Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: feather

This beautiful Swainson's Hawk shrieked and shrieked, both when it was perched on a fence post and when it was circling rather low overhead, which it did for quite a while. I was in a vast area of bare hills without a tree to be seen anywhere, so it's not as if I was near a nest without knowing it. My first reaction was that maybe it was a juvenile letting its parents know that it was hungry, but I don't know enough about hawks to know how to tell if this is a juvenile or adult. I so rarely take and post any in-flight shots, but I thought this one was fit enough to be posted. Wednesday, 20 July 2016, was a day of adventure for me. I drove further than I have ever driven before (way, way SE of the city) - must remember to check my mileage when I next go out in my car, but it must have been somewhere between 400 and 500 km total at least. No big deal for many of you, but for me (and as someone with a driving phobia), it WAS a big deal : ) I was totally exhausted and my poor shoulder rotator cuffs were complaining like crazy. BUT, I had a great time - just a couple of moments of 'panic', when I thought I was lost, and when I noticed that I was seeing different wildflowers and definitely a different landscape. I eventually left home at 11:00 am, a good couple of hours later than I had intended. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take me to get to where I wanted to get, so had wanted to allow plenty of hours for this journey. I had been on the road for about three hours by the time I got there, but did stop at various places en route. The first part of my drive was along familiar roads - called in at Frank Lake just to check the gravel road leading to the gate. An Eastern Kingbird was the only species I saw. From there, I kept driving east on h'way 23, stopping briefly to photograph one of my favourite old houses. This highway eventually bends southwards and leads to Vulcan. I had only ever once driven as far as Vulcan, and that was on 30 March 2015. I had to stop again, like last year, and take a few photos of the cluster of old sheds, barn and house on the edge of Vulcan, before continuing on my way. From here until I reached my destination, was all new to me. Exciting and anxiety-causing, all at the same time. I drove further east and then turned south and found myself in a different kind of landscape, with a few interesting birds and plants to see and photograph, including a Ferruginous Hawk (three, actually) and wild sunflowers that lined the edge of one of the roads. I was barely able to get a photograph of these bright beauties, as it was so windy. I was in tall wind turbine country - which told me how far south I had come. The colours of some of the fields were unusual, too. Along one road, I had a Swainson's Hawk who perched nicely on a fence post at first and then circled overhead and followed my vehicle further down the road. Think it may have been a juvenile, screeching for its parents to come and feed it. Also saw a Mourning Dove on a fence post and what turned out to be a juvenile Horned Lark. Actually, there were a lot of Horned Larks this day. I tend to forget that we can see them in summer time. After travelling westwards and then north and west again, I found myself heading towards Frank Lake. It was along this road that I spotted some kind of shorebird perched on a fence post. Too late to stop, so I turned around and then slowly drove back to the bird - a Marbled Godwit, giving me a nice, sideways pose. It was still daylight, so I decided to try one more time along the gravel road leading to the gate at Frank Lake. Here, I had another nice sighting - friend, Debbie : ) Good to see you and have a nice, long chat. A great day with an enjoyable ending. Total distance, round trip, was something like 480 km. (298.3 miles).

Late afternoon on 7 October 2015, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park on the way home from a volunteer shift. The weather was beautiful, and I'm supposed to do lots of walking (which I don't). A young couple walking by mentioned that they had just seen a young Black-crowned Night Heron, and I was so lucky that it was still there. From a distance, the bird was so well-camouflaged against the background. It stayed in one place and then, just when the light was fading and I needed to leave, the Heron leaned forward and then climbed down into the water. We had been hoping it would catch one of the many fish that we could see, but it didn't. My battery had just died and, for once, I didn't have a spare battery with me. Usually, when I have seen a Black-crowned Night Heron, it has been far, far away except for one occasion, when a young one flew right over my head at the Frank Lake blind, SE of Calgary. "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron

Late afternoon on 7 October 2015, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park on the way home from a volunteer shift. The weather was beautiful, and I'm supposed to do lots of walking (which I don't). There was another bird that I would have liked to see, but I was out of luck for that one. However, a young couple mentioned that they had just seen a young Black-crowned Night Heron, and I was so lucky that it was still there. From a distance, the bird was so well-camouflaged against the background. Unfortunately, the background was not photogenic at all, no matter where one stood, but it was so nice to see this beautiful young bird. It stayed in one place and then, just when the light was fading and I needed to leave, the Heron leaned forward and then climbed down into the water. We had been hoping it would catch one of the many fish that we could see, but it didn't. My battery had just died and, for once, I didn't have a spare battery with me. Usually, when I have seen a Black-crowned Night Heron, it has been far, far away except for one occasion, when a young one flew right over my head at the Frank Lake blind, SE of Calgary. "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron

Overslept by an hour and a half, so gotta post and run and see if there is any way to find the group of people I'm supposed to meet up with this morning! Later: this was taken on 22 October 2015, at a wetland in the SW of the city. Earlier, I had been to collect my car after getting my snow tires put on. I knew that everyone would be wanting to make an appointment for this reason if I left it much longer. From the tire place, I decided to call in at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on the way home. As sometimes happens, I saw nothing but a little Red Squirrel, but the light was so bad that my few photos all came out blurred. Feeling a little disappointed, I called in at a wetland area in the SW, where I knew there would at least be a few Mallards to photograph. It was such a beautiful, sunny day, it seemed a shame to be indoors. Sure enough, the Mallards were there, plus a Coot or two, a pair of very distant Ring-necked Ducks, a pair of Canada Geese, and a Lesser Scaup. I really do need to practice my skills when it comes to photographing ducks that are swimming fast, as most of my shots came out very blurry and had to be deleted!

This is far from being a good photo, which is why I am slipping it in as the third photo this morning. Usually, I rarely ever see these Black-crowned Night Herons and when I have seen one, it has been a large speck in the distance. This one was high up in a tall tree and, as you might guess from the photo, the light was not good. Unfortunately, you can't tell that it has beautiful, bright orange eyes. I will add a previously posted, better image of this bird, taken at the same location on 7 October, in a comment box below. This photo was taken on 9 October 2015, when I decided to drive to the east end of Fish Creek Park and walk down to the Lafarge Meadows area to see if there was any sign of this Night Heron. Two days earlier, I had been lucky enough to see it closer, in a small pond and in much better light. This time, it was much more difficult to find. "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron

Yesterday late afternoon, 7 October 2015, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park on the way home from a volunteer shift. The weather was beautiful, and I'm supposed to do lots of walking (which I don't). There was another bird that I would have liked to see, but I was out of luck for that one. However, a young couple mentioned that they had just seen a young Black-crowned Night Heron, and I was so lucky that it was still there. From a distance, the bird was so well-camouflaged against the background. Unfortunately, the background was not photogenic at all, no matter where one stood, but it was so nice to see this beautiful young bird. Usually, when I have seen a Black-crowned Night Heron, it has been far, far away except for one occasion, when a young one flew right over my head at the Frank Lake blind - previously posted photo added to a comment box below. "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron

Yesterday, 14 March 2015, I went on a most enjoyable birding outing SE of the city, with a group of friends. Frank Lake, one of my favourite places, was our main destination. During the winter months, the gate is closed, so one has to walk in. We walked almost as far as the blind and then back to the cars. On this return walk, a patch of large, white, spotted feathers was found. A friend held this one up against her dark jeans so that I could get a photo. When I saw it, I had a bad feeling that this large feather belonged to a beautiful Snowy Owl. After searching on Google, I think that might be the closest answer, which would be really sad. Would really appreciate it if someone is able to correct or confirm - thanks! From Frank Lake, we called in at the huge community centre in High River, thinking we could eat our lunch there. It was so absolutely packed, we ended up eating outside by the cars. After more driving around the lake, we came back to Calgary via 306 Ave, E (alternative road numbers are 552/272) and 220 (Dunbow Rd). I think I have those road numbers correct. For most of the day, the wind was dreadful, making walking very difficult and extremely unpleasant! When I got home and checked yesterday's forecast for High River on the Weather Network, the temperature got up to around 15C and there was a Wind Warning in effect. A Wind Warning is issued when wind speeds are expected to or currently blowing steadily at 60 to 65 km/h (37 to 40 mph) or more, or winds gusting to 90 km/h (56 mph) or more. I will add the report from our leader, Andrew Hart, with permission, below. As usual, I did not see some of the birds listed, as I don't have binoculars. "We had 16 participants on this trip on a day when it was warm (generally 12-15 deg c) but, after about 10:30 am, extremely windy. We went straight to the outfall area near the blind. As we walked down to the edge of the water the wind seemed to pick up. We saw about 100 each of Redheads and Canvasback as well as Tundra Swans (many of which were flying over). Not that many Pintails, maybe 20+, much less than other recent observers have reported. The increasingly strong winds made observations tricky. We did not see the Eurasian Wigeon that others have reported, including today's report by Mike Sven, even though we were down by the effluent area where he saw them. Possibly the increasingly high winds made them seek shelter elsewhere. Some of the group saw a Cackling Goose identified by Tony Timmons, but it flew off before we could get everyone on it. Some of the birds we saw flying valiantly against the wind barely made any progress. We went to the High River recreation centre for lunch, discovering when we arrived that a number of community events were taking place and parking had overflowed to a nearby field. We did see one Eurasian Collared Dove in a nearby tree. The parking field had a few really muddy spots, so somehow in the confusion of leaving our group got split up. Most of us went on a clockwise circuit of the Frank Lake area. We stopped in at Basin 2 on the East side, but again the wind made observation difficult, although Howard Heffler did manage to pick out three Gadwall in a small slough. On our drive around we saw a few Horned Larks, but never more than small numbers at the same time, and sometimes just one or two. We met our lost fellow birders from the rec center car park in the Basin 3 car park, from which we could see 50 or so Pintails. We carried on to the shelterbelts just west of Frank Lake and picked up a Great Horned Owl and a Flicker. Leaving the Frank Lake area a few of us went on to Blackie. The winds were still roaring but we managed to find about 16 Eurasian Collared Doves, which were blowing around like chaff. The more detailed EBird summary is: Checklists included in this summary: (1): Frank Lake--NW lookout/blind Date: Mar 14, 2015, 9:50 AM (2): Frank Lake--Basin 4 Date: Mar 14, 2015, 1:15 PM (3): Frank Lake--Basin 3 Date: Mar 14, 2015, 1:25 PM (4): Blackie Date: Mar 14, 2015, 2:30 PM 1 Cackling Goose -- (1) 480 Canada Goose -- (1),(2),(3) 70 Tundra Swan -- (1),(3) 3 Gadwall -- (2) 26 American Wigeon -- (1),(2) 354 Mallard -- (1),(2),(3) 12 Northern Shoveler -- (1) 70 Northern Pintail -- (1),(3) 2 Green-winged Teal -- (1) 100 Canvasback -- (1) 100 Redhead -- (1) 10 Ring-necked Duck -- (1) 30 Lesser Scaup -- (1) 4 Bufflehead -- (1) 150 Common Goldeneye -- (1) 6 Common Merganser -- (1) 1 Bald Eagle -- (1) 42 California Gull -- (1),(3) 6 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (2),(4) 16 Eurasian Collared-Dove -- (4) 4 Black-billed Magpie -- (4) 25 Common Raven -- (2),(3) 4 Horned Lark -- (3) 100 European Starling -- (3),(4) 1 House Finch -- (4) 100 House Sparrow -- (4) Andrew Hart"

Sunday, 5 January 2014 was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton and its surrounding areas. This count was originally supposed to have taken place on 28 December 2013, but the weather forecast warned of a Flash Freeze, and so it was postponed till 5 January 2014. As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us that day. What you can't see was that it was brutally cold that day! On the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! It did eventually warm up a few degrees and thankfully, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. The only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms and homesteads. Not sure how many of these Sharp-tailed Grouse we saw in total (just under 60, I think?) I didn't take this shot too carefully, as it's just a bit too close, but I was surprised I got it before the bird flew off. One backroad in particular had too much snow on it, so we had to leave that one out. Also, there was just too much snow in many of the farmyards, so we weren't able to check out all the trees and bushes as thoroughly as we would like to have done. I absolutely love the scenery on this Count, so I was able to get a few shots to show some typical landscapes to give you an idea of where we were for a day. Not sure where all the Hawks and Owls were hiding that day, but we did see 2 Golden Eagles and 2 Bald Eagles. After driving (being driven, for me, which was pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 4:00 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, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards to thoroughly enjoy a delicious supper. One of my favourite Bird Counts and perhaps the most favourite. Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! Can't wait for next Christmas!

Found this small feather dotted with ice when walking along the edge of the Bow River this morning. Not sure, but I think it belonged to a male Mallard.

Refraction in a little water droplet on a bird feather - in my kitchen : )

Took this photo on 12th June, when I was invited by friend, Sue, to go with her when she did her Mountain Bluebird route out towards Bragg Creek. Each time she goes out, she has to record whether the nest belongs to a Bluebird or a Tree Swallow (occasionally something else such as a House Wren or a House Sparrow), how many eggs or babies there are, and then place a band around the leg of the appropriate birds. I was able to get a quick shot or two - sometimes, the nesting box is too high to see into to take a photo, so I had to hold my camera over the box, click, and just hope for the best, LOL. Later: I had been wondering why there were a couple of feathers in this nest, as Bluebirds have featherless nests. Thought they might just have got in there by accident. I didn't have time to do a bit of reading on Google, as I drove out to the beginning of the mountains this afternoon to check on certain plants, but now that I have had time to look on Google, I realize that of course Mountain Bluebirds DO have blue eggs and so these are obviously Tree Swallow nest and eggs! Usually, they have a lot more feathers lining the nest. Sorry for the mix-up! Here is a link to a Mountain Bluebird nest, taken three years ago. I haven't figured out how to post a photo in a comment box with this new Flickr layout, only a link. farm2.static.flickr.com/1310/549298588_986aaa3a13_z.jpg

Is anyone else haviing all sorts of problems with Flickr this afternoon?? I can't get into the Help Threads to see if anyone has left a message. Also, the uploading is faulty and is stuck without completing the processing, though all three of my images have appeared on my photostream. Oh, it has finally just completed - weird, never had that happen before. Almost everything I try results in a wait of a few minutes and then all I get is the "Oops, broken link" (?) message. Wasn't sure whether to even try and upload any photos. Anyway, this is another of my "waterdrops on feather" photos : ) Not pretty refractions, but I just liked the perfect roundness of the droplets.

Very simple, but there is just something that appeals to me about the colours and light. A couple of tiny waterdoplets on a tiny bird feather (in my kitchen, LOL). Makes me think of a winter scene with a delicate, snow-covered branch. Finally got out for a very short walk this afternoon, to test my knees after landing very heavily on them last Tuesday, when I tried to jump across a small creek. Have stayed home the last four days to give them a chance to recover, so it was good to get a bit of fresh air today. Saw one of the few American Robins that overwinter in the city, too, which was a treat. It was the first Robin I'd seen this year. Nothing worth keeping as far as photos go : )

Wasn't sure whether to post this feather macro or not, but needed a bright splash of colour. It makes me think of frost-covered branches, but with a bright, warm colour in the background.

Wasn't sure whether to post this one or not - but, hey, I needed a change from frosty, snowy photos, so here it is : ) A water droplet on a feather.

These little Black-capped Chickades need to find enough food each day to enable them to put on a layer of fat to keep them alive till the next day. As you can see, this one is fluffed up against the cold. Always great to see these little guys - and sometimes they are the only birds around, so are even more appreciated : )

Sorry, Rebecca, this owl lives at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, just over a two-hour drive south from here (i.e towards the US border). I went there for the day with a friend in July 2007 and we had the most amazing time (despite a temperature of either 36C or 38C all day). This Centre takes injured birds of prey and releases those that eventually recover. The rest do such a great job of educating people about owls, hawks and eagles. We don't get Barn Owls in Alberta. I had the humbling opportunity to have both a Burrowing Owl and a Great Horned Owl separately on my arm : )

Well, not such a happy ending for the Mallard that this feather (and nearby others) used to belong to, but there was a gorgeous covering of ice crystals this morning. Walking along the edge of the Bow River at Beaverdam Flats this morning was very enjoyable. A coolish -7C (windchill -13C), but sunny. It seemed a shame to walk on the trail, as there were fine ice crystals on all the tiny plants covering the ground - quite spectacular! Nature is so clever : )