Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: day

This photo shows part of the small town of Waterton, in Waterton Lakes National Park. Taken on 20 June 2015, when we were on the Bertha Lake Trail (as far as the Bertha Falls). Near the centre of the photo is the Prince of Wales Hotel. I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants (and other things). This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. Our walks/hikes are very slow-paced with endless stops to look at/for plants and to take photos. This makes it possible for me to go along. The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro. I've been trying to find a list of plant species in Waterton Park, but have so far been out of luck. I do have the book, "Wildflowers of Waterton Park" by Jacinthe Lavoie and Ian Wilson, which has an Index of Plant names, but I was hoping to find a list that I could print out.

Unfortunately, seen at the Zoo a few days ago, not out in the wild. Ones that I do see in the wild are always far, far away. I managed to keep fences and sheds out of the background, so that it would look as natural as possible.

Though House Sparrows tend not to be popular little birds, you have to admit that they are quite attractive. I love these little birds, with their beautifully patterned feathers. This male was actually down at the Calgary Zoo yesterday (flying freely, of course!) and I was quite pleased with this backlit (?) shot. "House Sparrows are not closely related to the other North American sparrows: they belong to the family of Old World sparrows (Passeridae)." From Birds of Alberta by Chris Fisher and John Acorn.

A little blown out, but still fit to post : ) I love Sunflowers - and seen from every kind of angle and at every stage of growth and death. This one was in a friend's garden, mid-October 2007.

I know there's not all that much to this photo, and I keep deciding not to post it, but there is just something (colour and light) that brings me back to it. Makes me think of a little tropical fish swimming in the sea.

This was one of those days when every branch and twig was coated in snow. Add a blue sky and sunshine, and everywhere was transformed into a winter wonderland.

I think I liked the bokeh more than the Red Panda (at the Calgary Zoo) in this shot : ). Well, maybe not, but I always cheer when I do manage to get a blurred background, LOL. "The Red Panda, also called the Firefox or Lesser Panda (Latin name: Ailurus fulgens, "shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight). The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, Pakistan, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. There is an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation. Their conservation status is Vulnerable" From Wikipedia.

A friend pointed out this small feather lying in the snow on the ground yesterday morning - near the river at Beaverdam Flats. It belonged to a Mallard and I thought the purple irridescence was too pretty to waste. The white feather tip is totally blown out, unfortunately.

This is one of the two Northern Hawk Owls that a friend and I saw on Monday, N of Cochrane (i.e. NW of Calgary). I happened to catch it having a good stretch, very high up in a tall tree. I did remove a thin branch that cut across the tail, as I just found it extremely distracting and annoying. Yes, I admit it, I altered an image, LOL! Then, as if the thrill of Monday wasn't enough, I was invited by another friend to go back to the very same area this afternoon!! The sky was as blue as can be (just like on Monday) and we found THREE of these owls in the area. Unbelievable! The icing on the cake was yet to come, as we soon found out. A few moments later, on our way out of the area, there was a female Moose in a wooded field. To these two friends who enabled me to get out of the city (where I won't drive for the most part) and see these incredible sights - thank you SO much!

I came across these four very young Gophers (Richardson's Groundsquirrels) on my walk to see "my " baby Great Horned Owl this afternoon. I was able to get quite close - these innocent little things simply froze. I guess they have a lot to learn, as their parents disappear down into the burrow like a shot. When I was back home, a friend phoned to say that if I wanted to get some really good shots, I should go where he had just been - a picnic area in another part of the park. He said he had seen young Gophers who froze and in fact he was able to gently reach out and stroke one of them. I said that I had just been taking photos of other little ones. The way nature works, though, is that these cute little animals will perhaps provide "my" Great Horned Owls with a few meals!