, I posted 9 odds and ends of recently taken photos, which I should have uploaded last night. Now I have just uploaded the three photos meant for today, hoping that they will show up as my main images - two owl photos and a Sharp-tailed Grouse photo. I think I have just a few more recent photos that I want for my albums and then, hopefully, I will be able to get back to a few more of my Trinidad shots. I keep forgetting to post a few photos from 23 April 2017, when I drove to a local park to take a quick look at the owlets in this Great Horned Owl family. This year, I have hardly seen any of the owl families here in the city - just too busy with other things. I was happy that the owlets were still in the nest a month ago, but haven't been to see these particular owlets since they branched (and fledged?). A few days ago, on 23 May 2017, I did see two owlets sitting on a very high branch with Mom just a few feet away. These owls were a different family, but living in the same park. Our weather seems to have settled down for today, thank goodness. We had a storm two days ago, on 24 May, which brought strong winds and heavy rain, even snow in some places. Seems to have been a fair amount of damage done.

When I think of all the beautiful variety of trees in a rain forest, this tiny, female Hummingbird has built her nest towards the top of a very high utility pole. And there she sits : ) Her nest even matches the colour of the surrounding metal pole and insulator, giving further camouflage. Needless to say, we would never have noticed her without our Guide's help! "Occurring throughout the tropics of South America from Panama to northeast Argentina, the Black-throated Mango is the most widespread member of its genus. It is primarily found in open vegetation with bushes and scattered trees in many kinds of humid and dry habitats. Within its large range, the Black-throated Mango is fairly distinctive being the only predominantly green hummingbird with extensive black throat and underparts." From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Neotropical Birds. neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p... This outing was on our second day on the island of Tobago, 14 March 2017, and we were taken to the Main Ridge Forest Reserve via the Roxborough-Parlatuvier Rd. Our guide was Gladwyn James, whose father is a renowned ornithologist on the island. Sadly, he is now retired. One of the roads we drove along was named "James Path" after his father - I do have a photo of Gladwyn standing by the road sign, that I will post another day. I hope to add an extra bit of information about each photo to the very simple, basic description. Right now, I'm still trying to work out where I was and when, lol! We left Calgary on 12 March 2017 and arrived back home in the evening of 21 March 2017. I was totally dead beat after such a busy time away, dealing with extremely early mornings and hot, humid weather. Those of you who know me well, know that I am a dreadful night-owl, so getting up around 5:15 am was an absolute killer. Also, heat and humidity don't agree with my body, so each trip out was quite exhausting. In the morning of 21 March, we had to get up around 2:00 am, as we had such an early flight (5 and a half hours) from Trinidad to Toronto - followed by a four-hour flight back to Calgary, with lots of waiting in between. On our very first day, we had three flights in a row, as we flew from Calgary to Toronto, then Toronto to Port of Spain on Trinidad, from where we had a short flight to the island of Tobago. This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week holiday 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, 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, larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could chose 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! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with quite a few 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. The Asa Wright Nature Centre on the much larger island of 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 a 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 van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road took just over an hour each way. I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and 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 huge 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.

The feel of goose bumps and half-numbed skin was the most wonderful feeling late afternoon on 8 June 2016, when I couldn't bear being inside my place one more day. It feels like an oven each summer, but this year, with the crazy weather we have been having, the heat has already been too much. I had already stayed home for three days in a row, as the two day trips at the weekend had totally knocked me out. I couldn't take the indoor heat any longer, and so I took a drive SW of the city. By the time I got back home, I felt 'cold', which was so good. A quick stop first at a wetland just within city limits showed me that all was well with the Red-necked Grebes. This adult, presumably Mom, was swimming right near her nest when I arrived, but she eventually climbed back on her nest, checking her eggs before lying down. I will add a previously posted photo in a comment box below, giving a much better view of the adult Grebe. Taken at the same location, on 10 May 2015. Travelled all my usual roads and back roads, seeing all the usual things, including Wilson's Snipe, Red-winged Blackbirds and Mountain Bluebirds. When I felt it was time to start on my homeward journey, I reckoned I might as well check one more time for a Great Gray Owl. I almost drove straight past it - it was on the far side of the road and just blended in with the light and shadows of the forest. I took a few quick shots, then drove down the road and turned around, hoping that the owl would still be in the same place, which thankfully it was. It eventually flew across the road and landed in a tree or two and then made its way to an open area where it continued to hunt. After a few minutes, it dove into the grass and completely disappeared from sight. I thought I must have missed seeing it fly away, but it eventually did reappear and immediately flew across the road again, with a small rodent in its beak. A quick stop on a fence post (with its back to me, sigh) and then it flew off into the trees. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken of them, each owl is as exciting as the very first. Having been so very fortunate to see this owl (which i have now seen on three days in the past week), I thought I would check one more time to see if the second owl that I saw a few days ago was anywhere in sight. Nothing - but I did watch and photograph a sweet pair of Mountain Bluebirds. Not my 'usual' pair, though I did see them briefly, earlier on my drive.

HAPPY EASTER weekend, everyone! This morning, I posted two photos first and then posted this main photo separately, hoping that this one will show up as my main photo for everyone. So annoying when one of my other two photos shows up as my main photo when some people have their Flickr photostream set to show just one photo per Contact. Almost one year ago, on 15 April 2015, my parking lot was going to be spring-cleaned, which meant that all cars had to be out of the lot by 7:30 am. I didn't have a 2015 street parking permit, so I had to leave home at 7:30 and find something that would use up the few hours before my volunteer shift. I didn't want to risk being late for that, so decided to stay within the city rather than go driving some backroads. The owls in Fish Creek Park ended up being my destination. I had only been there twice in many weeks and seen Mom on my first visit and then Mom with two of her three owlets on the second. When I arrived on 15 April, there was no sign of the "paparazzi" - I had been expecting there to be at least a few photographers and people out for a walk. This time, I was able to see all three owlets as well as Mom and Dad. Late afternoon, after my volunteer shift, I called in again for a while on my way home. This was a busy Mom with three young ones – not sure which owlet this is, with Mom right behind it.. Dad always sat in one or other of the nearby trees, keeping careful watch over his mate and owlets. He would hunt at night and brings food to the rest of his family. When I was on a birding walk the other week, we were horrified when we discovered that some of the huge, beautiful old coniferous trees near this nesting tree had been reduced to only tree trunk with a few sawn-off, bare branches. I would have thought that this was so wrong to do, destroying the owls' area. No sign of the owls nesting here this winter/spring, which is hardly surprising. "With its long, earlike tufts, intimidating yellow-eyed stare, and deep hooting voice, the Great Horned Owl is the quintessential owl of storybooks. This powerful predator can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself, but it also dines on daintier fare such as tiny scorpions, mice, and frogs. It’s one of the most common owls in North America, equally at home in deserts, wetlands, forests, grasslands, backyards, cities, and almost any other semi-open habitat between the Arctic and the tropics. Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. You may see them at dusk sitting on fence posts or tree limbs at the edges of open areas, or flying across roads or fields with stiff, deep beats of their rounded wings. Their call is a deep, stuttering series of four to five hoots." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_horned_owl

In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be one week ago, on 10 May 2015, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : ) We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards. From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I think they were Trumpeters). Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before. From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake. Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. The driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could, of course making the hawks fly. We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!

A few months ago, I made several drives SW of the city to visit this nesting Red-necked Grebe. Each time i went, I was keeping my fingers crossed that maybe I would see her carrying some new babies on her back. No sign of anything at all - and then, on 19 July 2013, I noticed the female's feathers looked a little puffed up. Out came a beautiful little one, struggling to climb over the sticks of the nest. Eventually, it climbed on to its mother's back and nestled down into the feathers on her back. The Grebe babies are so delightful, with the black and white stripes on their head and pink face markings. I returned in the next while, hoping to see more than one, but neither of the other two eggs hatched and they were still there in the nest many weeks later. I suspect Alberta's Flood of the Century may have had something to do with this.

When I went for a short drive SW of Calgary on 12 June 2013, I noticed this beautiful Red-necked Grebe sitting on her nest way off in the distance. I wonder what has happened to her and her babies during this horrendous time of flooding, that has destroyed so much of southern Alberta in the last few days. Everyone in Drumheller (Badlands east of Calgary) and Medicine Hat (closer to the Canada/US border) will now be receiving this massive body of raging water. My thoughts are with them. Yesterday, Calgary's Mayor announced that it is OK now for people to go grocery shopping, or to church, but we are still supposed to stay off the roads. Downtown Calgary is still closed till Thursday at the earliest, and all schools in the city remain closed.

Rather blurry, unfortunately, but this beautiful female Great Horned Owl was sitting on her nest deep within a Spruce tree, so the lighting was not good. There were a lot of blown-out tree branches around her in the original image, so I decided to heavily crop. Apparently, she has two very young ones, but I couldn't see them when I was there that day, 22 April 2013.

A Red-necked Grebe sitting patiently on her nest at a wetland in south west Calgary, back on June 10th. It seems such a long time ago that I was taking these photos, yet the summer flew by so fast. Weird how "time" can work. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-necked_Grebe