Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Turkey

Yay, Day 5 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas is finally finished! Now I can begin to sort and edit photos from Day 6. Having to combine images from two cameras doesn't make things any easier. Day 6 will have lots of colourful, closer bird shots, thank goodness : ) At the end of Day 5, it was nice to see a few Wild Turkeys around the King Ranch Visitor Centre, which had been our meeting place. This was a really special full day, from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, on 23 March 2019, Day 5 of our 13-day birding holiday in South Texas. Before we left Calgary, we had booked a tour at the 825,000 acre King Ranch and we were greatly looking forward to it. The area we explored was way south on the ranch land, called the Norias Division. The driver of the van/mini-bus was Barb, who did a great job of finding 47 bird species for us, and also trying to find a tiny Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. We also bumped into Barb's boss a couple of times and he went off in search of an owl. Almost at the end of our great day, he managed to find a pair of them! A man, originally from Holland, but now living in Houston, had travelled all the way to the King Ranch, hoping most of all to see one of these beautiful owls. The rest of us had actually seen one of these owls on our Trinidad & Tobago trip in 2017. He joined us for the day and, needless to say, he was delighted that his sought-after species was successful. The owls were far away, so photos (to be posted later) are very distant, but what a gorgeous pair of little owls they were. Everyone was thrilled to bits. Many thanks to Tom (?) for searching and searching! "In 1853, Captain Richard King purchased a creek-fed oasis in the Wild Horse Desert of South Texas, sparking generations of integrity, preservation, and innovation. King Ranch now covers 825,000 acres—more land than the state of Rhode Island. Over the course of over 160 years, King Ranch led some of the first cattle drives, developed the Santa Gertrudis and Santa Cruz breeds of cattle, bred the finest Quarter Horses, and produced champion Thoroughbreds—all under its iconic Running W® brand. Today’s King Ranch is a major agribusiness with interests in cattle ranching, farming (citrus, cotton, grain, sugar cane, and turfgrass), luxury retail goods, and recreational hunting." king-ranch.com/ Some of the species we were already familiar with, but new birds included the amazing Scissor-tailed flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and Bronzed Cowbird. I was really hoping that we might see a Green Jay, and I was in luck. A variety of wildflowers, a mushroom (Ink-cap or similar), a beautiful moth, and several deer added to our enjoyment. We were also very lucky to see a Javelina/Collared Peccary travelling fast through the bushes. Another sighting that was as fleeting as could possibly be were half a dozen Nilgai Antelope. "Texas is home to more free-range nilgai antelope than their native country of India. Originally stocked on the King Ranch in the 1930’s, these sporty game animals quickly took hold and are currently free- ranging on a handful of large private properties in lower South Texas." From link below. www.wildlifesystems.com/nilgai-antelope.html For me, I think the highlight of the day was when I happened to spot a tiny Texan Horned Lizard / Phrynosoma cornutum. A few years ago, I had been so disappointed to miss a trip to SE Alberta to see a Horned Lizard. At the King Ranch, we were standing still for some reason, when something caught my eye near my shoes. I thought a small piece of dead, faded plant had blown in. Then it moved again, still not far from my feet. Couldn't believe my eyes!! What an interesting creature - it actually can shoot blood from small protuberances by its eyes when it feels very threatened! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_horned_lizard We had lunch outside and were visited by a beautiful, curious White-tailed Deer. Several others were also seen while we were driving around the ranch land. A good day, for sure, and we appreciated the effort that Barb and her boss put into searching for various species.

After all the stress the last nine or ten days over a photo of me being posted on Facebook, I was absolutely desperate to get out for a few hours on 5 March 2019, even though I really didn't feel like going. After losing so many hours of sleep ever since then, I would happily have climbed back into bed instead, even more so once I hit the highway south. There were so many huge semi-trailer trucks and at times they seemed to be in competition with each other. I don't remember it usually being this bad. Anyway, I headed south-east of the city, though I would have loved to go east instead. The whole Facebook mess has left me feeling like I shouldn't go in that direction, though, needless to say, plenty of people are still going out there. The weather was beautiful and milder than the last 6 or 7 weeks of deep-freeze. First of all, I did the usual drive around Frank Lake - and saw nothing. After driving a few roads north of there, I again saw no birds, other than four Magpies. Feeling totally uninspired and my heart just wasn't into it at all, I ended up calling in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home. A plate of delicious quiche, a few potato wedges, fruit salad and a much-needed cup of coffee were so welcome. After that, I asked if the huge greenhouse was open. When I tried to get in, I couldn't and had to ask someone to drag the extremely heavy door. Someone must have closed it sometime, as when I went to leave, after spending time with two pigs, lots of chickens, turkeys, domestic Helmeted Guineafowl, two bunnies and lots of House Sparrows, I couldn't budge the sliding door. Same thing with the other three doors. It was ages before someone heard my banging on the door and I was so thankful when a young man turned off his snow-clearing machine and yanked the door open. I told him that I had visions of having to sleep there overnight!

After all the stress the last nine or ten days over a photo of me being posted on Facebook, I was absolutely desperate to get out for a few hours on 5 March 2019, even though I really didn't feel like going. After losing so many hours of sleep for over a week, I would happily have climbed back into bed instead, even more so once I hit the highway south. There were so many huge semi-trailer trucks and at times they seemed to be in competition with each other. I don't remember it usually being this bad. Anyway, I headed south-east of the city, though I would have loved to go east instead. The whole Facebook mess has left me feeling like I shouldn't go in that direction, though, needless to say, plenty of people are still going out there. The weather was beautiful and milder than the last 6 or 7 weeks of deep-freeze. First of all, I did the usual drive around Frank Lake - and saw nothing. After driving a few roads north of there, I again saw no birds, other than four Magpies. Feeling totally uninspired and my heart just wasn't into it at all, I ended up calling in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home. A plate of delicious quiche, a few potato wedges, fruit salad and a much-needed cup of coffee were so welcome. After that, I asked if the huge greenhouse was open. When I tried to get in, I couldn't and had to ask someone to drag the extremely heavy door. Someone must have closed it sometime, as when I went to leave, after spending time with two pigs, lots of chickens, turkeys, domestic Helmeted Guineafowl, two bunnies and lots of House Sparrows, I couldn't budge the sliding door. Same thing with the other three doors. It was ages before someone heard my banging on the door and I was so thankful when a young man turned off his snow-clearing machine and yanked the door open. I told him that I had visions of having to sleep there overnight!

Just added another 14 extra photos tonight, taken on Day 4 of our trip to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). I did not take many photos on this last day at Point Pelee. Day 4 of our holiday was 10 May 2018. We had a ridiiculously early start to the day, as we had been told that American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) tend to gather in and around the hotel parking lot. That information was just too good to ignore, so I think it was sometime after 4:00 am that we were out there, searching. As it turned out, in vain, though we did hear two individuals vocalizing in the dark bushes across the road. The American Woodcock is "a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_woodcock This last day was spent at Pt Pelee, walking a few trails including at The Tip again. We also drove to The Onion Fields, just north of Pt Pelee, between Hillman Marsh and Pt Pelee, where we had a great sighting - a very, very distant male Snowy Owl, sitting way out in a field, next to a white post!! Awful photos, but will eventually post one of them, just for the record. As always, I did not manage to see every species, but was happy to see at least some of them! The next morning, 11 May, we had to do the very long drive from Pelee to Toronto, where we caught a plane to Quebec City, arriving there at 2:45 pm. From there, we had a long drive east to reach the small village of Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence Seaway. There, we would be staying for a week at the summer 'cabin' of one of our group of friends. For a more detailed account of our two-week trip east, see www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/45038233955/in/datepost...

Just added another 14 extra photos tonight, taken on Day 4 of our trip to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). I did not take many photos on this last day at Point Pelee. Day 4 of our holiday was 10 May 2018. We had a ridiiculously early start to the day, as we had been told that American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) tend to gather in and around the hotel parking lot. That information was just too good to ignore, so I think it was sometime after 4:00 am that we were out there, searching. As it turned out, in vain, though we did hear two individuals vocalizing in the dark bushes across the road. The American Woodcock is "a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_woodcock This last day was spent at Pt Pelee, walking a few trails including at The Tip again. We also drove to The Onion Fields, just north of Pt Pelee, between Hillman Marsh and Pt Pelee, where we had a great sighting - a very, very distant male Snowy Owl, sitting way out in a field, next to a white post!! Awful photos, but will eventually post one of them, just for the record. As always, I did not manage to see every species, but was happy to see at least some of them! The next morning, 11 May, we had to do the very long drive from Pelee to Toronto, where we caught a plane to Quebec City, arriving there at 2:45 pm. From there, we had a long drive east to reach the small village of Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence Seaway. There, we would be staying for a week at the summer 'cabin' of one of our group of friends. For a more detailed account of our trip east, see www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/45038233955/in/datepost...

Hope someone at Flickr will fix the commenting problem that has been going on for days now! Unfortunately, with the US Thanksgiving holiday, the issue won't be fixed anytime soon. Today, 22 November 2018, is Thanksgiving Day for Americans. I had not intended posting any photos this morning, but when I realized that the next few photos to upload from our Ontario and Quebec trip were of Wild Turkeys, I thought it appropriate to edit and post some this morning. Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans, wherever you happen to be living at the moment. 9 Fun Facts about Turkeys: www.audubon.org/news/9-fun-facts-about-turkeys Day 4 of our holiday was 10 May 2018. We had a ridiiculously early start to the day, as we had been told that American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) tend to gather in and around the hotel parking lot. That information was just too good to ignore, so I think it was sometime after 4:00 am that we were out there, searching. As it turned out, in vain, though we did hear two individuals vocalizing in the dark bushes across the road. The American Woodcock is "a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_woodcock This last day was spent at Pt Pelee, walking a few trails including at The Tip again. We also drove to The Onion Fields, just north of Pt Pelee, between Hillman Marsh and Pt Pelee, where we had a great sighting - a very, very distant male Snowy Owl, sitting way out in a field, next to a white post!! Awful photos, but will eventually post one of them, just for the record. I have added Anne B's ebird list for Day 4 in a comment box below. As always, I did not manage to see every species, but was happy to see at least some of them! The next morning, 11 May, we had to do the very long drive from Pelee to Toronto, where we caught a plane to Quebec City, arriving there at 2:45 pm. From there, we had a long drive east to reach the small village of Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence Seaway. There, we would be staying for a week at the summer 'cabin' of one of our group of friends. For a more detailed account of our trip east, see www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/45038233955/in/datepost...

Hope someone at Flickr will fix the commenting problem that has been going on for days now! Unfortunately, with the US Thanksgiving holiday, the issue won't be fixed anytime soon. Today, 22 November 2018, is Thanksgiving Day for Americans. I had not intended posting any photos this morning, but when I realized that the next few photos to upload from our Ontario and Quebec trip were of Wild Turkeys, I thought it appropriate to edit and post some this morning. Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans, wherever you happen to be living at the moment. 9 Fun Facts about Turkeys: www.audubon.org/news/9-fun-facts-about-turkeys Day 4 of our holiday was 10 May 2018. We had a ridiiculously early start to the day, as we had been told that American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) tend to gather in and around the hotel parking lot. That information was just too good to ignore, so I think it was sometime after 4:00 am that we were out there, searching. As it turned out, in vain, though we did hear two individuals vocalizing in the dark bushes across the road. The American Woodcock is "a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_woodcock This last day was spent at Pt Pelee, walking a few trails including at The Tip again. We also drove to The Onion Fields, just north of Pt Pelee, between Hillman Marsh and Pt Pelee, where we had a great sighting - a very, very distant male Snowy Owl, sitting way out in a field, next to a white post!! Awful photos, but will eventually post one of them, just for the record. I have added Anne B's ebird list for Day 4 in a comment box below. As always, I did not manage to see every species, but was happy to see at least some of them! The next morning, 11 May, we had to do the very long drive from Pelee to Toronto, where we caught a plane to Quebec City, arriving there at 2:45 pm. From there, we had a long drive east to reach the small village of Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence Seaway. There, we would be staying for a week at the summer 'cabin' of one of our group of friends. For a more detailed account of our trip east, see www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/45038233955/in/datepost...

Hope all my American friends will be lucky enough to enjoy a turkey (or equivalent such as vegetarian) dinner tomorrow, 22 November 2018, the US Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for, though of course more so for some people than others - thinking of all the devastation and loss in California. A special Happy Thanksgiving to all those US servicemen and women (and their families, who also make so many sacrifices), who risk their lives on a daily basis, in order to keep the rest safe and free. Happy Thanksgiving (tomorrow),to all Americans, whatever part of the world you are living in. Our Canadian Thanksgiving was on 8 October this year. This photo was taken on 6 September 2018, which turned out to be a much longer day than I had planned! In the very early hours of the morning, I happened to check the weather forecast just out of interest, and saw that rain is expected on about six of the coming days (if it actually happens). Decided then and there that I had better get out for a drive, just in case. My intention had been to just drive some of the roads east of the city, getting out there via 22X, which is definitely not a drive I like to do. On a previous trip, I had made two mistakes along this complcated highway, and ended up on Stoney Trail going north and, on the return trip, I was in the wrong lane and ended up heading far, far south of the city on the worst major highway. The latter happened again and, like on the previous drive, I ended up going to the Saskatoon Farm. Fortunately, I was in time to get an afternoon meal there and have a wander around the grounds taking photos. I love this place. There were certain things I wanted to go and see again on this day, including a few old barns and sheds. I was also hoping that I might just come across a beautiful hawk or two within camera reach. I even finally got to take photos of a few shorebirds. Throw in a butterfly or two and the odd flower, and I was happy. On this trip, I really wanted to make myself use the Nikon P900 a lot, though this one was taken with my old Panasonic FZ200. I always take a few of the same photos with my Panasonic and Canon point-and-shoots, too, as I am not yet used to the P900. One of my concerns about the latter is that it seems to blow out the white in an image, from what I have seen in quite a few other people's photos - didn''t seem too bad. My other - and main - concern is focus. I still have not been able to stand in front of a flower/something small at various distances, and zoom in. All I see in the viewfinder is a coloured blur. The other cameras don't do this, and I've been doing it easily for many years. Hope I can sort this out! I guess it's just a case of experimenting. So far, apart from this major issue, I think I am liking how the P900 takes photos.

On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to. There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was. Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction! Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels. In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING weekend, everyone! My daughter finally had a day free for us to get together on 23 September 2018. She suggested we could go to the Saskatoon Farm, a place we both love, for breakfast and a wander round the grounds with our cameras. After that, we drove west to Granary Road. Though the Active Learning Park had closed for the fall and winter, it was open for the day on the day we went. It covers a large area and has all sorts of educational areas, including a mushroom area and a farm animal area. We had fun trying to photograph a group of funny Alpacas there. This Turkey took me totally by surprise! I had never seen a white Turkey before, only the darker Wild Turkeys. This domestic Turkey was beautiful with its white feathers edged in black. I had been hoping to get over to Granary Road all summer, but it just didn't happen. This is a fairly new market garden, SW of the city, with an Active Learning Park, too. Before this, the area was simply a huge, empty field, except for the row of five old, red granaries/sheds. I was very disappointed some time ago, when I first saw what was being planned for that particular area. Most of all, I and many other photographers, were horrified when we discovered that the row of old granaries had been removed from the landscape. Some of you may remember my photos of these granaries, which I called "The Famous Five". They have been replaced by five new, red sheds which, I have to say, look better than I had originally thought. Link for my album, "The Famous Five" - 25 images of the original, old row of five, red granaries. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/albums/72157648910659879 There was thick fog in places on this day, but it didn't seem to affect photographing objects that were close. It was still an overcast, dreary kind of day, though. My favourite kind of day, spending time with my daughter.

Friend, Gayle, made an appointment to go to the Cochrane Ecological Institute Centre tthree days ago, on 9 December 2017, and invited me to go along, too. I had longed to visit and, a few years ago, two friends and I were all set to go, but a major storm prevented us from going. It made an interesting morning, going on a tour of the grounds with our guide, Lisa Dahlseide. I know Lisa in connection with the Weaselhead Natural Area in Calgary and it was so nice to see that she was going to be our leader for this walk. She has such a wealth of knowledge and her personality is very much a "people person", including doing a lot of work with young children and nature. As well as being a busy mother of three young children, she is part time Naturalist with Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society and the Education Director for the Cochrane Ecological Institute. Unfortunately, I was too busy being distracted by taking photos of things, that I missed a lot of the explanations for the animals/birds that we saw. I always think that I will be able to find information once I get home and get on the Internet, but that doesn't always happen. "Wildlife" that we saw including several (4?) Bison that had originally been brought up from Waterton years ago; deer; several Wild Turkeys; two Great Horned Owls; and a pair of birds that I have never seen before - White Pheasants. I missed the explanation for these Pheasants, unfortunately. After our visit to the Centre, we drove to Cochrane for an enjoyable lunch. Took a while to drive round looking for somewhere to eat - I had no idea that Cochrane had grown so much. Thanks so much, Gayle, for a different kind of day! Much enjoyed and appreciated. vimeo.com/225317099 "The CEI (Cochrane Ecological Institute) is a family founded, charitable organization devoted to breeding endangered species for reintroduction, wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release, educating the public, monitoring habitat and species, and developing non intrusive wildlife survey methods. The CEI was founded (1971) by Miles and Beryl Smeeton and is now run by their daughter, Clio Smeeton. Miles and Beryl Smeeton were internationally known sailors, mountaineers, and explorers. The Smeetons initiated the swift fox reintroduction program in Canada in 1972, six years before the species was declared extirpated in Canada. All animals held at the CEI are destined for reintroduction. They are not maintained for public exhibit, trade, or sale. Over the 26 years of its existence the CEI has also been an integral part of the Canadian Wildlife Service's Trumpeter swan (Cygnus bucinnator) and wood bison (B.b.athabascae) reintroduction programs, as well as playing a key role in the Canadian swift fox reintroduction program. The CEI is unique in that it holds the world's longest established (1972), largest (20 pairs), and only captive breeding colony of swift fox. These animals are bred solely for reintroduction as part of the CEI's ecosystem restoration program. Internationally, as species and habitat vanish, the concept of ecosystem restoration through the reintroduction of indigenous flora and fauna, is gaining greater and greater prominence. The preservation of habitat without those species, which made that habitat a viable whole, is a sterile exercise." From the CEI's website. www.ceinst.org/about-us.html "Cochrane Ecological Institute's Swift Fox Reintroduction programs began in 1972 under the direction of Beryl and Miles Smeeton. Since that time 0ver 800 Swift fox were reintroduced to the Canadian Prairie. This has resulted in the Species being downlisted by the Canadian Government from Extirpated to Endangered. In 1998 the CEI was invited by the Blackfeet Tribal Fish and Wildlife Department, Browning, Montana to join in a partnership to start the first swift fox re-introduction in the USA on the Blackfeet Tribal Lands. Defenders of Wildlife also became partners in this project and the first swift foxes were released on Blackfeet land in the fall of 1998.This program continued until 2003. The CEI was requested to design and implement a Swift Fox reintroduction program on Blood reserve lands in Alberta Canada in 2003. This resulted in only a 2 year program because of complications resulting from permitting problems and the new Species at Risk Act in Canada." From the CEI website.

"The CEI (Cochrane Ecological Institute) is a family founded, charitable organization devoted to breeding endangered species for reintroduction, wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release, educating the public, monitoring habitat and species, and developing non intrusive wildlife survey methods. The CEI was founded (1971) by Miles and Beryl Smeeton and is now run by their daughter, Clio Smeeton. Miles and Beryl Smeeton were internationally known sailors, mountaineers, and explorers. The Smeetons initiated the swift fox reintroduction program in Canada in 1972, six years before the species was declared extirpated in Canada. All animals held at the CEI are destined for reintroduction. They are not maintained for public exhibit, trade, or sale. Over the 26 years of its existence the CEI has also been an integral part of the Canadian Wildlife Service's Trumpeter swan (Cygnus bucinnator) and wood bison (B.b.athabascae) reintroduction programs, as well as playing a key role in the Canadian swift fox reintroduction program. The CEI is unique in that it holds the world's longest established (1972), largest (20 pairs), and only captive breeding colony of swift fox. These animals are bred solely for reintroduction as part of the CEI's ecosystem restoration program. Internationally, as species and habitat vanish, the concept of ecosystem restoration through the reintroduction of indigenous flora and fauna, is gaining greater and greater prominence. The preservation of habitat without those species, which made that habitat a viable whole, is a sterile exercise." From the CEI's website. www.ceinst.org/about-us.html "Cochrane Ecological Institute's Swift Fox Reintroduction programs began in 1972 under the direction of Beryl and Miles Smeeton. Since that time 0ver 800 Swift fox were reintroduced to the Canadian Prairie. This has resulted in the Species being downlisted by the Canadian Government from Extirpated to Endangered. In 1998 the CEI was invited by the Blackfeet Tribal Fish and Wildlife Department, Browning, Montana to join in a partnership to start the first swift fox re-introduction in the USA on the Blackfeet Tribal Lands. Defenders of Wildlife also became partners in this project and the first swift foxes were released on Blackfeet land in the fall of 1998.This program continued until 2003. The CEI was requested to design and implement a Swift Fox reintroduction program on Blood reserve lands in Alberta Canada in 2003. This resulted in only a 2 year program because of complications resulting from permitting problems and the new Species at Risk Act in Canada." From the CEI website. Friend, Gayle, had made an appointment to go to this Centre yesterday, 9 December 2017, and invited me to go along, too. I had longed to visit and, a few years ago, two friends and I were all set to go, but a major storm prevented us from going. Made an interesting morning yesterday, going on a tour of the grounds with our guide, Lisa Dahlseide. I know Lisa in connection with the Weaselhead Natural Area and it was so nice to see that she was going to be our leader for this walk. She has such a wealth of knowledge and her personality is very much a "people person", including doing a lot of work with young children and nature. As well as being a busy mother of three young children, she is part time Naturalist with Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society and the Education Director for the Cochrane Ecological Institute. Unfortunately, I was too busy being distracted by taking photos of things, that I missed a lot of the explanations for the animals/birds that we saw. I always think that I will be able to find information once I get home and get on the Internet, but that doesn't always happen. "Wildlife" that we saw including several (4?) Bison that had originally been brought up from Waterton years ago; the deer; several Wild Turkeys; a Great Horned Owl that is unable to be released and, apparently, does not have the right personality for being trained as a Wildlife Ambassador; and a pair of birds that I have never seen before - White Pheasants. I missed the explanation for these Pheasants, unfortunately. After our visit to the Centre, we drove to Cochrane for an enjoyable lunch. Took a while to drive round looking for somewhere to eat - I had no idea that Cochrane had grown so much. Thanks so much, Gayle, for a different kind of day! Much enjoyed and appreciated.

Ha, I almost titled this: "Remember my face while you eat your turkey dinner"! This Turkey lives at the Saskatoon Farm, SE of Calgary. I'm never sure whether to call this bird a Wild Turkey or just a Turkey. Took this shot on 8 September 2017, knowing that Thanksgiving was coming up. I find it hard to put the two together - the naked, frozen bird that you see in the supermarket, and this huge, magnificently-feathered, living creature : ) Hope this doesn't spoil your appetite! Here in Canada, it is our Thanksgiving long weekend, with tomorrow, Monday 9 October 2017, being the official Thanksgiving Day. Some people choose to celebrate on the Sunday (today) and others on the Monday (tomorrow). I wanted to wish all Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving, no matter what part of the world you are living in or serving in. We have so much to be thankful for every day in this country, even in difficult or sad times! A special thank you to those service people and their families, who make so many sacrifices for the rest of us, too, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice. I am very thankful for what you all do for the rest of us. Have a happy and safe time, everyone, whether you are fortunate enough to get together with family or spend the time quietly by yourself. On the day I took this photo, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time and definitely wanted to avoid that. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime. These flowers were very popular with the bees, which was so good to see. As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, an old tractor, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place. Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (what's new?) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there. This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food. www.saskatoonfarm.com/ We had snow this morning, 8 October 2017 - all five minutes of it : ) I don't mind that kind of snow. Our temperature shortly before noon is 3C (windchill -3C).

Another day of snow today, 10 October 2016. Needed something colourful to post and thought I'd add this Wild Turkey that I photographed a few weeks ago, at the Saskatoon Farm. Our temperature this morning is -2C (windchill -6C) and tomorrow morning, it's forecast to be -7C (windchill -11C). Looks like we should be having sunshine for a few days, though, which makes all the difference. Here in Canada, it is our Thanksgiving long weekend, with today, Monday 10 October 2015, being the official Thanksgiving Day. Some people choose to celebrate on the Sunday (yesterday) and others on the Monday (today). Have a happy and safe time, whether you are fortunate enough to get together with family or friends, or spend the time quietly by yourself. On 21 September 2016, I left home in sunshine, but by the time I reached my destination south of the city, at the Saskatoon Farm, it was overcast and dreary. This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries. www.saskatoonfarm.com/

Saturday, 21 November 2015, turned out to be a fun day for a group of us, driving SW of the city into the rolling hills to look for birds. We started off ‘well’, when our driver reversed into another birder’s car right there in the parking lot where we met. The crunch sounded really bad, but thankfully damage was very minimal! Our drive took us south to the Millarville area, where we were hoping that we might just see Wild Turkeys, a Gyrfalcon or a Northern Hawk Owl. No luck with the last two, but we were lucky enough to see a number of distant Wild Turkeys at two different locations. Just couldn't get a good shot of any of them, especially when they were moving about through the trees. I had had a look for these months ago, when people were reporting seeing them, but I wasn't able to find any. I think we did just as well, if not better, with mammals than bird species, seeing several beautiful male deer and a couple of distant Coyotes. Then, later on, we were amazed to see a group of three Moose and just a short distance along the road, a group of five Moose. To see even one lone Moose is exciting, but to see eight in one day was amazing and most unusual. Unfortunately, they were all too far away to get even half-decent shots, but I may post one sometime, just for the record. Towards the end of our trip, a friend asked what I was going to be doing afterwards and when I said I had no plans, invited me to go along with him and his friend to look for Great Gray Owls and Snowy Owls. I said I would just grab my backpack from the car I had been riding in, By the time I had got my things out, I happened to turn round to go to their car, when I discovered there were no cars left!! Thank goodness my original drive was still there, as the vehicle I was going to transfer into was way down the road! My friend had forgotten me, lol! When he suddenly realized it, he had stopped and was either going to turn around or back up and had instead gone into the snow-covered ditch. Impossible to get out, so he was going to have to get a ride with someone else till he could reach a place where cell phone service was available and then call for a tow truck. I'm so glad I wasn't in his vehicle - can't help but wonder if my added weight might have caused his car to roll over, lol! And so I returned to the city with my original friends - safe and thankful. Thanks so much for driving for the day, Andrew - much appreciated! To my other friend, who shall remain anonymous (lol), I do hope it didn't take too long for your car to be rescued! This is the final report/list from the leaders of the trip - rather long, but I did want to add it, to jog my own memory: "On Saturday November 21, seventeen birders headed out in mild sunny weather to look for uncommon birds in the Calgary area. We headed south of the city first to check a possible Gyrfalcon spot, then to the Millarville area for Wild Turkeys, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and Northern Hawk-Owl. Our first stop was just south of Lloyd Lake (Red Deer Lake), a little SW of Spruce Meadows. A Gyrfalcon had been seen hunting Rock Pigeons in the area about ten days ago. It took a while to find the correct location, but with a tip from a local resident (who saw the falcon three days prior) we found the grain silos on 226 Avenue just where it starts to turn to the SW. There were only about a dozen pigeons there, and no Gyrfalcon, but the location is worth checking again. We thought we may have seen the bird sitting on a fence post to the south, but when we got closer it proved to be a Rough-legged Hawk, our only one of the day. Next we went just SW of Millarville, where last winter Wild Turkeys frequented a farmyard on RR35. They had been reported once this fall. Also in the area last year were Sharp-tailed Grouse, and a Northern Hawk-Owl on RR40. We found the Wild Turkeys at a farm on Twp 203, which connects RR34 and RR35. We watched them from a distance for a while, then did a slow drive-by, and the birds moved back from the road and eventually out of sight. There appeared to be seven turkeys. After driving a loop around RR 34 and 35, we again found turkeys at a farm on RR35 just south of Twp 203. There were nine birds at this location, but the spot was no more than 1 km from where we saw the other group, and it seems likely that it was the same flock. This might be the only Wild Turkey flock within the 80-km Calgary Count Circle. Next we drove south about 1.5 km to Twp 202, the north on RR40. A Northern Hawk-Owl was seen on this road frequently last winter. At one point I thought we found one, but it was a Gray Jay sitting at the top of a spruce tree. Back in Calgary, we stopped at the canoe club in North Glenmore Park to check the reservoir. A Pacific Loon had been seen there by Jim St. Laurent on Friday afternoon (November 20). We didn't see it, though there were still waterfowl on the remaining open water. Below is the eBird trip summary. eBird Checklist Summary for: Nov 21, 2015, 8:54 AM to Nov 21, 2015, 3:54 PM Number of Checklists: 4 Number of Taxa: 21 Checklists included in this summary: (1): Calgary--Weaselhead Natural Area Date: Nov 21, 2015, 9:09 AM (2): (Gyrfalcon Spot) CA-AB-227101-227199 1119 Dr W - 50.8410x-114.1780 - Nov 21, 2015, 10:33 AM Date: Nov 21, 2015, 10:33 AM (3): (SW of Millarville) CA-AB-370201-370225 272 St W - 50.7079x-114.3940 - Nov 21, 2015, 12:07 PM Date: Nov 21, 2015, 12:07 PM (4): Calgary--North Glenmore Park Date: Nov 21, 2015, 2:19 PM 402 Canada Goose -- (2),(4) 8 Mallard -- (4) 11 Bufflehead -- (4) 150 Common Goldeneye -- (4) 1 Common Merganser -- (4) 1 Ring-necked Pheasant -- (2) 9 Wild Turkey -- (3) 1 Eared Grebe -- (4) 1 Sharp-shinned/Cooper's Hawk -- (1) 2 Bald Eagle -- (1),(3) 1 Rough-legged Hawk -- (2) 11 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (2) 1 Northern Shrike -- (2) 2 Gray Jay -- (3) 1 Blue Jay -- (1) 9 Black-billed Magpie -- (1),(2),(3),(4) 9 Common Raven -- (1),(2),(3) 7 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3),(4) 9 Pine Grosbeak -- (3) 1 House Finch -- (1) 40 White-winged Crossbill -- (1),(3)

Saturday, 21 November 2015, turned out to be a fun day for a group of us, driving SW of the city into the rolling hills to look for birds. We started off ‘well’, when our driver reversed into another birder’s car right there in the parking lot where we met. The crunch sounded really bad, but thankfully damage was very minimal! Our drive took us south to the Millarville area, where we were hoping that we might just see Wild Turkeys, a Gyrfalcon or a Northern Hawk Owl. No luck with the last two, but we were lucky enough to see a number of distant Wild Turkeys at two different locations. Just couldn't get a good shot of any of them, especially when they were moving about through the trees. I had had a look for these months ago, when people were reporting seeing them, but I wasn't able to find any. I think we did just as well, if not better, with mammals than bird species, seeing several beautiful male deer and a couple of distant Coyotes. Then, later on, we were amazed to see a group of three Moose and just a short distance along the road, a group of five Moose. To see even one lone Moose is exciting, but to see eight in one day was amazing and most unusual. Unfortunately, they were all too far away to get even half-decent shots, but I may post one sometime, just for the record. Towards the end of our trip, a friend asked what I was going to be doing afterwards and when I said I had no plans, invited me to go along with him and his friend to look for Great Gray Owls and Snowy Owls. I said I would just grab my backpack from the car I had been riding in, By the time I had got my things out, I happened to turn round to go to their car, when I discovered there were no cars left!! Thank goodness my original drive was still there, as the vehicle I was going to transfer into was way down the road! My friend had forgotten me, lol! When he suddenly realized it, he had stopped and was either going to turn around or back up and had instead gone into the snow-covered ditch. Impossible to get out, so he was going to have to get a ride with someone else till he could reach a place where cell phone service was available and then call for a tow truck. I'm so glad I wasn't in his vehicle - can't help but wonder if my added weight might have caused his car to roll over, lol! And so I returned to the city with my original friends - safe and thankful. Thanks so much for driving for the day, Andrew - much appreciated! To my other friend, who shall remain anonymous (lol), I do hope it didn't take too long for your car to be rescued! This is the final report/list from the leaders of the trip - rather long, but I did want to add it, to jog my own memory: "On Saturday November 21, seventeen birders headed out in mild sunny weather to look for uncommon birds in the Calgary area. We headed south of the city first to check a possible Gyrfalcon spot, then to the Millarville area for Wild Turkeys, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and Northern Hawk-Owl. Our first stop was just south of Lloyd Lake (Red Deer Lake), a little SW of Spruce Meadows. A Gyrfalcon had been seen hunting Rock Pigeons in the area about ten days ago. It took a while to find the correct location, but with a tip from a local resident (who saw the falcon three days prior) we found the grain silos on 226 Avenue just where it starts to turn to the SW. There were only about a dozen pigeons there, and no Gyrfalcon, but the location is worth checking again. We thought we may have seen the bird sitting on a fence post to the south, but when we got closer it proved to be a Rough-legged Hawk, our only one of the day. Next we went just SW of Millarville, where last winter Wild Turkeys frequented a farmyard on RR35. They had been reported once this fall. Also in the area last year were Sharp-tailed Grouse, and a Northern Hawk-Owl on RR40. We found the Wild Turkeys at a farm on Twp 203, which connects RR34 and RR35. We watched them from a distance for a while, then did a slow drive-by, and the birds moved back from the road and eventually out of sight. There appeared to be seven turkeys. After driving a loop around RR 34 and 35, we again found turkeys at a farm on RR35 just south of Twp 203. There were nine birds at this location, but the spot was no more than 1 km from where we saw the other group, and it seems likely that it was the same flock. This might be the only Wild Turkey flock within the 80-km Calgary Count Circle. Next we drove south about 1.5 km to Twp 202, the north on RR40. A Northern Hawk-Owl was seen on this road frequently last winter. At one point I thought we found one, but it was a Gray Jay sitting at the top of a spruce tree. Back in Calgary, we stopped at the canoe club in North Glenmore Park to check the reservoir. A Pacific Loon had been seen there by Jim St. Laurent on Friday afternoon (November 20). We didn't see it, though there were still waterfowl on the remaining open water. Below is the eBird trip summary. eBird Checklist Summary for: Nov 21, 2015, 8:54 AM to Nov 21, 2015, 3:54 PM Number of Checklists: 4 Number of Taxa: 21 Checklists included in this summary: (1): Calgary--Weaselhead Natural Area Date: Nov 21, 2015, 9:09 AM (2): (Gyrfalcon Spot) CA-AB-227101-227199 1119 Dr W - 50.8410x-114.1780 - Nov 21, 2015, 10:33 AM Date: Nov 21, 2015, 10:33 AM (3): (SW of Millarville) CA-AB-370201-370225 272 St W - 50.7079x-114.3940 - Nov 21, 2015, 12:07 PM Date: Nov 21, 2015, 12:07 PM (4): Calgary--North Glenmore Park Date: Nov 21, 2015, 2:19 PM 402 Canada Goose -- (2),(4) 8 Mallard -- (4) 11 Bufflehead -- (4) 150 Common Goldeneye -- (4) 1 Common Merganser -- (4) 1 Ring-necked Pheasant -- (2) 9 Wild Turkey -- (3) 1 Eared Grebe -- (4) 1 Sharp-shinned/Cooper's Hawk -- (1) 2 Bald Eagle -- (1),(3) 1 Rough-legged Hawk -- (2) 11 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (2) 1 Northern Shrike -- (2) 2 Gray Jay -- (3) 1 Blue Jay -- (1) 9 Black-billed Magpie -- (1),(2),(3),(4) 9 Common Raven -- (1),(2),(3) 7 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3),(4) 9 Pine Grosbeak -- (3) 1 House Finch -- (1) 40 White-winged Crossbill -- (1),(3)

Ha, I almost titled this: "Remember my face while you eat your turkey dinner"! This Turkey lives at the Saskatoon Farm, SE of Calgary. I'm never sure whether to call this bird a Wild Turkey or just a Turkey. Took this quick shot on 25 September 2015, knowing that Thanksgiving was coming up. Here in Canada, it is our Thanksgiving long weekend, with today, Monday 12 October 2015, being the official Thanksgiving Day. I wanted to wish all Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving, no matter what part of the world you are living in or serving in. We have so much to be thankful for every day, in this country, even in difficult or sad times! A special thank you to those service people and their families, who make so many sacrifices for the rest of us, too sometimes the ultimate sacrifice. I am very thankful for what you all do for the rest of us. Have a happy, safe time, everyone! Some people choose to celebrate on the Sunday (yesterday) and others on the Monday (today). Have a happy and safe time, whether you are lucky enough to get together with family or spend the time quietly by yourself. I find it hard to put the two together - the naked, frozen bird that you see in the supermarket, and this huge, magnificently-feathered, living creature : ) Hope this doesn't spoil your appetite!

I'm never sure whether to call this bird just a Turkey or a Wild Turkey - to me, it looks like the Wild Turkeys I have seen in the wild, but it lives at the Saskatoon Farm, a short drive SE of Calgary. There is a pair of them, sharing an enclosure with several different varieties of chicken. Are Turkeys that are raised for meat, white (so that their skin isn't pigmented)? Here in Canada, it was our Thanksgiving weekend, with today, Monday 13 October 2014, being the official Thanksgiving Day. I wanted to wish all Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving, no matter what part of the world you are living in or serving in. We have so much to be thankful for every day, in this country! A special thank you to those service people and their families, who make so many sacrifices for the rest of us, too often the ultimate sacrifice. I am very thankful for what you all do for the rest of us. Have a happy, safe time, everyone! Some people choose to celebrate on the Sunday (yesterday) and others on the Monday (today). Yesterday, I had a lot to be thankful for, lol! For the first time in almost two years, I made myself drive east of the city on my own. Recently, I did drive all the way to Drumheller and the Badlands, but I had my youngest daughter with me. The weather was so beautiful again yesterday and, after six days of not going out with my camera, I was itching to go "somewhere". I had been worried all week, as my oldest daughter had developed a haematoma in her upper thigh and, though she had been to Emergency straight away, I wasn't sure if she was going to end up in the hospital at any time. A number of years ago, she had a massive, major blood vessel aneurysm in her leg, which left her bruised from her toes to the top of her thigh. It had meant a stay in the hospital that time and they weren't sure if it had damaged the main nerve in her leg (which would have meant she could no longer walk). It took her six months to recover from this. This time, thankfully, it was a smaller thing, though it will still take a few weeks for the haematoma to fully drain. I just didn't feel like going off anywhere, but yesterday, I thought it would do me good to get out in the sunshine and fresh air. Once my daughter's leg has healed, she can then go for new X-Rays in preparation for getting two knee replacement surgeries! Along highway 22X going east from the city, they spent so many months on major road construction, building the eastern part of a huge ring road around the city. This was one of the main reasons I hadn't driven out that way for so long, as the roads were one huge confusion. After yesterday, I can't see myself going out that way ever again, lol! Knowing that I had to concentrate really hard on all the endless, new road signs, I was fairly sure that, now that construction had more or less ended, all I would have to do was drive in a straight line. Well, somehow, I was in the wrong lane and, to my horror, I found myself heading north on the new ring road. All I could do was just keep driving, hoping I would eventually hit Glenmore Trail which would take me east of the city. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened. I did end up in a totally different area to the east, but ended up seeing two beautiful barns - a red one and a white one - because of it. Later in the afternoon, I ended up roughly in the area I had originally planned on, thinking that the drive back to Calgary would be just one straight line on 22X. Finding my way to 22X brought me to two lovely finds - an old grain elevator that I didn't know about, and a Great Horned Owl (48x zoom and well cropped). How wrong I was about the return drive! Somehow, I found myself on Deerfoot Trail, heading south towards the Canada/US border (well, Okotoks might be a little less of an exaggeration, lol!). Nothing I could do, but just keep driving south until I was able to turn off at some familiar place - which happened to be The Saskatoon Farm : ) Fancy that, their restaurant was pretty much empty and I was just in time to enjoy their Quiche meal : )) And so, I eventually arrived back home, feeling both relieved - anyone with a driving phobia will understand! - and so happy and thankful for my various finds. HAPPY THANKSGIVING, everyone!