Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Blue Jay

From yesterday, 31 May 2019: Oh, my goodness, the smoke from the wildfire in northern Alberta reached us yesterday evening. I was out at a meeting and all was as usual on my drive there. When I came out later, the air reeked of smoke and visibility was poor. The Weather Network had warned that this summer would be a smoky one - again. Last summer was dreadful and not good health-wise to go out in, so I stayed home on so many days. When I woke up this morning, my whole house smelled strongly of smoke. It always makes me think of the poor people close to any forest fire - how on earth do they breath?! "The Air Quality Health Index in Calgary has reached 10+, or high risk, with most of the province under a special air quality alert due to smoke blowing in from wildfires in northern Alberta. Dr. Raj Bhardwaj, a Calgary physician, says the particulate in the air on Friday has the same health effects as smoking 10-15 cigarettes a day." From CBC News. Flickr staff seem to have solved several issues, especially in connection with views statistics. The number of views has never been accurate, we all know that, but very recently, the number of views has been out of control. Now things seem to be back to a more realistic number, thank goodness, I haven't yet tested out the issue of comments and faves, to see if all comments and all faves are acknowledged, but it looks OK so far. That would be great to know that when someone comments on an image, their comment/fave can be seen, especially after going to the trouble of writing a comment. Posting a few more photos today taken during our May Species Count on 26 May 2019. All the photos posted this afternoon were taken at our first stop on the Count, which was at the Castell Ranch, SW of Calgary. This is such a rewarding and enjoyable place to be, with so many species flocking to the feeders, grounds and pond. Unfortunately, most of my shots were taken through a glass window that had netting on the outside, to prevent birds from flying into the window. We had to look from this room, in order for the birds to come down - standing outside tends to keep the birds away. On the Count last year, the same thing happened and almost all my photos were blurry. This year, I think I can manage to rescue a few of the less blurry images, sharpening them as much as I dare. After this early morning treat, we drove a few of the back roads in the area, calling in at several acreages. Brown-Lowery Provincial Park was also one of our stops - has an outhouse (yay!) and a picnic table where we sat for our lunch. The park is not part of our Count area, but each year, we stop there for the outhouse and table and also to take a short walk into the forest to check and see if there are any Calypso Orchids in bloom. We managed to find one tiny flower in full bloom, so we were content. Afterwards, we made one last drive to see if there was any sign of a Bobolink. One or two people have been seeing them already this spring. A couple of cyclists came by and one of them asked if we were looking for a Bobolink - he told us he had seen one just a few hours earlier in a particular place. Sure enough, with a bit of patience, we suddenly realized that there was one behind us on the far side of the road. Will post a dreadful photo of it soon, just for the record.

Though we have Blue Jays in the city, I usually hear them rather than see them. Heavily overcast didn''t help with taking photos, but at least I got it. All four photos posted this morning were taken on 27 December 2018, when I took part with seven others (in two vehicles) in the annual Audubon Sheep River/Turner Valley Christmas Bird Count. The weather forecast was for sun and cloud, but there was only a very brief sighting of sun on the distant mountain peaks in the whole day. Heavily overcast is an accurate description. Fortunately, it was not bitterly cold (between -11C and -3C) and there was no deep snow to have to walk through. We only saw 13 species of bird, but we were all delighted to see a Moose (female), with two being seen by one participant. I think I only got photos of two birds in the whole day - plus a fake owl on a barn door, that I like to photograph each year : ) Two days later, I had to be up really early to get to a meeting place by 7:30 am, ready for the annual Audubon Cochrane Wildlife Reserve Christmas Bird Count. This was my last out-of-city Count for this winter. There is a Fish Creek Park annual New Year's Day Count coming up, so hopefully there won't be any new snow before then. It did snow a bit yesterday.

The third photo I was going to post this morning looked blurrier than it did very late last night, lol! So, instead, I grabbed this quick shot of a Blue Jay that was seen in the Weaselhead area on 28 January 2014, when I went on a morning's walk with a group of friends. I rarely actually see Blue Jays - more often, I hear them. This one landed just briefly on the top of a tall tree, just long enough to get a quick shot, turning it's head away just as I clicked, and away it flew.

Thanks to Phil, here is yet another photograph of one of the five Blue Jay fledgelings whose parents wisely chose Phil and his wife's beautiful, inviting garden for their home. This (not so) little guy/gal flew down to the tiny pond for a drink.

A photo of one of the young Blue Jays in a friend's garden, taken way back in June last year. I can't remember off-hand how many young ones this pair of Blue Jays had, but it was a large family : ) Phil very kindly let me go over to the beautiful garden that he and his wife have lovingly created and take my very first photos of Blue Jays (other than a few extremely distant shots). I wasn't sure whether I liked this close-up, but decided thta I would post it after all : )

Alternative title: "Mom - I'm hungry!". Mom was nearby to answer the hunger call of this young one and its four siblings. A photo of a Blue Jay has been at the top of my photography Wish List for maybe four years. Thanks SO much to Phil (on flickr, PhilPete) and his wife for letting me go round to their amazing backyard this evening to see a family of Blue Jays with five young ones! These babies allowed me to get within just a handful of feet - the evening light was not good, though, with my little point-and-shoot, so my photos are grainy. However, I was THRILLED to be given this great opportunity. I'd never seen a young one before! "Everyone" has Blue Jays come to their garden - except ME, LOL! Thank you, thank you, thank you, both of you!! So much appreciated! Looking forward to seeing YOUR Blue Jay photos, Phil!

Another of the photos I was able to take yesterday when I got the opportunity to visit the garden of Phil and his wife. This perfect little patch of Paradise is home to a family of Blue Jays, with five young ones! Thanks again, Phil!

Thanks to Phil, a photographer friend, I was given the chance to see this family of Blue Jays, which has five fledgelings, in his garden. I was thrilled to finally get a few photos of Blue Jays!

At long last, I have managed to get a closer photo of a Blue Jay - in poor light and through the window of my car. For three years, I have hoped for a close-up - but a good one! Well, I'm getting closer to the "top" bird on my wish list. These birds are all over the place and often seen in OTHER people's gardens :) One of these days, I hope to get a good, colourful image but for now, this is better than any other previous photo I have taken.

Well, I now have a photo of a Blue Jay - but not exactly the close-up that I long for! Till I get one, I will continue to enjoy all the magnificent photos that you all post!