Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: near Carseland

We saw this amazing mushroom on a day walk at Nodwell Sanctuary today. This area is down south east of the city, right next to Carseland. Some kind of Ink Cap, Coprinopsis. Love the way the cap flattens, the top cracks, and the edge curls round. Never seen one like this before.

I'd never seen a Viceroy butterfly before, so was thrilled to spot this one today, when we were on a day walk at Nodwell Sanctuary (now called the Western Sky Land Trust Wheatland #1 Property), southeast of Calgary, near Carseland. It looks very much like the Monarch butterfly (which at first I thought it might be, as I didn't know about the Viceroy), but smaller, and both are relatively UNCOMMON in Alberta - this is the northern edge of their range. LOL, not quite the shot I would have liked to get, but still a record of an exciting sighting!

This is the kind of scenery we have roughly half an hour southeast of the city, along the Bow River, near Carseland Reservoir. Yesterday afternoon, a handful of us almost spent three hours botanizing part of this area, called Western Sky Land Trust's Wheatland #1, formerly Jack Nodwell’s Property, 59 acres near Carseland, Alberta. The area we walked in were the more rolling hills in the foreground and then off the photo to the left. This was my first walk outside the city after six months or so of sedentary winter. To put it mildly, my body complained! A bit too early for many of the plants, but it was still an enjoyable afternoon. The photo I'm just uploading, of Pelicans in flight, was taken here, when about eight of these huge, breathtaking birds circled in formation.

About eight of these enormous American White Pelicans circled way, way overhead while we were botanizing the Western Sky Land Trust's Wheatland #1, formerly Jack Nodwell’s Property, 59 acres of land near Carseland, Alberta, yesterday afternoon. This area is about half an hour's drive south east of the city. It's so amazing to see Pelicans flying on a bright, sunny day. One moment they are dazzling white in the sun; next moment, when they turn, they almost vanish from sight. A zoomed and cropped image, LOL.

I'd never seen these regular, very tiny Cladonia growing on soil on a dry, open hillside before (photo is macro, of course. Most people would never notice them). I always thought they were to be found in the forest. Fascinating little things - Shrek Ears, Golf Tees, Pixie Cups ..... LOL. (This sample was being collected to be examined further at home by one of our botany members.) Found on a botanizing trip yesterday to the Western Sky Land Trust's Wheatland #1, formerly Jack Nodwell’s Property, 59 acres of land near Carseland, Alberta.

We were privileged this afternoon to come across this Northern Harrier's nest and eggs. It was built on a grassy hillside in a natural area south of the city. I have an 18x zoom, so was able to get a couple of very quick shots without going any nearer to the nest. Hopefully, all three eggs will hatch successfully and three more beautiful raptors will be able to grace our skies! The temperature was somewhere around a warm 22C, so there was no fear of the eggs not keeping warm while Mom was cruising the skyways nearby: )

This photo is more distant than I usually take photos of flowers. Almost always, I am in there, close and personal, but this image shows how this plant grows in quite a dense cluster surrounded by grasses. We spent a couple of hours this afternoon at Nodwell Sanctuary, near Carseland, south of the city. This area of eroded hillsides has been bought and preserved and is home to some interesting plants and wildlife.