Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: parking lot

Again, all three photos posted today were taken two days ago, on 19 November 2017, when I spent a few very enjoyable hours out with my daughter. This is the time of year, of course, when Christmas Markets and Fairs spring up everywhere, within the city and in various hamlets outside the city. There were two that we ended up going to - Granary Road and Bragg Creek. This was the very first Christmas for the newly opened Granary Road. Bragg Creek market has been held for many years, but we had never been out there to one before. Both felt calm and were far less densely packed (at least when we were there) than some of the bigger markets in various towns. I had been hoping to get over to Granary Road all summer and fall, but it just didn't happen. This is a brand new market garden, SW of the city, with an active learning park, too. I was very disappointed months ago, when I first saw what was being planned for that particular area. Most of all, I and many other photographers, were horrified when we discovered that the row of five old, red granaries/sheds had been removed from the landscape. Some of you may remember my photos of these granaries, which I called "The Famous Five". They have been replaced by five new, red sheds which, I have to say, looked better yesterday than I had previously thought. Link for my album, "The Famous Five" - 25 images of the original, old row of five, red granaries. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157648910659879 The huge main building is full of various permanent, carefully chosen vendors, and a restaurant. Very nicely designed, I thought. Three huge greenhouses stand next to the main building - fresh produce is sold from them and from local farmers. A small petting Zoo was being held in one of the greenhouses - Alpacas, goats and bunnies, all very cute. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca The huge, outdoor educational area looks like a lot of fun, and I want to go back next summer to wander round it, when this part reopens for the season. www.granaryroad.com/ Thank you, Rachel, for an enjoyable few hours spent with you! Always the best kind of day. See you in December.

I think I have only ever seen two or three Stellar's Jays before, so it was a good feeling to see this juvenile perched high up in a huge tree. This was at the edge of the new parking lot at Cameron Lake, in Waterton Lakes National Park. This photo was taken on 8 July 2017, when a few of us went to Cameron Lake and went on quite a long hike through the forest, near the edge of the lake. "A large, dark jay of evergreen forests in the mountainous West. Steller’s Jays are common in forest wildernesses but are also fixtures of campgrounds, parklands, and backyards, where they are quick to spy bird feeders as well as unattended picnic items. When patrolling the woods, Steller’s Jays stick to the high canopy, but you’ll hear their harsh, scolding calls if they’re nearby. Graceful and almost lazy in flight, they fly with long swoops on their broad, rounded wings." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Stellers_Jay/id Late afternoon on 9 July 2017, I arrived back home from a wonderful three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. I had just been on a one-day bus trip to this beautiful park on 24 June 2017, so felt very lucky to be returning for a longer stay so soon. I travelled there and back with friend, Darlene, who had very kindly offered to take me, and we had a fun time, seeing so many interesting things. Thank you SO much, Darlene - I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciated being able to go on this trip with you! It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of good company with around 20 (?) people, some of whom I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic but adequate Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed SO well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our huge thanks go out to Jean Kennedy, the camp cook, who cooked and prepared these great meals for us! Jean was there in 2015 and 2016, when I attended this weekend, and it was really good news when I was told that she would be there again this time. The food was so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! We arrived in Waterton (from Calgary) around 1:00 pm on Friday, 7 July 2017, stopped and had lunch in town and then went to see the Cameron Falls on the edge of town. The cold spray felt so good on such a hot day (32C)! Afterwards, we drove 16 km up the Akamina Parkway, to Cameron Lake, stopping along the road to photograph a few of the thousands of beautiful Bear Grass flowers. Many were growing along the edge of the road, but in places, you could look through the forest and see many more. We also stopped to look at the Penstemon plants, and I was delighted to see a small Orange False Dandelion plant in bloom. I've only ever seen about three of these plants before. A very quick stop at Cameron Lake itself and then we were on our way back down the Akamina Parkway so that we could go up the Red Rock Canyon Parkway, to visit the beautiful canyon with its amazing red rocks. On the way there, we made a quick stop to check for a Lazuli Bunting. We were in luck, though I could only get very distant shots of this beautiful little bird. After a while, we needed to get to the Canyon Youth Camp, where we would be staying two nights. Supper was being served at 6:00 pm, but we could check in any time after 5:00 pm. After supper, most people went on a hike up to Crandell Lake, but I decided not to go, as I remembered what the trail was like. I did follow everyone for just a very short way but knew that I was not going to do the rest of the hike. Instead, I walked around the camp, finding a few flowers to photograph, and then I bumped into the camp manager and we got talking. I mentioned one of my favourite plants, Pinedrops, that I had seen last year on one of the paths that led out of the camp. The manager said he had already checked, but had only found last year's dead stems. He took me back to the location - and I spotted several new stems partly hidden in the long grasses. He was so happy to see that this plant was doing well, after all. He also took me on a short walk through the edge of the forest and down to the river. About 20 minutes after we got back to the camp buildings, a Black Bear wandered along the edge of the same trees that we had walked through to get to the river! Could only get a really poor photo that I probably won't post - or maybe I will, just for my own records. Shortly after this sighting, everyone else arrived back at the camp, and it was time to get to bed before all the lights were turned off. Our huge thanks to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! He has been organizing these annual weekends for a number of years now. A great time was had by all.

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 8 October 2015. Friend Sandy had asked if I wanted to go with her to join friends down at the Irrigation Canal in the city, for a birding walk. This was a long walk - three and a half hours - along both sides of the canal. It was a beautiful fall day with enough trees still dressed in gold to give some colourful reflections. When we arrived at the meeting place, we were greeted by a couple of beautiful flowerbeds full of vibrant colour. I hadn't expected to see garden plants still in bloom on 8 October. The water level of the canal was very low, creating just a narrow strip of water with a wide mud bank on either side, that had attracted a number of Greater Yellowlegs and a single American Golden-plover. The latter was a new bird for me and, though I could only get a very distant, poor shot, I've posted it this morning. To me, a juvenile American Golden Plover looks so similar to a juvenile Black-bellied Plover (from photos I've seen), but the ID for the bird we saw was given as American Golden-plover. Much of the time, there were pale, dead grasses in the background and this bird was almost impossible to see. The list of the 31 bird species seen (not all by me) from our leaders, Dan and David: 1. Canada Goose - 60+ 2. Mallard - 150+ 3. Northern Shoveler - 1 4. Green-winged Teal - 2 5. Hooded Merganser - 3 males 6. Common Merganser - 20+ 7. Double-crested Cormorant - 4 8. Bald Eagle - 1, immature 9. Red-tailed Hawk - 1 (Harlan’s subspecies) 10. Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (4 dark phase, 1 light phase) 11. AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER 12. Killdeer - 1 13. Greater Yellowlegs - 38+ 14. Long-billed Dowitcher - 11 15. Ring-billed Gull - 400+ 16. Herring Gull - 2 17. Rock Pigeon - 32+ 18. Downy Woodpecker - 1 19. Hairy Woodpecker - 2 20. Northern Flicker - 2 21. Merlin - 2 22. Black-billed Magpie - 15+ 23. American Crow - 6 24. Common Raven - 2 25. Black-capped Chickadee - 7 26. White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 27. American Robin - 8 28. European Starling - 18+ 29. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2 30. American Tree Sparrow - 1 31. House Finch - 1

Just a young Brown-headed Cowbird seen at a picnic spot along the Akamina Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park, on 18 July 2015. If I have the wrong ID, please let me know : ) To have the chance to visit Waterton Lakes National Park in June was such an absolute treat, but to be able to visit this beautiful region again one month later was just incredible. I think I've only ever been maybe five or so times in the 37 years that I've lived here, so you can imagine my delight to get two chances in one year!! Actually, I signed up for the July trip (17-19 July) a while ago and, though there were some aspects of the three-day trip that I wasn't particularly keen on, I knew this was a wonderful chance to go down south. Then, some time later, friend Sandy asked if I wanted to go down to Waterton in June for the Botany Alberta weekend. So, lucky, lucky me!! It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds. Lots of great company with people I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! Our first day, which included the drive from Calgary, it rained all day long. Thankfully, the remaining two days were beautiful and sunny, and appreciated even more because of the first rainy day. The first day, we drove around Waterton town, calling in at Cameron Falls and then driving to Red Rock Canyon. We did the short walk along both sides of the canyon, in the rain, so it was pretty much useless as far as taking photos was concerned. I was happy to see a Swainson's Thrush there, the first time I had seen one close. On the second day, 18 July, we went to Cameron Lake. This is a beautiful lake and I love the small jetty and the colourful canoes lined up. Our walk took us along the right hand side of the lake, through the forest. One of my favourite plants that we saw there was Water Hemlock - though I had seen it before, I had never seen it this close and in such detail. The bees and other insects love it, too, with several insects on many of the flower heads. This attractive plant is one of the most deadly poisonous plants in North America. Two other plants that I was thrilled to see were Pink Monkeyflower and Yellow Monkeyflower. I had never seen these wildflowers before. Pearly Everlasting, False Helebore, Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus, Foam Flower, and Thimbleberry were just a few of the other plants we found. We were amazed at how many orchids there were - everywhere. Later on the second day, we called in at Red Rock Canyon again and, because it was absolutely packed with people, we decided to do the nearby Blakiston Falls Trail. Along this trail, I was thrilled to see a few Pinedrops plants in flower - I had only ever seen them once before (at Cypress Hills), and they were in seed. Thanks so much, Debbie, for the heads-up about these plants that you had found earlier! We also saw a couple of Prince's Pine plants along this trail - a first for me. They look rather like Pink Pyrola, so could easily be overlooked. Later, in the evening on this day, Andrew Hart took us to look at a wetland for Sandhill Cranes. He knew they can be seen there and, with the help of a spotting scope, he found a total of 5 seen from two lookouts. Barely visible with the naked eye, they were so far away. I just managed to get a 48x zoomed shot that was kind of fit to post : ) Andrew had also timed it so that we could drive along Chief Mountain Parkway afterwards, stop at the lookout and watch the sunset over the mountain peaks. The following morning, our last, some of us visited Cameron Lake again and then walked along the very short Akamina Lake trail (only 1 km return) that starts from the Cameron Lake parking lot. A beautiful little trail, where we found two Bear Grass plants still in flower, but well past their prime. Also watched a rather skinny deer making her way along the edge of the lake. A lovely walk to end our stay in Waterton Lakes National Park. Thanks so much, Darlene, for letting us do this, knowing that we needed to start driving north to Calgary. Thank you SO much, too, for driving three of us to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that we appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! A great time was had by all.

Yesterday, 2 May 2015, I was out on a great, full-day birding trip that took us south of the city. When we got back to the meeting place at Glennfield, in Fish Creek Park, this absolutely beautiful classic car was in the parking lot, being used by someone for a photoshoot. Couldn't resist taking a quick shot from across the lot when the people moved briefly moved away from the car. Such a beauty and it just gleamed in the sunshine! If anyone can help with the make and approximate year of this car, it would be greatly appreciated. Will add the report written by the leader of yesterday's birding outing, Terry Korolyk. Thanks so much for another great day out, Terry, and for your detailed account of the day! "The morning started out cool, overcast, and, windy with the temperature 3 degrees centigrade when I awoke in the morning. Nine participants showed up for the trip at the Glennfield Parking Area in east Fish Creek PP. Our first stop at Sheriff King slough in the southwest corner of the Highways 2A and 22X junction was probably helped by the weather as probably close to 200 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were an amazing sight as they foraged on the water, being forced to stay there overnight. Amongst the other waterfowl here, highlights were 1 male Barrow's Goldeneye and 1 male Greater Scaup. From there, we travelled through the Pine Creek valley to Highway 2A, moving southward then turning off on Highway 552 and going to the Dewinton area. We stopped at a very convenient Great Horned Owl's nest as we drove east on the road going past the Calgary Gun Club. The nest was in an Aspen almost hanging right above the road! One of the adults, a gray phase bird, was clearly visible, but, we could only barely make out that there were downy young in the nest. On the southern edge of Dewinton, I observed 3 COMMON GRACKLES, but a more thorough look revealed probably about 15 GRACKLES and almost as many Brewer's Blackbirds. These birds were almost a complete surprise. From here, there was a bit of a mixup and part of the group got separated. After meeting later, we talked about how we attempted to find each other, but kept missing each other. Amazingly, at the end of the day, we all ended back in Glennfield at the same time! We all checked sloughs in the Dewinton area. The Field Trip found 2 Least Sandpipers, 15 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 2 Greater Yellowlegs at a slough south of Dewinton, then proceeded westward through the hills enjoying looks at all the returning Spring birds. Cinnamon Teal were very common in the area. We enjoyed a combined flock of 200 of Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds foraging in a field by a marsh. Pushing on further westward, a Great Blue Heron flushed from a creek as we drove past on 1119 Drive, then as we stopped at a large slough further westward, we stopped to photograph a pair of Red-necked Grebes building a nest. A small, brown, stubby-tailed bird flushed from the shoreline. I attempted to find it; got a quick look at it, and am almost sure it was a PACIFIC or WINTER WREN! We turned south on 160 St where at a quiet marsh at the bottom of the road, we saw Horned Grebes and Canvasbacks. A Red-tailed Hawk that burst suddenly from out of the trees appeared somewhat buffy, possibly being a CALURUS subspecies light phase Red-tailed Hawk. From off Highway 22 south of Turner Valley, we took a road through the foothills past a large marsh which had large numbers of Canada Geese and Ring-necked Ducks. In Aspens beside the marsh, it was lovely to see and hear our first returning male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS of the season. Careful searching uncovered a White-crowned Sparrow and at least 1 CHIPPING SPARROW. Just past the marsh, we found our final highlights of the day, separate lone male EVENING GROSBEAKS at treetops on each side of the road. Birds found by the lost? group( or, were we the lost group?) included a lone SANDHILL CRANE near the marsh at Highway 799 and 338 Avenue, and more Greater Scaup in this general area. They also found a couple of White-crowned Sparrows near Third Lake 2 kms. south of Highway 552 on 224 Street. Terry Korolyk"

The morning of 25 October 2014, I met up with friends to go birding. It was quite chilly first thing, only 3°C warming up to 6°C three hours later. We had 22 species of bird, though as usual, I don’t always see them all, as I don’t have binoculars. To mention just a few of our sightings - a formation of 15 Trumpeter Swans flying high overhead; a female Pileated Woodpecker; a huge flock of Bohemian Waxwings swarming in the distance plus a few smaller flocks; and a male American Three-toed Woodpecker. We had a very brief sighting of a bird of prey that flew out of some distant trees and was nowhere to be found – it was reported as a Barred Owl. This was at a different part of the park from where I was lucky enough to see one a few days previously. The only bird photos worth keeping were a handful of the American Three-toed Woodpecker. Always a treat to see one of these birds, especially as they are rare here. After our walk, I spotted this fairly new pair of child's shoes, accidentally left behind on top of a post near the parking lot. Not sure how this can have happened, lol! Once back in our cars, we drove to a small pub fairly close by for lunch. So enjoyable to just sit and chat and enjoy good company and good food – the Baked Lasagne was excellent!

This Pigeon looked quite beautiful, sitting with its feathers puffed up, on a large, metal garbage container. Noticed it when I went with friend Sandy to Bow Lake, Banff National Park, on 29 August 2013. Sandy wanted to look for lichens, mosses and liverworts. I find these more and more fascinating, including to photograph, but of course I was so thrilled to get the chance to shoot the spectacular scenery and anything else that was beautiful! I hadn't been to Bow Lake in 30+ years, but had fallen in love with it all those years ago. "A baby pigeon is called a 'squab' or a 'squeaker'. The female is a 'hen' and the male is a 'cock'. A group of pigeons is called a 'kit' or a 'flock'."

This Pigeon looked quite beautiful, sitting with its feathers puffed up, on a large, metal garbage container. Noticed it when I went with a friend to Bow Lake, Banff National Park, on 29 August 2013. "A baby pigeon is called a 'squab' or a 'squeaker'. The female is a 'hen' and the male is a 'cock'. A group of pigeons are called a 'kit' or a 'flock'." It's Good Friday today, the beginning of the Easter weekend. Beautiful, sunny weather would have been nice, especially for working people who get the day off. Instead, it's gloomy and unpleasant, looking like it's going to either rain or snow. Just checked the forecast and it's 1°C (windchill -2°C) this morning, supposedly getting up to 4°C this afternoon, with an 80% chance of rain and snow. Happy Easter weekend to everyone who celebrates! Later: sure enough, it snowed all day today.

Can anyone tell me if this is "just" a regular Pigeon or a Carrier or Homing Pigeon? Or maybe you can only tell it's a Carrier Pigeon if you see a metal band on its leg? Whichever it is, it looked quite beautiful, sitting with its feathers puffed up, on a large garbage container. Noticed it when I went with a friend to Bow Lake, Banff National Park, on 29 August 2013.

On 10 August 2013, I went with friend Sandy to Bow Lake, in Banff National Park. It is located along Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway, said to be the most beautiful, scenic road in the world. When we returned to the parking lot at the end of our hike, we noticed this brightly coloured van. I was taking a shot or two when I heard a voice say "Take your time ..." A couple was just getting back to this vehicle. This campervan company has the wildest designs on their for-rent vehicles - bright and so much fun.

I'm having problems uploading again, so am trying again to get my other two shots to work, one at a time. Photographed this beautiful Comma butterfly on 27 September 2012, in the parking lot at Forgetmenot Pond, Elbow Falls Trail, Kananaskis. In most of Alberta, the Gray and the Green Commas are the two common Commas. These are one of my favourite butterflies - love the shape of their wings.

A beautiful Mourning Cloak butterfly, resting on the gravel parking lot at Forgetmenot Pond, off Elbow Falls Trail, Kananaskis. Taken on 27 September 2012. These butterflies are seen throughout Alberta from late March to October.

Finally, a bird photo! Several of these colourful birds were down on the ground in the parking lot at West Bragg Creek, on 25 August 2012, when a group of us were getting ready to head out on one of the trails to look for mushrooms. Full zoom and lots of cropping as they were large specks half way across the parking lot, but I rarely get to see these Crossbills. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/white-winged_crossbill/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-barred_Crossbill

Happened to notice these abstract patterns when I came out of the Calgary Zoo recently. We had had three days of rain and there were still some puddles around, including by these metal bicycle racks. I just liked the patterns and colours of the shadows and reflections.

This gorgeous Mourning Cloak butterfly landed in the parking lot at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park yesterday. Gravel is never the ideal background, but I was just thankful that the butterfly landed at all, LOL!

I still miss the little, round English Robins, even though I have lived in Canada almost 31 years now. The large American Robin is beautiful, of course, but it just isn't as cute as the English one : ) This one was enjoying the sun in the parking lot at Carburn Park.