Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: shadow

Some years, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton is held late in December. Other years, it ends up being held early January, sometimes delayed because of really bad weather. The Count for 2016 was held on 30 December. Nanton is roughly 98 km / 61 miles S of Calgary. We drove through such beautiful scenery when we were covering the SW quadrant of the Christmas Bird Count circle that centered on the town of Nanton. A landscape over which the occasional Golden Eagle soars and in which, some years, numerous Sharp-tailed Grouse wander on the ground or perch in trees. Unfortunately, Sharp-tailed Grouse numbers are dwindling in Alberta. Actually, there are not many chances to take photos of birds on many of these Counts, but those of you who know me well know that I love taking scenic shots, old barns, farm cats, and anything else beautiful and/or interesting. Last year, the highlight for me was seeing Pine Grosbeaks nice and close. This Count, I think the highlights were the stunning winter scenery, and a Great Horned Owl. A few Sharp-tailed Grouse were also a treat. I absolutely love this area SW of Nanton! Some of these backroads are extremely steep and almost look vertical when seen from a distance. Some years, the whole area is white, covered in deep snow, so that you can't tell where the roadside ends and the ditch begins. This Count, it wasn't too bad, thank goodness, though I might have felt differently if I had been one of the two drivers for our group of 7 people (in two cars)! After driving (being driven, for me, which is always pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 3:30 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads (though I've never driven them myself), but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts, and perhaps the most favourite. Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony and Andrew, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your wonderfully warm welcome! It was another well-organized Count, Mike, as usual - thank you! I will add Andrew Hart's eBird report for this trip, in a comment box below.

This photo was taken on 29 November 2016, on the last of three recent trips to Kananaskis, to look for Whte-tailed Ptarmigan. I was so very fortunate to go out with different friends on two other days, on 22 and 23 November 2016, and lucky enough to see these birds all three times. I didn't have to trudge through snow on the first two trips, but was up to my knees in the white stuff for part of the third visit. The snow looked beautiful in the sunshine, so I took this quick shot of a fairly young little tree surrounded by sparkling snow. It was just so exciting to see the Ptarmigan - a bird that had been at the top or near the top of my mental Wish List for several years. As you can imagine, spotting a white bird against a snowy background from a great distance is pretty well impossible, especially if they are in the shade As photographers know, shooting white on white is never easy. These birds tend to walk around in just a small area for a while, feeding on the Willow buds, and then the group lies down, some of them burrowing till just the head and neck are visible, or some will burrow till they disappear completely under the snow. Every now and then, you can hear the little sounds they make. After resting, they repeat the feeding process and then rest again. As you can imagine, a turn of the head so that a bird is looking away from you, all that remains is something that looks like one of the many lumps of snow everywhere. "The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico. It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id "The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan

Thanks to Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr, who sang the song that had this title (1927). Have to admit it was never (i.e. many years later) "my" kind of music : ) However, that title came to mind when I saw this shot. Almost on the spur of the moment, I decided to join friends yesterday afternoon for a birding walk. The weather was so perfect, especially compared to the two consecutive snowstorms we had on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week! After a quick look for birds along the avenue of trees near Fish Creek Provincial Park headquarters, we drove down to the Boat Launch area and from there we walked south along the Bow River. The Ospreys were flying near the river ad we saw one of them carrying a fish to take back to their nest. We saw 30 species, but nothing close enough for photos. After an enjoyable walk, a few of us called in at Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack. From there, I called in at a different part of the park and watched a family of Beavers swimming in their pond. While I was waiting, hoping that they might appear, so many American Robins flew from branch to branch in the nearby trees and bushes, sometimes landing, like this colourful male, on the rocks at the edge of the pond. I always feel that Robins are so much taken for granted. Eventually, after a long wait, the Beaver's appeared - one adult, who crossed the path where I was standing (photo posted today), who took me off guard as I had my camera well zoomed. This huge animal walked faster than I was expecting, so it's not the greatest photo. Better than almost all my photos taken of them, though, as the light was quickly fading and the pond area was too dark. Hope your photos came out much better than mine, Phil! Such a treat to watch this family, especially the young ones. We were amazed, at one moment, when an old wooden pallet started moving and blocked a small passageway between the banks. One Beaver was pulling this discarded structure all on its own. I wonder if they had originally found it washed up nearby after the Alberta Flood of the Century last year (2013).

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Photographed at the Calgary Zoo on 10th September 2011., this enormous flower of the Sacred Lotus is so beautiful. "The lotus was of great significance to many ancient cultures, and in particular to the Eastern religions. From ancestral times, the lotus regularly appears as a symbol of purity, peace, transcendence, enlightenment, rebirth, beauty, and fertility. In India, the lotus flower is considered to be of divine origin and is viewed as sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists. Buddha was said to sleep on a lotus six months of the year, and Shambala (Buddhist heaven) is sometimes represented as a field of flowering sacred lotuses." Taken from the first link below. www.holisticaroma.co.uk/shp/TheSacredLotus.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelumbo_nucifera

I don't usually see white Hibiscus, so was pleased to see this beautiful one in the new Enmax Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo recently.

It was a real treat yesterday to have the chance to go on the Ptarmigan Cirque Trail in Kananaskis, Rocky Mountains! The trail is quite steep, leading up to alpine meadows and amazing views over deep valleys, scree slopes, alpine meadows, and jagged, barren mountain peaks. We see different plants up here, of course; ones that we don't get in the city. The lovely yellow Glacier Lily, seen above, is just one of them. Today, I am letting my body recover before setting out on a day of botanizing tomorrow, returning to a lovely property near Millarville, south west of the city. We are so lucky being allowed to go back again, to record more of the plants, birds, insects, animals and fungi, etc..

Just a couple of overlapping leaves photographed in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, on August 23rd. Their quite spectacular, fine pattern caught my eye.

A drive-by shooting, so the mountain peaks aren't quite as sharp as I would have liked - or maybe it's just the effect of the low cloud, lol. Taken on the way to or from Canmore on December 19th, when a few of us took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, in Canmore.

A quick upload before I dash out. Should have posted a bit earlier this morning, but didn't think of it. Can't remember where I found this little glass marble, but I remember being happy to find it, and now it has given me a photo op : ) No idea why this photo came out this colour - it was photographed on a white surface! Can you believe it? It's NOT a water droplet, LOL!

This was the sky that greeted me when I dashed southeast of the city late yesterday afternoon, to drive some of the gravel backroads in search of .... anything, LOL! Oh, I did see about six Tundra Swans on a pond in someone's field, which was a treat. The dark cloud build-up didn't turn into anything at all - could have been interesting, especially when I picture the gravel ruts turning into mud ruts after heavy rain. Could barely hold my camera still, the wind was so strong. Would much rather have been back out there today. Instead, I had a traumatic experience this afternoon - I actually had to go to a shopping mall, LOL!!!! I HATE, HATE, HATE shopping and only go to the mall once a year if absolutely necessary, or every two or three years if possible : ) However, the holes in my two pairs of old jeans are getting bigger and bigger, and so I had no choice but to go searching for new ones .... sigh. I can never find what I want (of course, if I spent hours walking from store to store, I might do better, but that is not going to happen, ha, ha), so have to make do with what I can quickly find. A woman who hates shopping??? Yes, I know there are a few more of us out there, LOL. There has been a dreadful condo complex fire in the city this afternoon. Many units destroyed, but no people injured. They have also been searching for people's beloved pets, and have taken them to an animal centre to be claimed. My condolences to all those who lost everything - a very difficult thing to have to deal with - but of course I am relieved that everyone survived.

A Rocky Mountain winter scene, between Calgary and Castle Mountain, on the way to Lake Louise with friends, almost two years ago. No idea where those two years went - how time flies!

This was one of the many wonderful species of fungus that we discovered while botanizing the 152-acre property of Rod Handfield, south of Calgary, west of Millarville. Just loved the grooves and the light : )

Just a quick shot taken from a fast-moving car on our way home from spending the whole day on the Snakeshead Bird Count (near Sundre, north of Calgary) yesterday. This was part of the 109th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. I just liked the lighting and the long shadow of the barn. Not quite the composition I wanted, but the landscape flew past the window! We couldn't have stopped on the highway anyway, but I never ask people to stop so that I can take a photo. I just grab everything that I happen to get the chance for and feel very thankful for each and every shot that does turn out OK. I would drive people crazy and make them very annoyed, I'm sure, if I was always asking to take a photo, LOL! And understandly so!!! I need to add that some friends are extremely thoughtful and patient and do what they can to help me get a photo or two, which is unnecessary but greatly appreciated!

Thought this made a neat winter photo, of a group of birders with their binoculars.

Just a quick shot taken south of the city, when a friend invited me to go looking for birds in the Porcupine Hills and Nanton area. Winter looked so good a week ago, but we are back to snow on the ground this morning!

Every once in a while, I'll shoot a photo of my shadow. Sometimes, it makes me look taller and thinner than I actually am - THESE are the shadows I like best, LOL!

One of our annual visitors on the Bow River by the weir.