Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#30

There are 37 images in my Burrowing Owl album, but this photo shows one of the two first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when, or if, they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on very distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so most of my photos tend to be of "eyes". This photo came out so dark, so I had to brighten it. We had called in a second time to see these owls, once the dreadful storm had moved on, though it was still very windy - which is why the head feathers of this owl look wet and dishevelled. Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! "As a result of its ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, the Burrowing Owl has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_owl Without the help of two friends (Ron and Joyce) who helped us know where we might find these birds, and friends Cathy and Terry who invited me to go with them on a wonderful three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, I would never have had this amazing sighting. For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! Same for Cathy and Terry, so all three of us are SO grateful for the help we received! I'm still on a natural high and I know I will be for some time yet : ) During our three days away, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. This always happens when I go anywhere with Cathy and Terry - every day is a very long, fun-filled day, full of exciting finds. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We had driven eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. A few days ago, I posted a photo of the storm that was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m. on our third day, just before we started our return trip to Calgary. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning and extremely strong winds. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone. Thankfully, we were not right in the very centre of it, but it was still a very scary experience. So, a few of the things we saw on our trip - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Cathy and Terry, thanks so much for yet another wonderful trip with you! Can't thank you enough for inviting me along. You always do such a great job of finding so many interesting things for us to see and enjoy. Lots of fun! flic.kr/p/p69jQ6

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to have the chance to try and photograph a couple of these absolutely adorable little creatures : ) After a while, I was beginning to despair of ever getting any decent shots at all. These tiny Pikas, also known as Rock Rabbits, hardly ever remain still and they are extremely fast! Imagine a mountain hillside covered in sharp, jagged rocks of all sizes and then try to picture how difficult it is to find in the viewfinder the single rock on which one of these Pikas might happen to sit for a second or two, lol! As time passed, I managed to take quite a lot of photos, though many will need to eventually be deleted. Came home with too many photos to go through when I got home (at midnight!) and this morning I have to get ready to go to my volunteer shift. So, basically, I grabbed a single shot to post today - hope you don't get tired of seeing these little guys, but they are just so very cute. This is a zoomed capture and at this point, the Pika was very close. They are about 15 to 23 centimetres (5.9 to 9.1 in) in body length, so really are pretty small. And, no, I didn't put one in my pocket to bring home with me - just kidding! Will have to wait till I get home later, to add more information about yesterday's 18-hour trip. For now, I'll just say that the day started and ended on a great note. This little Pika started our day off with such delight, but wait till you hear about the day's ending (no photos taken, though). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pika

It was such a thrill when we discovered one of these Yellow Fly Amanita (Amanita muscaria var. formosa) mushrooms around mid-August. A few days later, we went back to botanize the same area and found three of these fungi growing where we had seen only the one before! They are so attractive but also poisonous! Another cold day today, around -22C (-8F) this evening, with a windchill of around -27C (-17F). Lots of sunshine today, though, which always helps. I went with three friends for a very nice turkey lunch at the Zellers store today - lovely to catch up with friends whom I hadn't seen for many months! And the mashed potatoes and gravy really hit the spot, especially on a cold, cold day. Afterwards, I called in at a local park. After about half an hour of standing with my camera (which was unhappy having to be out in this cold and taking about 10 seconds to take each shot, thus missing most of the birds), I drove straight to Canadian Tire to purchase three packets of those small hand warmers that you place inside your gloves!!! They worked miracles throughout our severe winter last year. A life-saver.

OK, this is known as sheer desperation! The sun was supposed to finally shine today after days and days of grey, snowy weather - but, nothing! So, I went to Safeway and bought myself a bunch of flowers (yellowy white - the brightly coloured bunches were twice as expensive!) along with the milk, bread and chocolate bar (for sure, comfort food!). Lots to learn about photographing flowers indoors! Had some problem getting enough light on these pale blooms and ended up holding one over a table lamp (I now have one singed flower!). They shine on my computer screen - hope they do on yours, otherwise they will be rather lifeless. And now I am going to go for yet another cold, dull, grey walk. Did buy half a dozen Hot Cross buns the other day so, in theory, Easter and spring are not far away. Yeah!