Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: fluffed up

I rarely get out any more for an actual walk, especially in the winter months. This winter has been brutally cold with so much snow, which has now turned to ice, thanks to the comparatively mild weather we had recently. Back to cold temperatures now, though. Anyway, I managed to push myself out the front door on Tuesday (28 January 2014) to go for a walk in Weaselhead with friends. The morning started off unpleasantly cold, but gradually warmed up. The pathways were covered in ice and one person did fall, unfortunately, so I was relieved I had my ice grabbers on my winter boots. We had a few nice sightings, which gave reasonable photo opps, including several House Finches, this fluffed up Downy Woodpecker, and a beautiful little Snowshoe Hare who was well camouflaged against the snow and was hiding in a tangle of branches. At the end of the walk, a Coyote was spotted, hunting in the field by the parking lot. A most enjoyable walk in good company : )

Have to smile when a Northern Hawk Owl gives itself a shake, fluffs itself up and wipes its beak on the nearest branch. Taken NW of the city on March 21st. This particular day seems to have been an exceptional day - the next time I went out, there were no chances for close photos (i.e. usually 32x zoom and cropped).

This photo of a very fluffed-up, female Downy Woodpecker was taken on 19th January in Weaselhead. This past week has seen Calgary in a very frigid air mass, which was hard for us humans and must have been hard for the wildlife, too. Temperatures have risen since yesterday. It's only -5C (24F) this afternoon - balmy after temperatures and windchills down in the -35Cs and -40C.

A VERY cold Bohemian Waxwing photographed two years ago on a day trip to Lake Louise, Banff National Park. Usually, these birds are very sleek, LOL!