Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: father

This photo and the next one (lichen) were taken two days ago, on 25 June 2016, when I drove SW of the city to possibly meet friends. No one was sure how bad the weather was going to be, as the forecast was for rain and thunderstorms. It had rained overnight, so everywhere was soaking wet. Normally, on a day like that, I stay home, but I'm really glad I did go, especially as I was able to find a Bobolink again. Or, perhaps I should say it found me. Three times now, when I have been photographing a particular pair of Mountain Bluebirds, I have heard a certain persistent call, turned around, and there was a Bobolink sitting on a fence post across the road. It just kept up this call until I stopped what I was doing, crossed the road, and started taking photos of him, as if to say: "Hey, take my photo, too!" I didn't think any friends were going to turn up, as I hadn't seen anything that looked like a small convoy of cars. Then suddenly, one single car came around a distant corner and stopped. Three people got out - Andrew, Tony and Howard. Three people who are excellent birders and who didn't let the weather keep them from doing what they love. After they had had a far sighting of a Bobolink, I followed them slowly as far as Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, where the day's walk was supposed to take part, stopping to look at various birds along the way, Once there, we parted ways, as I didn't want hours of walking in mud and dripping trees. Instead, I wandered for a few minutes near the parking lot, where I took the lichen photo, and then I returned to the Bluebirds, where the Bobolink reappeared and repeated his behavior, giving me another chance for photos. The Bluebird babies are getting quite noisy and, judging by the number of insects they are being fed, they must be ready to fledge any day now. Thought I would add a link here, to a short video about two local friends (Don and Andrew Stiles, father and son) who have spent many years building bluebird boxes and monitoring Mountain Bluebirds. Inspiring to see the dedication these two people have for the preservation of this beautiful species of bird. calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=678225&binId=1.120191... In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Later: thought I would add a link here, to a video about two local friends (Don and Andrew Stiles, father and son) who have spent many years building bluebird boxes and monitoring Mountain Bluebirds. Inspiring to see the dedication these two men have for the preservation of this beautiful species of bird. calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=678225&binId=1.120191... Yesterday evening, 18 June 2016, I went for a short drive SW of the city. I had pulled over on the other side of the road and managed to get just three shots of a beautiful Wilson's Snipe, when a car came along in the opposite direction. The lady slowed down and asked if I was a birdwatcher. She told me that she had just passed an enormous Bald Eagle - bigger than any she had ever seen - perched on a fence post. Well, of course the Snipe flew off and I definitely wasn't expecting a Bald Eagle to still be sitting where it had been seen. I thanked the thoughtful lady and continued my drive, eventually spotting 'something' big in the distance. I couldn't believe it when I saw it was the Eagle. Expecting it to take off as soon as it saw my car, it surprised me by remaining right where it was. Wrong side of the road and with its back to me, I was in awe! Not sure if I've ever seen a Bald Eagle perched on a fence post before or this close (at least when zoomed in). I was even more grateful to have seen this majestic bird of prey when I went to check on a nearby Mountain Bluebird pair and there was nothing to be seen. I then stopped at a different pair and, though I did see the female high up on the wire, there was no activity at all. When I eventually reached a third box - where I had recently photographed the male with a beautiful moth in its beak - I saw a Tree Swallow's face peeping out of the hole. When I was there two days ago, I just knew that the babies were going to fledge any moment and I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to visit them in the last two days. After driving further to see if I could see either of the Great Gray Owls or the Bobolinks, I was out of luck with both. This made the Bald Eagle sighting more special than ever! Then, driving down a road that I don't normally drive, I spotted a 'new' pair of Mountain Bluebirds (seen in this photo). Both Mom and Dad were kept so busy, collecting caterpillars and other insects to feed to their babies. These were definitely 'Bluebirds of Happiness' yesterday evening, However, soon, the grey sky and low light finally took a toll on my camera or, should I say, my knowledge of how to use it? It was time to call it quits and head for home. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

Sorry, if you happen to look at this image - really is very blurry and does unpleasant things to your eyes. I didn't realize that it was quite this bad, when I was scanning and editing it in the wee hours of this morning. I wanted to scan it to send to my oldest daughter, especially, as she is doing an online course on World War II. This image shows my Father (1907-1976) wearing his Home Guard uniform, in Birmingham, England.

This photo (an image on a thin piece of metal) was amongst the old family photos that were shipped over to me from England about three months ago. I wish I knew who these people were - has to be from my father's side of the family. Maybe I'll be able to find out one day. I just think this is such a sweet photo. If I'm correct, the following information would apply to this image. My original photo has been cut to about 8 cm x almost 7 cm and has obviously been cut roughly and unevenly. "Tintypes were a cheap format photograph (about three English pence) where the image is formed on a thin sheet of lacquered iron. The image is dark and the surface can look quite mottled and imperfect or have an orange peel look if you reflect the light on to it. The metal is usually cut out quite roughly as if cut by hand without a guideline, using metal shears. The size varies but 9cm x 6cm (same as the print of a CDV) is typical, but it can be as large as 25cm x 10cm. They were first produced in 1852 and the American and English Patent was granted in 1856 - probably the earliest date one would expect to find. They were popular because they were strong and could be carried in a pocket, especially during the American Civil War period (1860s), and could be cut up to fit in lockets and jewellery. The image was in reverse, and only one unique photograph was made. It was not as popular in Europe as in America but there are English tintypes from the late 1850s, many in the 1880s and even as late as the 1930s, where they finally became the end of the pier photo or perhaps taken at fairgrounds." www.cartes.freeuk.com/time/date.htm