Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: feeding time

Photographed this male Brewer's Blackbird a few days ago, on 27 June 2014, when I drove a few of the backroads SW of the city. This is such a busy time for birds, collecting insects to feed to their young. "A bird to be seen in the full sun, the male Brewer’s Blackbird is a glossy, almost liquid combination of black, midnight blue, and metallic green. Females are a staid brown, without the male’s bright eye or the female Red-winged Blackbird’s streaks. Common in towns and open habitats of much of the West, you’ll see these long-legged, ground-foraging birds on sidewalks and city parks as well as chuckling in flocks atop shrubs, trees, and reeds." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/brewers_blackbird/id The famous, annual Calgary Stampede begins tomorrow, with the Stampede Parade taking place in the morning. William Shatner (from Star Trek) is our Parade Marshall. No worries about the weather, as it's a beautiful, sunny day today and tomorrow is supposed to be good, too.

I have a very long day's trip south of the city today, meeting time is 7:00 a.m., so won't be around. Lol, I started the day off with major cramp in one thigh and one foot (which I get so rarely) and my back kills. Just hope I can manage the hike, especially after a long, long drive! I'll probably never get the chance to go there again, so really wanted to go. I know I won't feel like uploading photos by the time I get home, so I'm posting horribly early this morning. Saw this Horned Grebe feeding his/her youngster at a slough along Highway 22X, on July 8th.

Yesterday evening, I went with a gentleman who has had a Bluebird nesting box route for something like 25 years, recording and banding the various birds he finds. These include Tree Swallows, too. This is the third year in a row that I have gone on this drive south of the city and I enjoy it every time. Actually, this time, there was an added bonus - we were shown a flying squirrel that has taken over a nesting box. This photo shows one of the female Mountain Bluebirds with mouth full, waiting patiently (or otherwise!) for us to finish at her nesting box. Love the mix of colours in her feathers.