Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#22

It was gently snowing yesterday when we did our full-day Christmas Bird Count in the Snake's Head/Sundre area, north west of the city. I was wearing bright red, fleece mitts when we got out of the car occasionally to call in at someone's homestead. I thought this tiny snowflake was SO gorgeous, looking (to me) rather like a diamond ear-stud. If only I could have brought it home with me (LOL) so that I could try to photograph it properly with my macro lens and table-top tripod! The light snow today had no beautiful flakes, just tiny specks of white : (. Lyn (and Howard), if you happen to see this sometime, it's to say "Thank you" for the all-day ride yesterday. You, too, Dorothy (and Stephen), for getting me to and from the Count meeting place! Rebecca, you might like this one, too? : ) Oh, and by the way, I'm not interested in real diamonds (not "me" at all!) - only the kind that fall from heaven : )

A friend very kindly invited me to go looking today for the Northern Hawk Owl, NW of Calgary. I had been lucky enough to see one on 31st January in a different location (but not all that far away from today's location), but my photos were more distant than those taken today. Actually, we saw a second Northern Hawk Owl today, just down the road from the owl in this photo. These owls are rare to uncommon year-round in Alberta, so it was definitely a thrill to see them. Don't you just love those piercing eyes? Actually, this species of owl is quite curious and unfazed by humans. This is one of the most sought-after birds in Alberta, so I feel very privileged. It is an irruptive species - commonly seen in some winters and rarely in others.