Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: FlickrsBest

Can't imagine how many photos there must be on the Internet of these delicate black and white Paper Kite butterflies. This one rested for a moment on a plant in the Butterfly House at the Calgary Zoo.

A very pretty, delicate Poppy growing in the garden at the Calgary Zoo. I love the texture of the petals.

Just HAD to treat myself to three beautiful, orange, glowing roses from Safeway a few days ago! Desperately needed the bright colour - it's almost like needing a good dose of sunshine, LOL!

I have avoided posting this since mid-May last year because it is totally blurry. However, there is just something I like about it - the rounded ears and the contrasting colours : ) Oops, guess I got so carried away thinking about green elephants, that I forgot to add (just in case you didn't recognize it) that this is part of the centre of a Tulip, the thick, central part - stigma??? Thanks, Machel, for the reminder : ) Every time I come across this image in my files, though, I notice the "ears", (seen from the rear end?) ha. I think this was the very first time I tried using my little Raynox 250, and all I could get was BLUR, lol.

I always find the seedheads of the Yellow Mountain-avens quite fascinating and certainly beautiful. These plants grow along river banks and flats, on gravel slopes and roadsides. The elongated styles become feathery after pollination has taken place and are often twisted together when the fruit is immature. I love to see them in this twisted state. The plants in my photo happened to be growiing on the bank of the river near Forgetmenot Pond, which gave the background blue colour and the sparkling waterdroplets in the bokeh.

This is the mother of the two Great Horned Owl owlets in a local park. When I arrived yesterday afternoon, she was across the road from the nest, but keeping a careful eye on a hawk that was circling overhead.

A slightly different view of a Daffodil, bought from Safeway the other day. If this bright flower had been growing outside, it would be bent over under a thick blanket of snow the last couple of days! This is for friends in Calgary (and anywhere else that is experiencing a major winter snow storm at the moment)!

The Tulips in the small bunch I bought from Safeway a few days ago have quite small flowers. Just managed to get a quick shot of one at this stage, but now they are already much more open and I haven't had a chance to take any further photos.

Saw this male White-breasted Nuthatch yesterday at Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park. The sunlight happened to fall just where I wanted it, on the railings of a small, wooden bridge.

I went back to Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, this afternoon. Found the rare Black-backed Woodpecker again immediately. Then I walked back towards the parking lot to photograph a group of five Mule Deer. Noticed two gentlemen with their enormous lenses focussed on "something". They said they had found a tiny Northern Pygmy-owl. These owls are rare to uncommon year-round in Alberta. Think I've only ever seen one twice in the city and once in the mountains. They can be mobbed by little songbirds and the owls have a pair of "false eyes" on the back of their head to help intimidate these songbirds, such as Chickadees. Though Pygmy-owls are small, they are fierce and often catch birds that outweigh themselves. They usually feed at night, but we did see this little guy swoop a few times this afternoon. They are such cute little owls to look at ! Only 18 cm long and about the size of a person's fist or a popcan. I'm surprised that any of my photos came out as the sky was clouding over and I was looking into the trees. Extremely "noisy" shots but I'm still so happy to have them!

Another photo of this amazing, large flower seen in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. Last time I went, there were no open "flowers", but there were several "buds".

We were lucky enough to see this enormous Pileated Woodpecker just a few moments after seeing the Hawk that is in another photo that I am uploading at the same time. These prehistoric looking Woodpeckers are not seen all that often, so it is always a thrill when one is seen. For some reason, they often seem to end up in trees that have a million tiny branches, hence the background mess : )

One of my Sunflowers bought from Safeway has finally reached its final stage. There is still beauty in those pale, curled, hairy bracts (?), though I need to try and get a better photo of them : )

Took this photo a few months ago in the aviary at the Calgary Zoo. Yes, Tanya, I know - disappointing to find out that it was seen at the Zoo, not in the wild! It is such an amazing experience to have these large owls flying around you, with nothing between them and you.

These large yellow wildflowers always brighten up any natural area.

This Oak leaf caught my attention this morning, on a walk with a friend around MacKenzie Lake. When we were looking at the leaves, we also saw the pink, hairy "thing" that I have posted after the Fireworks 3 photo.

We lived in Borneo in the mid to late 1960s. Years later, when I was doing a lot of enrichment work with elementary school children (as a volunteer teacher), I regretted not collecting a few insects from Borneo. A friend of mine was back in Borneo and I asked her if she could possibly send an interesting bug for me to show to the students. THIS is what arrived, LOL! So, I've had it approximately 27 years now. It's a little under 4" long. When sun replaces the rain and my home is brighter inside, I need to try and get a few better photos.

This colourful dragonfly visited my garden a few days ago. No dragonflies today, though, as it was cold and wet.