Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Coccothraustes vespertinus

I'm not sure how I managed to get such a close photo of this very handsome male Evening Grosbeak, lol! Happy, though, that I came across this photo that I hadn't posted before. Taken SW of the city, on 28 May 2017. What a great day our group of four people had on that day, taking part in the annual May Species Count. We travelled in just one car, which worked out well. On the 2016 May Species Count, we had been unable to find a Great Gray Owl, but I drove back to the area two days later, and found two of them. 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 just as exciting as the very first. So, it was a thrill on 28 May to see one of these spectacular owls. It was on a fence post when we first saw it. As is usually the case with these owls, it was focused on finding a Meadow Vole for a snack and in fact did catch one while I was watching. It moved to a few different fence posts in its search. Once it had caught its prey, it ate it there, down on the ground - with its back to us, of course. I was kind of hoping it would fly back up to the fence with it, but it didn't. While I was taking photos, various people came along the road, a couple in cars, but most were cyclists out for a long ride on such a beautiful, sunny day. The owl basically ignored everyone, giving just a quick glance at us every once in a while. Their concentration never fails to leave me in awe. One of the places we stopped at was friend Barb's acreage, where I had been eight days earlier. That day, we had seen beautiful Evening Grosbeaks and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Purple Finch, etc.. On 28 May, there were fewer birds to be seen. It was amusing to watch a Tree Swallow who caught our attention, when she kept flying to her nest box and tried and tried to get a huge feather through the small hole. I don't know if she eventually succeeded later. By the end of the long day, we had seen 72 species! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired!

Interesting information on bird species numbers, as given by our main Naturalist, Gus Yaki: --Within Fish Creek Provincial Park there have been just over 200 species recorded ... 207 is the latest count. --Within the Calgary city limits, in the year 2000, 257 species were recorded. --Within the Calgary city limits, in the year 2010, after increasing land area by 20 %, 262 species were recorded. --Within a 50-mile (80 km) radius of the Louise or 10th St Bridge over the Bow River, in the immediate Calgary area, there are just over 300 species. In a friendly competition completed in 2005, 295 species were seen. --In Alberta, just over 400 species have been seen. --In Canada, about 550 species have been noted. --In North America, i.e., USA & Canada north of the USA-Mexico border, there have been about 950 species observed. --On this tiny blue speck in the Universe called planet Earth, there currently are about 10,000 species of birds. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On 20 May 2017, part of the morning was spent at our friend, Barb's, acreage, SW of Calgary, enjoying the variety of birds that visit her property. Thanks so much, Barb, as always, for letting us visit you. Such a joy to see birds like the handsome male Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Evening Grosbeaks. Though feeder shots are not my favourites, I will gratefully take anything I can get, especially as I don't see Evening Grosbeaks very often. We then drove the various roads SW of the city, as far south as Turner Valley, hoping to see a few birds. Beautiful scenery in the whole area. In Turner Valley, we called in to see another mutual friend and watch the birds that visited her tiny, but beautifully and thoughtfully designed, back deck. Thanks so much for having us, Jackie - and for the most welcome coffee! - especially at such very short notice! On my way home from this enjoyable day out, I drove a few back roads, looking for any Mountain Bluebirds. Not much luck, though I did see one pair close to their nest box.

On 20 May 2017, part of the morning was spent with friends at our mutual friend, Barb's, acreage, SW of Calgary, enjoying the variety of birds that visit her property. Thanks so much, Barb, as always, for letting us visit you. Such a joy to see birds like the handsome male Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Evening Grosbeaks. The Evening Grosbeak in this photo is a female and, though I prefer not to have a metal fence setting, I thought this was quite a nice pose. We then drove the various roads SW of the city, as far south as Turner Valley, hoping to see a few birds. Beautiful scenery in the whole area. In Turner Valley, we called in to see another mutual friend and watch the birds that visited her tiny, but beautifully and thoughtfully designed, back deck. Thanks so much for having us, Jackie - and for the most welcome coffee! - especially at such very short notice! On my way home from this enjoyable day out, I drove a few back roads, looking for any Mountain Bluebirds. Not much luck, though I did see one pair close to their nest box.

I am absolutely dragging my feet at the moment - far too hot and tired to make the effort to do anything. Hence, my late posting today and still, a few hours later, trying to get descriptions, etc. added. Though today's temperature is a few degrees cooler, the inside of my place isn't cooling down yet. The whole summer has been so hot, apart from the odd day, and everywhere is bone dry. Friends went to Kananaskis the other day, returning to two locations where we found so many beautiful mushroom last summer, and they were unable to find any at all. This year is not going to be a good year for them, unfortunately. What a great day our group of four people had on 28 May 2017, taking part in the annual May Species Count. We travelled in just one car, which worked out well. On the 2016 May Species Count, we had been unable to find a Great Gray Owl, but I drove back to the area the next day and found two of them. 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 just as exciting as the very first. So, it was a thrill this year to see one of these spectacular owls. One of the places we stopped at was friend Barb's acreage, where I had been eight days earlier. That day, we had seen beautiful Evening Grosbeaks and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Purple Finch, etc.. Yesterday, there were fewer birds to be seen, but this male Evening Grosbeak certainly caught our attention. We saw a total of 72 species during the day! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired! "The count goes May 27-28: Calgary birders have been out in force every May since 1979, contributing to a broad census of the constantly changing patterns of bird distributions in North America. The count circle is the same as previous years, extending from Olds to Nanton, and from Exshaw to Standard, and includes a variety of environments." From NatureCalgary.

I would imagine every Flickr member received this email yesterday: "If you haven’t heard, Yahoo plans to sell its operating business, including Flickr, to Verizon Communications Inc. We anticipate the completion of the transaction to occur in June 2017. Upon the completion of this proposed transaction, Yahoo products and services, including Flickr, will be provided by a new Verizon-owned company called Yahoo Holdings, Inc. In connection with this proposed transaction, Yahoo is updating its Terms of Service. You can review the changes by visiting our Terms of Service These updated terms will automatically be effective on June 8, 2017, unless you cancel your Yahoo account before then. That’s it! We look forward to continuing to deliver your favorite products and services." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, I'm certainly not getting on very well with my Trinidad photos at the moment : ) Other things keep popping up and they have offered, or will be offering, photo opportunities, too. This morning, I posted four more shots from my day out with four friends, driving the area SW of Calgary, on 20 May 2017. Normally, I wouldn't be posting so many bird photos all close together. However, I so rarely see Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks, so wanted to make sure I didn't forget to post the somewhat better shots I took. This male Evening Grosbeak was waiting in the nearby trees. Part of that morning was spent at our friend, Barb's, acreage, SW of Calgary, enjoying the variety of birds that visit her property. Thanks so much, Barb, as always, for letting us visit you. Such a joy to see birds like this handsome male. We then drove the various roads SW of the city, as far south as Turner Valley, hoping to see a few birds. Beautiful scenery in the whole area. In Turner Valley, we called in to see another mutual friend and watch the birds that visited her tiny, but beautifully and thoughtfully designed, back deck. Thanks so much for having us, Jackie - and for the most welcome coffee! - especially at such very short notice! On my way home from this enjoyable day out, I drove a few backroads, looking for any Mountain Bluebirds. Not much luck, though I did see one pair close to their nest box. This coming weekend, it is the annual May Species Count. This year (2017), I am only going to be doing the Sunday Count - no walking : ) "The count goes May 27-28: Calgary birders have been out in force every May since 1979, contributing to a broad census of the constantly changing patterns of bird distributions in North America. The count circle is the same as previous years, extending from Olds to Nanton, and from Exshaw to Standard, and includes a variety of environments." From NatureCalgary.

Yesterday, 20 May 2017, was a beautiful day, though the light was not always the greatest for photos. I was lucky enough to be invited to join four friends for a day out - lol, eventually, I will get time to get back to editing and posting more photos from Trinidad : ) Really, who needs Trinidad birds, though, when you can see such beautiful birds here in Alberta?! Part of the morning was spent at our friend, Barb's, acreage, SW of Calgary, enjoying the variety of birds that visit her garden. Thanks so much, Barb, as always, for letting us visit you. Such a joy to see birds like this handsome male Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Evening Grosbeaks. I so rarely get to see either of these birds. We then drove the various roads SW of the city, as far south as Turner Valley, hoping to see a few birds. Beautiful scenery in the whole area. In Turner Valley, we called in to see another mutual friend and watch the birds that visited her tiny, but beautifully and thoughtfully designed, back deck. Thanks so much for having us, Jackie, especially at such very short notice!

Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I do still take them, especially if the bird is one that is not often seen. This was the second chance to see an Evening Grosbeak (this one is a male) that I was lucky enough to get last year. "A heavyset finch of northern coniferous forests, the Evening Grosbeak adds a splash of color to winter bird feeders every few years, when large flocks depart their northern breeding grounds en masse to seek food to the south. The yellow-bodied, dusky-headed male has an imposing air thanks to his massive bill and fierce eyebrow stripe. The female is more subtly marked, with golden highlights on her soft gray plumage. This declining species is becoming uncommon, particularly in the eastern United States." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id On 23 July 2015, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I went - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, everywhere treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that had passed through/over Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day.

Update on my daughter: I went to the hospital to visit her for a few hours yesterday (22 August) and was just so thankful to find her sitting up in bed, fully alert and looking well! The IV antibiotics seem to be working, as her pain is subsiding. Hopefully, the rest of her recovery will go smoothly. As you can imagine, I had a few flashbacks to January of this year, when our older daughter was taken off life-support in the same hospital. I am just so very thankful that this very scary situation looks like it will have a happy ending. Thank you to everyone for your very thoughtful well-wishes! Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I do still take them, especially if the bird is one that is not often seen. This was the second chance to see an Evening Grosbeak that I've been lucky enough to get this year. The female is on the left and the male is the blurry bird on the right. In between them is a much smaller Pine Siskin. Not the greatest photo, but posted for the record. "A heavyset finch of northern coniferous forests, the Evening Grosbeak adds a splash of color to winter bird feeders every few years, when large flocks depart their northern breeding grounds en masse to seek food to the south. The yellow-bodied, dusky-headed male has an imposing air thanks to his massive bill and fierce eyebrow stripe. The female is more subtly marked, with golden highlights on her soft gray plumage. This declining species is becoming uncommon, particularly in the eastern United States." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id One month ago, on 23 July 2015, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I was invited to go - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! We were taken by surprise when we came across a nearby statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. A nice idea, I thought. Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, many places treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day. This summer, with quite a few botanizing outings like this, plus two 3-day trips to Waterton Lakes National Park, I am so far behind with the photos that I need to edit and e-mail! Most of my Waterton photos are still not posted.

Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I do still take them, especially if the bird is one that is not often seen. This was the second chance to see an Evening Grosbeak (this one is a male) that I've been lucky enough to get this year. "A heavyset finch of northern coniferous forests, the Evening Grosbeak adds a splash of color to winter bird feeders every few years, when large flocks depart their northern breeding grounds en masse to seek food to the south. The yellow-bodied, dusky-headed male has an imposing air thanks to his massive bill and fierce eyebrow stripe. The female is more subtly marked, with golden highlights on her soft gray plumage. This declining species is becoming uncommon, particularly in the eastern United States." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id Six days ago, on 23 July 2015, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I went - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, everywhere treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day. This summer, with quite a few botanizing outings like this, plus two 3-day trips to Waterton Lakes National Park, I am so far behind with the photos that I need to edit and e-mail!

Six days ago, on 23 May 2015, I went with friends on an outing SW of the city. The main focus of the trip was someone's property, a place that we always call in at when we take part in the May Species Count. This isn't held till this coming weekend, so this visit was an extra one - and extra long, too, which was pure delight! I think we spent something like two hours, watching especially Barb's feeder area for some of the birds that have been showing up. We are always thrilled to bits to see the Evening Grosbeaks and the Baltimore Orioles, along with various other species. Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I still take them, as well as when the birds are in the nearby trees. The Evening Grosbeak male in this photo was not taken in the best light, hence heavy shadow, unfortunately. All the birds were very fast-moving, so gave us a challenge for two hours. "A heavyset finch of northern coniferous forests, the Evening Grosbeak adds a splash of color to winter bird feeders every few years, when large flocks depart their northern breeding grounds en masse to seek food to the south. The yellow-bodied, dusky-headed male has an imposing air thanks to his massive bill and fierce eyebrow stripe. The female is more subtly marked, with golden highlights on her soft gray plumage. This declining species is becoming uncommon, particularly in the eastern United States." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id After our time at Barb's, we went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, mainly to look for Calypso Orchids, which we did find. Some people continued walking the trails, others returned home. I did part of the walk, but then went back to where the cars were parked and wandered through the forest around the parking lot. Tennessee Warblers sang continuously but were almost impossible to see. I was happy to find one single Coltsfoot plant - love the tight cluster of white flowers at the top of a tall stem. From Brown-Lowery, we started our journey home, stopping at a couple of wetlands on the way. Even though this was mainly a morning trip, it had started at the meeting place at 7:00 am. Can't remember if it had been three or four nights that week that I had ended up getting only a couple of hours sleep, which really doesn't help! I will add the list compiled by Andrew Hart, who kindly drove three of us around for the morning and early afternoon and then sent us his list that he submitted to ebird. Many thanks for both the ride and the final list, Andrew! "Here is the elist of Birds seen at B. Castell's S of Priddis; Plummers & Priddis Valley Rd.; and Brown-Lowery PP, 23May2015. 24 participants Number of Checklists: 3 Number of Species: 46 Checklists included in this summary: (1): CA-AB-Priddis. Barb Castell Date: May 23, 2015, 7:34 AM (2): CA-Priddis Valley road Date: May 23, 2015, 9:53 AM (3): Brown-Lowery Provincial Park Date: May 23, 2015, 10:28 AM 2 Canada Goose -- (1) 2 American Wigeon -- (1) 1 Mallard -- (1) 3 Blue-winged Teal -- (1) 3 Northern Shoveler -- (1),(2) 3 Green-winged Teal -- (1) 4 Lesser Scaup -- (1) 2 Common Goldeneye -- (1) 1 Swainson's Hawk -- (1) 1 Red-tailed Hawk -- (2) 4 Sora -- (2) 1 Spotted Sandpiper -- (1) 2 Wilson's Snipe -- (1) 7 Wilson's Phalarope -- (2) 1 Mourning Dove -- (1) 1 Rufous Hummingbird -- (1) 1 Red-naped Sapsucker -- (1) 2 Downy Woodpecker -- (1) 1 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1) 2 Least Flycatcher -- (2) 1 Eastern Kingbird -- (2) 1 Blue Jay -- (1) 3 Black-billed Magpie -- (1) 2 American Crow -- (1) 2 Common Raven -- (2) 11 Tree Swallow -- (1),(2) 1 Barn Swallow -- (2) 6 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3) 3 House Wren -- (1),(2) 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet -- (3) 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet -- (2),(3) 9 Mountain Bluebird -- (1),(2) 6 American Robin -- (1),(2),(3) 4 Tennessee Warbler -- (3) 2 Yellow Warbler -- (1),(2) 8 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1),(2) 6 Savannah Sparrow -- (1),(2) 1 Lincoln's Sparrow -- (1) 1 White-throated Sparrow -- (1) 1 Dark-eyed Junco -- (3) 23 Red-winged Blackbird -- (1),(2) 3 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (1) 1 Baltimore Oriole -- (1) 17 Pine Siskin -- (1),(3) 5 American Goldfinch -- (1) 5 Evening Grosbeak -- (1),(3)"

This is the Memorial Day long weekend in the US and for Americans living elsewhere. All three photos posted today were taken yesterday morning, 23 May 2015. The main focus of the trip was someone's property SW of Calgary, a place that we always call in at when we take part in the May Species Count. This isn't held till next weekend, so this visit was an extra one - and extra long, too, which was pure delight! I think we spent something like two hours, watching especially Barb's feeder area for some of the birds that have been showing up. We are always thrilled to bits to see the Evening Grosbeaks and the Baltimore Orioles - the first male Oriole to arrive at Barb's was on 15 May, and one showed up for us yesterday. Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I still take them, as well as when the birds are in the nearby trees. These Evening Grosbeaks (female in foreground and blurry male in background) gave me the chance to at least get closer shots. All the birds were very fast-moving, so gave us a challenge for two hours. The Goldfinch and the Pine Siskins also were quick, but not totally impossible to photograph. "A heavyset finch of northern coniferous forests, the Evening Grosbeak adds a splash of color to winter bird feeders every few years, when large flocks depart their northern breeding grounds en masse to seek food to the south. The yellow-bodied, dusky-headed male has an imposing air thanks to his massive bill and fierce eyebrow stripe. The female is more subtly marked, with golden highlights on her soft gray plumage. This declining species is becoming uncommon, particularly in the eastern United States." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id After our time at Barb's, we went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, mainly to look for Calypso Orchids, which we did find. Some people continued walking the trails, others returned home. I did part of the walk, but then went back to where the cars were parked and wandered through the forest around the parking lot. Tennessee Warblers sang continuously but were almost impossible to see. I was happy to find one single Coltsfoot plant - love the tight cluster of white flowers at the top of a tall stem. From Brown-Lowery, we started our journey home, stopping at a couple of wetlands on the way. Even though this was mainly a morning trip, it had started at the meeting place at 7:00 am. Can't remember if it has been three or four nights this week that I have ended up getting only a couple of hours sleep, which really doesn't help! I will add the list compiled by Andrew Hart, who kindly drove three of us around for the morning and early afternoon and then sent us his list that he submitted to ebird. Many thanks for both the ride and the final list, Andrew! "Here is the elist of Birds seen at B. Castell's S of Priddis; Plummers & Priddis Valley Rd.; and Brown-Lowery PP, 23May2015. 24 participants Number of Checklists: 3 Number of Species: 46 Checklists included in this summary: (1): CA-AB-Priddis. Barb Castell Date: May 23, 2015, 7:34 AM (2): CA-Priddis Valley road Date: May 23, 2015, 9:53 AM (3): Brown-Lowery Provincial Park Date: May 23, 2015, 10:28 AM 2 Canada Goose -- (1) 2 American Wigeon -- (1) 1 Mallard -- (1) 3 Blue-winged Teal -- (1) 3 Northern Shoveler -- (1),(2) 3 Green-winged Teal -- (1) 4 Lesser Scaup -- (1) 2 Common Goldeneye -- (1) 1 Swainson's Hawk -- (1) 1 Red-tailed Hawk -- (2) 4 Sora -- (2) 1 Spotted Sandpiper -- (1) 2 Wilson's Snipe -- (1) 7 Wilson's Phalarope -- (2) 1 Mourning Dove -- (1) 1 Rufous Hummingbird -- (1) 1 Red-naped Sapsucker -- (1) 2 Downy Woodpecker -- (1) 1 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1) 2 Least Flycatcher -- (2) 1 Eastern Kingbird -- (2) 1 Blue Jay -- (1) 3 Black-billed Magpie -- (1) 2 American Crow -- (1) 2 Common Raven -- (2) 11 Tree Swallow -- (1),(2) 1 Barn Swallow -- (2) 6 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3) 3 House Wren -- (1),(2) 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet -- (3) 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet -- (2),(3) 9 Mountain Bluebird -- (1),(2) 6 American Robin -- (1),(2),(3) 4 Tennessee Warbler -- (3) 2 Yellow Warbler -- (1),(2) 8 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1),(2) 6 Savannah Sparrow -- (1),(2) 1 Lincoln's Sparrow -- (1) 1 White-throated Sparrow -- (1) 1 Dark-eyed Junco -- (3) 23 Red-winged Blackbird -- (1),(2) 3 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (1) 1 Baltimore Oriole -- (1) 17 Pine Siskin -- (1),(3) 5 American Goldfinch -- (1) 5 Evening Grosbeak -- (1),(3)"

25 May 2014 was the annual May Species Count, which went really well. There were seven people in my group and we travelled in two vehicles, covering a large area SW of Calgary and W of Priddis. The Count lasted from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the weather was mostly clear but clouded up by noon, with a short shower while we were having lunch at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. Heavy clouds for the rest of the day, calm, 9-18°C, with 88km travelled by car. 69 bird species were found, plus 15 White-tailed Deer and two Moose. A good day! Thanks for the ride, Phil! Much appreciated! Each year on this Count, a highlight is calling in to see the much sought-after Evening Grosbeaks at Barb Castell's acreage. They didn't let us down, and even gave us some chances to get a few photos. They were a fair distance away and seemed to be constantly on the move, so I didn't get any photos that were particularly good. However, when it comes to Evening Grosbeaks, I'll take anything I can get : ) After the Count ended, it was pointed out that we could return to the city by one of two different routes. If we had chosen the other route, we would have missed the other highlight of the day - a Great Gray Owl! It didn't stay around for long, as it was busy hunting, but we did manage to get a handful of quick shots. We also saw a Ring-necked Pheasant in a field, just within camera range. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/evening_grosbeak/id

25 May 2014 was the annual May Species Count, which went really well. There were seven people in my group and we travelled in two vehicles, covering a large area SW of Calgary and W of Priddis. The Count lasted from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the weather was mostly clear but clouded up by noon, with a short shower while we were having lunch at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. Heavy clouds for the rest of the day, calm, 9-18°C, with 88km travelled by car. 69 bird species were found, plus 15 White-tailed Deer and two Moose. A good day : ) Thanks for the ride, Phil! Much appreciated! Each year on this Count, a highlight is calling in to see the much sought-after Evening Grosbeaks at Barb Castell's acreage. They didn't let us down, and even gave us some chances to get a few photos. Feeder photos are not my favourite, but when it comes to Evening Grosbeaks, I'll take anything I can get : ) After the Count ended, it was pointed out that we could return to the city by one of two different routes. If we had chosen the other route, we would have missed the other highlight of the day - a Great Gray Owl! It didn't stay around for long, as it was busy hunting, but we did manage to get a handful of quick shots. We also saw a Ring-necked Pheasant in a field, just within camera range. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/evening_grosbeak/id

Not a very good shot, but it's the only one I have of a female Evening Grosbeak. Didn't manage to get it in the tree, so here it is, on a ledge outside a window. Seen on the property of the Castell family, south west of Calgary.

We don't get to see Evening Grosbeaks all that otten here, so it's always a thrill when we call in at Barb Castell's acreage during the annual, provincial May Species Count. A good variety of bird species come to her feeders, and it's all we can do to drag ourselves away to continue on our search, SW of the city. (Note to self: This photo was used in the Costco Connection magazine, March 2013, Vol. 28, No. 3, page 53.)

A different shot of this pretty female Evening Grosbeak, seen at the Handfield's wonderful acreage, south west of Calgary, west of Millarville on 16th May. The other posted image was of this bird at a feeder, and showed more of the wing pattern. That's a pretty powerful beak, LOL! "The Evening Grosbeak is a year-round Alberta resident, usually in the northern half of the Province, but may be found in the southern mountains and the Cypress Hills as well. This big-beaked bird is a common winter visitor to central and southern Alberta towns and cities. When not stuffing themselves at winter feeders, grosbeaks use their specialized beaks to crack the winged seeds of Manitoba maple (boxelder) and green ash trees. In spring, swelling buds of poplar and willow are relished, and in summer and fall, the birds gorge on the ripening berries of pincherry, Saskatoons and other juicy morsels." talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=346

We were delighted to see this male Evening Grosbeak and his mate yesterday, when we called in at the Handfield's property, west of Millarville. They were sitting in a tree of tangled branches but also flew down to the feeder. I prefer a natural setting to a feeder, but I think my better shots of the female were taken when she was at the feeder. And now I need to go and get myself ready to go with a friend north west of the city to the Water Valley area. This is where Sandhill Cranes have been reported recently, as well as Great Gray Owls and even a Barred Owl (or was it a Boreal???) Keeping my fingers crossed for the Cranes in particular ... but you know how it works, LOL. "The Evening Grosbeak is 18.5 cm long. The adult has a short black tail, black wings and a large pale bill. The adult male has a bright yellow forehead and body; its head is brown and there is a large white patch in the wing. The adult female is mainly olive-brown, greyer on the underparts and with white patches in the wings." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_Grosbeak

Such a treat to have the chance to see a wonderful pair of Evening Grosbeaks a couple of days ago! After botanizing Janel Butler's farm, we called in at a beautiful private acreage belonging to the Handfields - they had so kindly allowed us to botanize their land last year). These two acreages are west of Millarville, south west of Calgary. I think this shot shows the female better than one that I took of her perched in a tree, so will post this photo first and then will add the other image soon. If I remember correctly, i've only ever had the chance once before to see these beautiful birds. Just look at the size of that beak, LOL! All the fresh air, heat and bright sunlight that I've been exposed to recently (plus huge lack of sleep!) just knock me out. Very bad when it comes to driving. "The Evening Grosbeak is a year-round Alberta resident, usually in the northern half of the Province, but may be found in the southern mountains and the Cypress Hills as well. This big-beaked bird is a common winter visitor to central and southern Alberta towns and cities. When not stuffing themselves at winter feeders, grosbeaks use their specialized beaks to crack the winged seeds of Manitoba maple (boxelder) and green ash trees. In spring, swelling buds of poplar and willow are relished, and in summer and fall, the birds gorge on the ripening berries of pincherry, Saskatoons and other juicy morsels." talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=346