Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: very long

This photo was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 6 October 2015, the last time I visited. SInce then, my usual parking lot has been closed (for the winter} and now for construction in the area while the old bridge I always use is replaced and won't be ready till 2017. I would have to use the north parking lot, which is totally out of my driving comfort zone. I have posted three previous photos of this beautiful tropical bird, but this is the first image that shows the whole bird and its very long, narrow tail. The first time I ever saw this beautifu bird, it took my breath away. Have added a previously posted, closer view in a comment box below. "The golden-breasted starling (Lamprotornis regius), also known as royal starling, is a medium-sized, up to 35 cm long, passerine in the starling family. It is distributed in the grassland, savannah and shrubland of East Africa, from Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and northern Tanzania. The adult has a metallic green head and upper back, bright golden yellow breast and belly, dark bill and legs, white iris and metallic violet blue on wings, back, neck and its long tail feathers. Both sexes are similar. The young are duller than the adult. The golden-breasted starling is a social animal, living in groups of three to twelve individuals." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden-breasted_starling Later, I just discovered a Calgary Sun newspaper article from 23 June 2015, about a family that discovered this bird (or a different individual - I seem to remember seeing two of these birds when I was at the Zoo a few days ago) that had escaped from the Zoo. Actually, this story reminded me that when I was in a small store a couple of days ago, buying a new pedometer, a Magpie flew in through the open door and perched on the counter by the till : ) The sales woman was surprised when I told her about her unexpected visitor! www.calgarysun.com/2015/06/23/inglewood-family-helps-calg...

About two weeks ago, on 4 May 2015, we finally had a day without strong winds. I decided that it might be a good day to drive SE of the city again to see what I could find. The last few times I had been there recently, the wind had been so strong, making it almost impossible to stand, let alone take photos. The very first thing I saw when I reached the gravel road off 23 at Frank Lake, was a beautiful Western Meadowlark. I only see one occasionally, though yesterday I did see a second one later in the afternoon. At, or near, the bird blind/hide, there were a few Eared Grebes, Coots, Canada Geese, numerous and noisy Franklin's Gulls, a Ruddy Duck, a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, several Western Grebes (further away and barely within camera range) and American Avocets. White-faced Ibis were either down on the ground in the distance or flying around, mixed in with the Franklin's Gulls. After visiting the blind, I drove around the lake, seeing the second Meadowlark and, to my delight, a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were extremely well-camouflaged against the stubble and dried grasses in a field. The Curlew is North America's largest shorebird. I'm sure I have seen one before, probably through someone's scope, but never really "seen" one properly. Managed to get a few shots, though the birds don't show up very clearly. The angle in this photo also makes the bill look just a little shorter than it is. The female has a much longer bill than the male. Hopefully, someone will correct my ID if I am wrong - thanks! “Long-billed Curlews spend summers in areas of western North America with sparse, short grasses, including shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies as well as agricultural fields. After their young leave the nest they may move to areas with taller, denser grasses. In winter they migrate to the coasts and to interior Mexico, where you can find them in wetlands, tidal estuaries, mudflats, flooded fields, and occasionally beaches.” From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Curlew/lifehistory Along one of the roads, friend Greg passed me, going in the same direction. He stopped briefly and said he was on his way to help mutual friend, George. A few hours later, I saw a photo on Facebook of the predicament that George had found himself in. When I say his vehicle was stuck in deep mud, I really mean STUCK, lol! Not sure how he managed to find such wet, muddy ground, as everywhere else is bone dry. Well done, George! The things we birders/photographers sometimes go through to get photos! At the end of the lake drive, I decided to drive north on the Blackie road, stopping at one of the sloughs there, where I was able to get photos of the American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. So, all in all, an enjoyable, quite rewarding afternoon, spent in one of my favourite areas.