Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Shaw's Meadow

Yesterday afternoon, 8 November 2015, I pushed myself out the front door to go on a walk with birding friends. Knowing that I'm supposed to do a lot more walking than I do (which cuts into my Fickr time, sorry!) and also seeing that the weather forecast was for snow today, made the decision that much easier. We met at Votier's Flats in Fish Creek Park and walked eastwards to Shaw's Meadow, where we climbed the hill up to the houses that border the park. This feeder was in someone's garden, being visited by this little Black-capped Chickadee and various other birds. We thought the feeder was rather cute with the tiny rooster weather vane on the top. Not many bird species to be seen, though numbers are always down in the afternoon, compared to morning walks. Chickadees are such tough little guys, though they are always only 24 hours away from death if they can't get enough fat stored in their body to last overnight. "The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand)." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id The final list of 14 bird species prepared by our leaders, Gus, Janet, Bernie and David: Bald Eagle-1 ad. Sharp-shinned Hawk- Ring-billed Gull-2 Downy Woodpecker-2 Hairy Woodpecker-1 Northern Flicker-2 Black-billed Magpie-8 Common Raven-11 Black-capped Chickadee-30+ Boreal Chickadee-2 Red-breasted Nuthatch-8 White-breasted Nuthatch-3 Red Crossbill-1 m Dark-eyed Junco-1 Red Squirrel-1 Mule Deer-4 After the walk, four of us went for coffee at Tim Horton's. I always enjoy this, just as much as the walk itself.

Pushed myself out the front door this afternoon to go on a walk from Glennfield to Shaw's Meadow, Fish Creek Park. The sun was shining and the temperature was about -8C (windchill about -14C), but it felt much colder. Not sure where all the wildlife was - I didn't see even one little Chickadee, but did see a Raven and a Magpie and heard a Downy Woodpecker. Bird numbers seem to be extremely low these days.

This was taken yesterday, in the rain and snow, when we were doing the annual May Species Count in Fish Creek Park. This Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius syn. Actitis macularia) looked less than impressed! We spent about six hours in temperatures of 0.8-2C! Out came the winter boots, the sweater, the fleece jacket, the thick winter jacket, toque, two pairs of gloves and long-johns - and it's June the day after tomorrow, lol. I was halfway to being soaked to the skin! An enjoyable walk, though, as usual. We saw a total of 47 bird species, compared to 58 species May 2009. I'd never taken a photo at ISO 400 before (can you believe it?), so hardly the best quality : )

Apparently, the tiny hooks on the burrs of the Common Burdock plant provided the inspiration for the creation of Velcro! "The hook-loop fastener was invented in 1948 by Swiss engineer, George de Mestral. The idea came to him after he took a close look at the Burdock seeds which kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur on their daily summer walks in the Alps. He examined their condition and saw the possibility of binding two materials reversibly in a simple fashion. He developed the hook and loop fastener and submitted his idea for patent in 1951. It was then granted in 1955. De Mestral named his invention "VELCRO" after the French words velours, meaning 'velvet', and crochet, or 'hook'. The uses and applications of the product are numerous. Today, the VELCRO mark is the subject of more than 300 trademark registrations in over 160 countries." From Wikipedia.

Though this plant is invasive and is pulled from time to time, it is still an attractive plant, with its hooked burrs and its unusual purple and white flowers. This particular plant was growing near the edge of the old Beaver pond in Shaw's Meadow.

Found this in Shaw's Meadow, Fish Creek Park. The plant was introduced from Europe. The plant's species name "vulgare" (meaning "common"), refers to this plant's abundance.

Yet another photo of a dragonfly, a Cherry-faced Meadowhawk, seen in Shaw's Meadow, Fish Creek Park. They land on the evergreen trees there, which is different. Normally, I see these insects land on plants.

Yes, another dragonly photo, taken a couple of days ago in Fish Creek Park, Shaw's Meadow. Not sure what dead plant it is perched on, but I thought it made a difference from the more usual flower.

This plant is an introduced species from Europe. Grows along roadsides, in waste areas and cultivated fields. This Chamomile has narrow, finely dissected leaves, making it easy to tell from Oxe-eye daisies. It is not the species of Chamomile that we make tea from so, Jan, I think we'll open a couple of Herbal teabgs instead : ). Sorry you beat me to it, before I had typed my description!

Do you think I can remember what the whole plant looked like? No! Now I can't identify it, so if anyone out there can help me with an ID, I would be very grateful! It was growing along the edge of a small wetland.

I rather liked the varying patterns on the small pond at Shaw's Meadow, Fish Creek Park, yesterday afternoon.

Introduced from Europe and grows along roadsides, waste areas and cultivated fields.

A closer photo of a Gumweed flower bud, showing the white, sticky sap that this plant produces. I have read that the sticky flower heads can be used as a substitute for chewing gum.

I had never seen a landscape like I found one day in my local natural area. A swampy area had dried out, partly because of beaver activity, and the slime had dried into peaks. Actually, it felt quite eerie - almost like being on another planet! There were several Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers feeding.

Not a very good photo of the Heron but I liked the reflections in the pond. Unfortunately, the light was fading quickly.