Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: near Banff

This was such a beautiful cat, and quite unusual - to me, though I don't know much about cats. S/he decided to tag along a pathway with us for a short way, while we were doing the Canmore Christmas Bird Count on 19th December. S/he must have known we were on the look out for BIRDS, LOL.

One of the things I love about our annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts is that, as well as seeing various species of birds, we also come across spectacular scenery, horses, cats, dogs, even the occasional Llama. Saw these beautiful horses in SW Canmore two days ago, 15 December 2012, when a small group of seven of us went west into the Rocky Mountains to Canmore. We split into two groups and covered both sides of the Creek there (which I can never remember the name of) and then walked along the Bow River. This long walk took all morning, and then in the afternoon, we walked up and down some of the residential streets and alleys, searching for birds. Eight hours of walking in total, always much harder when there is snow on the ground. So, I was already in great pain, just in time for walking the streets and alleys in NE/SE Calgary the following day (yesterday), for the annual Calgary Christmas Bird Count, lol. After walking all morning yesterday, I had no choice but to sit and wait in the car for part of the time, while the three others in my group walked a few other streets and alleys. Could barely move this morning, lol! Thank goodness I didn't have another count today! In the evening, a birder friend very kindly drove me way back north in the city to a most enjoyable potluck supper. Thanks so much to Donna and Arthur Wieckowski, who very generously hosted this evening in their home! Tomorrow, it's back to getting up around 4:00 a.m. for another Count, in High River, maybe 45 minutes' drive south of Calgary. It will be a day of driving (or being driven), with stops along the way. Makes a most enjoyable day. The sun seems to have vanished today, so I'm really hoping it will come out again for tomorrow's trip. At the rate I'm going, it'll be a miracle if I get any photos of Christmas and decorations taken, lol! Much as I love special little ornaments, I would so much rather be out with friends, doing something valuable and enjoyable : ) These Bird Counts have become a great Christmas tradition for me, for which I am very thankful. Apologies, everyone, for not getting much time on Flickr at the moment.

Good morning, everyone! Happy Christmas! Hope you all have a wonderful day. In Calgary, the temperature is -22C (-8F), with a windchilll of -32C (-26F), so I really hope you are warmer than we are here! What would Christmas be, without a bauble (even though my reflection had to be in it, showing me bending my knees to try and avoid one branch, but unable to avoid the one in my photo, lol? Taken on the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Canmore, near Banff. Each year, someone hangs a handful of Christmas ornaments on a spindly little tree down near the Bow River. For many people, Christmas is a very difficult time, for various reasons. My thoughts are with them, including all the people in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, who have suffered such a huge tragic loss in their community the last couple of weeks. I think most people, far and wide around the world, have been affected by this and have these folks in their thoughts and prayers. As always, those who, for one reason or another, will spend Christmas alone, will also be in my thoughts. To those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope today will be a happy one for you. If you will be on the road, please don't drink and drive! HAPPY CHRISTMAS and all the best in the New Year!

This Clark's Nutcracker gave me a chance for a few photos. We don't have these birds in Calgary - you have to go out to the mountains to see them. This one was seen in the town of Canmore, during the annual Banff/Canmore Christmas Bird Count on 15 December 2012. This bird belongs to the same family as crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, and magpies. They are considered the most intelligent of the birds, and among the most intelligent of all animals - from Wikipedia. "They use their dagger-like bills to rip into pine cones and pull out large seeds, which they stash in a pouch under their tongue and then carry away to bury for the winter. Each birds buries tens of thousands of seeds each summer and remembers the locations of most of them. Seeds they don’t retrieve play a crucial role in growing new pine forests." from AllAboutBirds. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark's_Nutcracker www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clarks_Nutcracker/id

When my friends from England arrived in Calgary early in September, they had two or three days in Calgary before we took off for a week down to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. We spent a day at the Calgary Zoo and then spent a day - very wet! - in the Banff/Lake Louise area. We drove the Lake Minnewanka Loop - I love to see the almost vertical cliff face that is seen in so many photos of this lake. The ominous clouds above soon turned from drizzle into non-stop rain for the day.

When friends, Linda and Tony, arrived in Calgary after travelling from Montreal by train, they had two or three days in Calgary before we took off for a week down to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. We spent a day at the Calgary Zoo and then spent a day - very wet! - in the Banff/Lake Louise area. Cascade Ponds is on the Lake Minnewanka loop drive, 300 m (0.2 mi) north of the Trans-Canada Highway. Taken on 9 September 2012, before the non-stop rain set in. "Cascade Ponds was created when gravel pits were transformed to a day use area, complete with wooden bridges, grassy banks, picnic tables, firepits, and cooking shelters." Cascade Mountain is just off to the right of my photo. www.summerthought.com/banff.hiking.cascade.htm

The whole area of Vermilion Lakes is beautiful. This quick shot was taken on 12 May 2012, on the way home from a wonderful day of searching for bears with friends, Cathy and Terry. Just south of the TransCanada Highway, the Vermilion Lakes are a series of three shallow lakes surrounded by marshland—a rich oasis for wildlife. The Vermilion Lakes drive provides classic views of Banff's signature peak, Mount Rundle (not seen in this image).

I absolutely love this dramatic cliff face at Lake Minnewanka. On May 20th, friends and I drove the Lake Minnewanka loop (near Banff) at the end of a great day out in the mountains. When we reached this place, we caught the last bit of sunlight shining on parts of the mountain sides. I thought I was out of luck as far as the light was concerned, but it seems to have been sufficient for a quick shot or two.

Mountain Sheep at Lake Minnewanka, near Banff, taken on May 20th. "The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg), while the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg). Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae. Sheep originally crossed to North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia: the population in North America peaked in the millions, and the bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Americans. However, by 1900 the population had crashed to several thousand. Conservation efforts (in part by the Boy Scouts) have restored the population. ..... The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is the provincial mammal of Alberta and the state animal of Colorado and as such is incorporated into the symbol for the Colorado Division of Wildlife." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn_sheep YouTube link for the latest video of the three beautiful, endangered Amur Tiger cubs at the Calgary Zoo. How they have grown! Posted on YouTube on May 30th 2012. youtu.be/c4fSvtRHLBM

I photographed this gorgeous horse on 19 December 2009, when a small group of us were in Canmore (near Banff) for their Christmas Bird Count. Such beautiful horses - love the black stripe that goes down the centre of their white mane. A previously posted photo of this horse, that is the icon for my Horses set, is one of my favourite photos.

I was on the Canmore (near Banff, Rocky Mountains) Christmas Bird Count yesterday. What a difference for the weather this year compared to last Christmas Count (-30C)! The mountains around Canmore are just spectacular! Seven hours of winter walking was a LOT of walking, LOL! Only 19 species of bird were seen, including an American Dipper and a Belted Kingfisher (which I missed because I was trying to take photos of the Dipper, LOL). I was exhausted by the end of the day. Light cloud, clearing by noon; tried to snow. Light wind. -04 to 2C. Total party hours: 8; Party hours on foot - 7; by car - 1 Total party km: 33; Party km on foot - 13, by car - 20 Starting time - 8:45am; Ending time - 3:15pm This morning, was out driving the roads east of Calgary with a friend, hoping to see some kind of owl, but no sign of a Snowy, Short-eared or even a Great Horned Owl : ) The weather turned nasty, snowing and with very poor visibility along most of the roads. It's kind of a neat effect, though, when the endless flat fields are exactly the same colour (white!) as the sky.

Can you imagine a more beautiful place in which to do your Christmas Bird Count? This is the Bow River, flowing through Canmore, near Banff, in the Rocky Mountains. The valley was in shadow, but the sun caught the distant peak of Cascade Mountain, Banff. Nine of us walked for seven hours on Saturday (19th December), but the birding was pretty slow. I'm SO glad it wasn't -30C like it was for this Count last year! Such a relief : )

Couldn't believe how beautiful these horses were. We came across several of these gorgeous animals in a field next to a path we were walking on for our Christmas Bird Count in Canmore, near Banff, in the Rocky Mountains. They seemed really friendly. Not sure if I'll lighten this photo a tiny bit. I did try it, but somehow the colour of the horse seemed too light. I love their light mane with the black stripe that goes all the way along it, and the little bit of snow below his/her nose. "The Fjord Horse or Norwegian Fjord Horse (known in Norway as a Fjording or Fjordhest) is a relatively small but very strong horse breed from the mountainous regions of Western Norway. It is an agile breed of light draft horse build. All Fjords are dun in color, with five variations in shade recognized by their breed registries. One of the world's oldest and purest breeds, it has been used for hundreds of years as a farm horse in Norway, and in modern times is popular for its generally good temperament. It is used both as a harness horse and under saddle. It is believed that the original Fjord Horse migrated to Norway and was domesticated over 4,000 years ago. Herds of wild Fjord Horses existed in Norway after the last ice age. Archaeological excavations at Viking burial sites indicate that the Fjord Horse has been selectively bred for at least 2,000 years. The Fjord horse also has a long recorded history of pure breeding without crossbreeding from other sources. Archeological excavations at Viking burial sites indicate the Fjord horse has been selectively bred for 2,000 years. The Fjord horse and its ancestors have been used for hundreds of years as farm animals in western Norway. Even as late as World War II, they were useful for work in mountainous terrain." From Wikipedia.

I never fail to be in complete awe of our massive, spectacular Rocky Mountains! This is just a tiny section of the mountain peaks at Harvey Heights, near Canmore (which is near Banff).

These wild European Rabbits run around the town of Canmore, Kananaskis, near Banff, in the Rocky Mountains. Saw this little guy on 20th December, when we were in Canmore for the 109th annual Audubon Bird Count. Temperatures were around -30C (-22F) and we walked for five and a half hours!

There is only a tiny bit of vapour rising in this photo, so it doesn't really give a very good idea of what -30C (-40C windchill) is like, LOL! This was taken on a day's outing eight days ago, to Canmore, near Banff in the Rocky Mountains. Trust me, it was COOOOLD!! Five and a half hours of walking in it was just brutal!

Saw these beautiful icicles under a bridge in Canmore, Kananaskis (near Banff) on Saturday. Four of us did the annual Bird Count there, in -30C weather (-40C with wind chill). Agony to remove a glove to take a quick shot, but I discovered a way to help with this. I tried one of the little Hand Warmer packs in my glove and it made so much difference.