Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Beaverdam Flats

Yesterday, 24 January 2016, I decided to go on an afternoon birding walk with friends. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it wasn't all that cold. Have to admit that Beaverdam Flats is not my favourite place to walk and it is never rewarding as far as photography is concerned. Almost all the birds are waterfowl and tend to be along the far side of the Bow River (seen at the left hand edge of this photo). In winter, the narrow trail down from the top of the cliff tends to be icy, and the climb back up along the paved path always reminds me how unfit I am, ha. This photo, one of maybe half a dozen taken, is the only one remotely worth keeping. I'm posting it just to remind myself where I went yesterday. I will add the leaders' species list below. Thanks so much, Janet and Bernie, for taking us on this walk, and for the always enjoyed coffee and chat at Tim Horton's afterwards! Birding Beaverdam Flats, Calgary. 1:15 - 3:15pm. Sun. Jan 24/16. Foggy & snowing lightly, 0C with light North wind at beginning of walk. Clear by 2:pm, +3C. 1. Canada Goose - 2 2. Mallard - 300 3. Common Goldeneye - 140 4. Bufflehead - 18 5. Common Merganser - 4 6. Bald Eagle - 2+ 7. Feral Pigeon - 2 8. Northern Flicker - 2 9. Black-billed Magpie - 7 10. Common Raven - 9 11. Black-capped Chickadee - 16 12. American Robin - 1 13. House Finch - 30 14. Pine Siskin - 1 15. House Sparrow - 25 Eastern Gray Squirrel - 1

These two Canada Geese were standing high up on the railway bridge over the Bow River this morning. Perhaps not the wisest thing to do with so many Bald Eagles in the area. It almost felt like spring, apart from the icy paths in the park, LOL.

Not too inspiring a photo, but I saw this scene at Beaverdam Flats the other day and just liked the dark, twisted trunks surrounded by fall colours.

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.

These days, I'm lucky if I come home with even a couple of photos worth keeping from any long walk, LOL. Just too grey and lightless. Bright red Rose hips always catch my eye, though, especially when seen against a backdrop of snow. Photographed at Beaverdam Flats four days ago. Proves that wrinkled skin can be attractive, ha, ha! It's snowing again, but only lightly - so far.

LOL, looking at this just now, it occurred to me that I could have taken eight shots of the same bird a couple of seconds apart and then cut and pasted (or whatever one does) to create one image. If I'd told you that's what I had done, you may have been more impressed : ) Not a very inspiring photo, but I love hearing and watching Canada Geese fly overhead. Their calls and the sound of their powerful wings beating always give me a good feeling. Only rarely do I try and take flight shots with my little point-and-shoot, for obvious reasons : )

Calgary is hosting the 2009 Grey Cup. Yesterday, the Grey Cup (football) procession in Calgary began with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team flying overhead as parade marshal Elisha Cuthbert--who plays actor Kiefer Sutherland's daughter on the TV show 24--and CFL commissioner Mark Cohon led the floats carrying the Grey Cup. I was on a walk at Beaverdam Flats in the morning and we caught a quick, very distant glimpse of the Snowbird formation flying over the city. A short while later, the planes flew over us, still quite high, one behind the other. Managed to just get a quick and heavily cropped shot : ) "The Snowbirds Demonstration Team (431 Squadron) is a Canadian icon comprised of serving members of the Canadian Forces. Their pilots and technicians work as a team to bring thrilling performances to the North American public. Serving as Canadian ambassadors, the Snowbirds demonstrate the high level of professionalism, teamwork, excellence, discipline and dedication inherent in the women and men of the Air Force and the Canadian Forces." From www.snowbirds.forces.gc.ca .

Ice crystal formations on the railings of a wooden bridge at Beaverdam Flats on 28th November.

A pair of Black Meadowhawk dragonflies mating. Seen on a walk at Beaverdam Flats in the city. "A dragonfly has a life span of more than a year, but very little of that life is actually as an adult dragonfly. There are three stages of the dragonfly life cycle, the egg, the nymph, and the adult dragonfly. Most of the life cycle of a dragonfly is lived out in the nymph stage and you don’t see them at all, unless you are swimming underwater in a lake or pond with your eyes opened, of course.... Adult dragonflies only live about two months." From www.dragonfly-site.com/dragonfly-life-cycle.html . "The male has appendages at the end of its abdomen which help him to clasp the female, and the size and position of these clasps fits only the right species. He may either fly in tandem with the female or bring her down to a stationary position by clasping the back of her head. The male flaps his wings and flexes his abdomen to indicate readiness to which the female responds. They may even curl to make their abdomens meet, in which case they form a heart (also known as the wheel position). Once the sperm is transferred, the male may leave or remain attached to the female to make sure that she does not mate further and in some instances till she oviposits the eggs either on water or by depositing them in plants with the help of her sharp ovipositor." From www.blurtit.com .

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 : )

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.

The colours of this autumn leaf attracted my attention, and then I noticed this small, red-eyed insect, too. Seen on a walk at Beaverdam Flats.

I love seeing brilliant yellow fields of Canola. From a distance, I always think it looks like one solid mass of colour, but here is a look at some individual flowers. These ones were growing at the edge of the main pathway that leads down into Beaverdam Flats park. The word "canola" was derived from "Canadian oil, low acid" in 1978.

Not sure if this is a leaf or leaflet, but I just liked it : ). Noticed on a walk near the edge of the Bow River at Beaverdam Flats park.

We saw this bright clump of Sticky Locoweed wildflowers at Beaverdam Flats yesterday. There were a lot of tiny flowers that were blue. Next to this clump was another plant of the same species, but it had mainly purple flowers.

This tiny Spring Azure butterfly is the first to arrive in Calgary each spring, usually in May. These butterflies only live a few days. Wingspan is 25-30 mm.

We saw a number of Bald Eagles (7+, all immature) on our walk along the Bow River at Beaverdam Flats this morning, including this juvenile. I can really see why some people (who are not birders) think they have seen a Golden Eagle. Such massive birds. It takes about five years for a Bald Eagle to develop the white head feathers. Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those huge talons or that very powerful bill!

When we came across this immature Bald Eagle two days ago at Beaverdam Flats, I noticed that it kept a very watchful eye on Pete as he walked along the path, getting closer to the tree. Not sure if Pete was keeping a very careful eye on the massive, powerful bird that was perched just above him, LOL! www.petejones.ca/