Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: dozens

The 10 images posted tonight were all taken on the morning of 14 May 2018, Day 8 of our two-week holiday in Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). Thankfully, I have reached a few much larger birds, which were a pleasure to see and photograph after struggling to get any shots of the small birds that we had just been seeing. However, those small birds were a real treat, especially the beautiful Lapland Longspurs. Though we do get them in Alberta, I have never seen one here. Most likely, I will never see one again, hence the distant shots that I have uploaded. I still have to track more or less where we saw these particular Snow Geese. The photo of a mass of distant Snow Geese was taken about 50 minutes after the shot of the Great Blue Heron, so the last few photos I have just uploaded were taken in the early afternoon. We get Snow Geese in Alberta, but on the few occasions that I have seen them, they have been far, far away. "Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe. These loud, white-and-black geese can cover the ground in a snowy blanket as they eat their way across fallow cornfields or wetlands. Among them, you might see a dark form with a white head—a color variant called the “Blue Goose.” Snow Geese have skyrocketed in numbers and are now among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent. The Snow Goose is a white-bodied goose with black wingtips that are barely visible on the ground but noticeable in flight. The pink bill has a dark line along it, often called a "grinning patch" or "black lips." You may also see dark morph Snow Geese, or "Blue Geese," with a white face, dark brown body, and white under the tail. Snow Geese don’t like to travel without the company of another couple dozen geese and can form flocks of several hundred thousand. Family groups forage together on wintering grounds, digging up roots and tubers from muddy fields and marshes. In flight, they are steady on the wing with even wingbeats." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow_Goose/id

This is what most of the trees were like in parts of Waterton Lakes National Park, when we were there from 19-21 June 2015. This particular photo was taken on 20 June, along the Bertha Lake Trail, somewhere between the trailhead and Bertha Falls. The previous day, we had gone part way along the Chief Mountain Parkway, where all the trees were covered in these caterpillars. "Tent caterpillars tend to hatch in the early spring, after trees bud. They feed on leaves for approximately six weeks, and then search for places to create cocoons. About 10 days later, the adult forest tent moth emerges and the female immediately begins to lay eggs for the next spring. While tent caterpillars can cause severe damage to trees as they defoliate them, they seldom kill them; most trees will bud again later in the summer." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_tent_caterpillar_moth I was so lucky to be invited to join my friends 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 just 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. It's going to take me ages to type descriptions for the various photos I'll slowly be posting, and I will no doubt keep adding new bits and pieces over time. There is just so much information I want to add, but my descriptions are already way too long. Also, my photos of quite a few of the plants will be posted for the use of ANPC members and are, unfortunately, really poor images. Need them added to my Waterton Lakes album, so please bear with me : ) Luckily, you don't even need to look at them.

This photo was taken on 29 May 2015, on a trip way down in southern Alberta. A small group of us spent the day at the Whaleback, climbing the ridges, doing a species count. We had such a great day, finding all sorts of things of interest - plants, mosses, lichens - and in my case, insects, animals and birds, too : ) In fact, anything and everything, lol. The weather was good for walking, not too warm and, up till the last part, dry. When I say "walking", the word "strolling" is perhaps more accurate - with friends like this, there seems to be something of interest every few feet. This kind of outing really suits me and my body! We were so lucky that the rain stayed away for most of the day. When I went on this outing in May 2013, it rained all day, though I still managed to get plenty of photos. This year, the day was overcast with low cloud, making scenic shots rather unpleasant. Just before taking the turn for the road leading to a place to park, we stopped at a spot down by the river and did a search there. I was thrilled to bits to find three or four Tent Caterpillars on a plant next to a large rock and thought what a way to start the day. After taking a few photos, I walked to the other side of the rock and noticed what almost looked like a circular patch of lichen growing on the rock surface. A closer look revealed this mass of dozens of these caterpillars, with several others climbing up in single file to join the rest. Still makes me itch all over, just thinking about it, lol! Their "tent" was barely visible just below them on the rock. "Tent caterpillars tend to hatch in the early spring, after trees bud. They feed on leaves for approximately six weeks, and then search for places to create cocoons. About 10 days later, the adult forest tent moth emerges and the female immediately begins to lay eggs for the next spring. While tent caterpillars can cause severe damage to trees as they defoliate them, they seldom kill them; most trees will bud again later in the summer." www.ctvnews.ca/canada/tent-caterpillar-outbreaks-plague-c... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_tent_caterpillar_moth Another highlight of the day for me was when I happened to notice a tiny spot of bright red deep inside a distant Early Yellow Locoweed flower. I zoomed in for a photo and thought it looked like it might be a Ladybug. Couldn't count the spots properly, so I very gently parted the petals to get a better look. Unfortunately, it crawled on to my hand and wouldn't return to a petal until after I had taken two or three macro shots, and then it immediately moved out of sight. I was so happy to find that it was a different kind of Ladybug, though I had seen one a few years ago - a Convergent Ladybug. Part way through the day, I stayed behind while the rest of the group climbed to a higher ridge, and I explored the lower ground. It was a place where I knew I wouldn't get lost - but I did have to wait till at least some of the others returned a few hours (?) later, as others were needed to create an opening to climb though the barbed-wire fence again : ) I found plenty to photograph and it was quite a feeling to be so high up with such an amazing view all around, and to be alone up there. While I sat to eat lunch on a rocky outcrop with a couple of trees, a tiny Sparrow (a Clay-coloured Sparrow, I believe) came to visit a couple of times and sing for me. Also, there were maybe half a dozen Brewer's Blackbirds that stayed around the area for much of the time, flying or perched on low bushes. A truly magical time. The rest of the group had a great time, too, and saw Parry's Townsendia flowers and lots of Balsamroot in bloom. Fortunately, I had seen the Townsendia before on a brutal hike to Picklejar Lakes several years ago. Two years ago, I had also seen hillsides at the Whaleback covered in the bright yellow Balsamroot flowers. I did manage to find several plants huddled together lower down, so was happy to get a few photos of these bright and cheery flowers. As usual, their large leaves and beautiful flowers had been well-nibbled by the caterpillars that live on them. Altogether, a wonderful day in an incredibly beautiful place with great company! Many thanks, Robin and Cedric, for giving me a ride there and back - appreciated it SO much! And Sandy, if you happen to read this, I guess I have to thank you for not letting me know that you wouldn't be going, lol!

All three photos posted today were taken the day before yesterday, 29 May 2015, on a trip way down in southern Alberta. A small group of us spent the day at the Whaleback, climbing the ridges, doing a species count. We had such a great day, finding all sorts of things of interest - plants, mosses, lichens - and in my case, insects, animals and birds, too : ) In fact, anything and everything, lol. The weather was good for walking, not too warm and, up till the last part, dry. When I say "walking", the word "strolling" is perhaps more accurate - with friends like this, there seems to be something of interest every few feet. This kind of outing really suits me and my body! We were so lucky that the rain stayed away for most of the day. When I went on this outing in May 2013, it rained all day, though I still managed to get plenty of photos. The day was overcast with low cloud, making scenic shots rather unpleasant. Just before taking the turn for the road leading to a place to park, we stopped at a spot down by the river and did a search there. I was thrilled to bits to find three or four Tent Caterpillars on a plant next to a large rock and thought what a way to start the day. After taking a few photos, I walked to the other side of the rock and noticed what almost looked like a circular patch of lichen growing on the rock surface. A closer look revealed this mass of dozens of these caterpillars, with several others climbing up in single file to join the rest. Still makes me itch all over, just thinking about it, lol! Their "tent" was barely visible just below them on the rock. "Tent caterpillars tend to hatch in the early spring, after trees bud. They feed on leaves for approximately six weeks, and then search for places to create cocoons. About 10 days later, the adult forest tent moth emerges and the female immediately begins to lay eggs for the next spring. While tent caterpillars can cause severe damage to trees as they defoliate them, they seldom kill them; most trees will bud again later in the summer." www.ctvnews.ca/canada/tent-caterpillar-outbreaks-plague-c... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_tent_caterpillar_moth Another highlight of the day for me was when I happened to notice a tiny spot of bright red deep inside a distant Early Yellow Locoweed flower. I zoomed in for a photo and thought it looked like it might be a Ladybug. Couldn't count the spots properly, so I very gently parted the petals to get a better look. Unfortunately, it crawled on to my hand and wouldn't return to a petal until after I had taken two or three macro shots, and then it immediately moved out of sight. I was so happy to find that it was a different kind of Ladybug, though I had seen one a few years ago - a Convergent Ladybug. Part way through the day, I stayed behind while the rest of the group climbed to a higher ridge, and I explored the lower ground. It was a place where I knew I wouldn't get lost - but I did have to wait till at least some of the others returned a few hours (?) later, as others were needed to create an opening to climb though the barbed-wire fence again : ) I found plenty to photograph and it was quite a feeling to be so high up with such an amazing view all around, and to be alone up there. While I sat to eat lunch on a rocky outcrop with a couple of trees, a tiny Sparrow (a Clay-coloured Sparrow, I believe) came to visit a couple of times and sing for me. Also, there were maybe half a dozen Brewer's Blackbirds that stayed around the area for much of the time, flying or perched on low bushes. A truly magical time. The rest of the group had a great time, too, and saw Parry's Townsendia flowers and lots of Balsamroot in bloom. Fortunately, I had seen the Townsendia before on a brutal hike to Picklejar Lakes several years ago. Two years ago, I had also seen hillsides at the Whaleback covered in the bright yellow Balsamroot flowers. I did manage to find several plants huddled together lower down, so was happy to get a few photos of these bright and cheery flowers. As usual, their large leaves and beautiful flowers had been well-nibbled by the caterpillars that live on them. Altogether, a wonderful day in an incredibly beautiful place with great company! Many thanks, Robin and Cedric, for giving me a ride there and back - appreciated it SO much! And Sandy, if you happen to read this, I guess I have to thank you for not letting me know that you wouldn't be going, lol!