Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: front side view

Mountain Bluebirds are back in Alberta, including the odd one or two that have been seen within the city limits of Calgary. I haven't been out for a drive to look for them yet, so am posting an old photo taken on 7 June 2012, when I went for a drive SW of the city. Each year, it's such a thrill to see the very first splash of brilliant blue, after six months or more of ice and snow on the ground. They are such gorgeous little birds. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... Interesting, I've just installed the wireless keyboard and monitor that came with my computer. This is the first wireless one I've ever had. Something else to get used to, I see, ha. I did have to Google to find out just how to install it. The arrow keys are in a different place and it took me by surprise when the usual delete button had disappeared. I never learned how to type, so it's always hit and miss, and I need the delete button constantly : ) I can see, though, that it's going to be great not having a mouse cord getting in the way every time I try and type something. I do like the feel of the slim keyboard and it's wonderful to have numbers and letters on all the keys once again - several had worn off my old keyboard, which sure didn't help with my poor typing skills!

Yesterday late afternoon, on the spur of the moment, I went for a short drive SW of the city. On the way out there, I saw a pair of Mountain Bluebirds, but wasn't able to get any fairly close shots of them. On the way back, I decided to drive along a different backroad that I'd never driven along before. Came across a rather nice old, wooden grain silo (seen in one of the photos I posted today), a Ruffed Grouse who was crossing the road, several very distant Deer, and a pair of Mountain Bluebirds that gave me the chance for closer shots (at least, this male did). In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

Found this male (you can just see the faint hint of red on the back of the head) Downy Woodpecker in the Weaselhead natural area, on 3 December 2012. He gave me the chance to get several close shots in nice light. The tuft of nasal bristles at the base of the bill helps to keep wood chips and sawdust out of their nostrils. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downy_Woodpecker www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/id

I think this majestic Bald Eagle almost looks rather annoyed that I've taken its photo while it was taking a bath in a very tiny stream that runs through its enclosure, ha. Not the best photo of it, with the messy background, but it doesn't often happen when I visit the Calgary Zoo, that one of the three Bald Eagles is down on the ground and reasonably close to the wire fence. It was a beautiful day yesterday, but the sun was so horribly harsh on everything. I'm lucky enough to see Bald Eagles in the wild here in the city, but can never get a close shot of them.

Another photo of the female Spruce Grouse that I saw NW of Calgary on March 29th. This one let me get out of my car and walk very slowly till I was within maybe 10' or 12' of it. It gave me various "poses" and then it just calmly walked off into the trees. "The Spruce Grouse or Canada Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) is a medium-sized grouse closely associated with the coniferous boreal forests or taiga of North America. It is one of the most arboreal grouse, fairly well adapted to perching and moving about in trees. When approached by a predator, it relies on camouflage and immobility to an amazing degree, for example letting people come to within a few feet before finally taking flight, a behavior that has earned it the moniker "fool hen". Spruce Grouse are 38-43 cm long (15-17 inches); males weigh 550-650 g (19-23 ounces) and females 450-550 g (16-19 ounces). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_Grouse

March 29th was a very windy day at the Northern Hawk Owl location. The owl flew to the long, top branch of a Spruce tree and got the ride of its life, ha, being tossed up and down like a Yoyo. Maybe it was barely aware of what was happening, but to us down below, it sure looked like the owl was having fun : )

This photo was taken on the one very special day (March 21st) when several of us were treated to some wonderful views of this Northern Hawk Owl, NW of the city. The Northern Hawk Owl is a medium-sized owl, about 35 centimetres (14 inches) long. It is rare to uncommon in Alberta, year round. Apparently, it is one of Alberta's most sought-after birds by birders. "The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From allaboutbirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Hawk_Owl/id/ac en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl

A more distant shot of the tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl seen in Carburn Park. He's very well-camouflaged against the huge, broken branch, but the tangle of small branches around him are not too photogenic : ) Very difficult to photograph, as it barely moves hour after hour, so most photos tend to look the same!

This little guy/gal had his photo taken so many times yesterday, but almost all my photos will need to be deleted, ha. It was so overcast and my photos just didn't turn out. Many of the shots were very similar, of course, as the activity of these guys is very limited once they are sitting on a branch. Maybe you can picture this as being on the verge of a painting, with all the grain (a nicer name than "noise", I think) : ) This photo makes it look as if the owl is in the open and close, but in fact it was quite dark, looking up towards the top of this tree. And remember that he is only the size of a person's fist or a popcan. A miracle that I spotted him - not that he needs any more spots, lol! Took this shot when the owl flew from his original perch on the other side of the creek

I think there are only another couple of photos after this that I really want to post so that I can add them to my Northern Pygmy-owl Set. S/he's such a special, tiny owl that I don't want any of my photos of him/her to get completely lost in my endless hard drive archives. Thank goodness for Flickr Sets : ) I am practically asleep on my feet today, but finally all my commitments to the Annual Christmas and New Year Bird Counts have been fulfilled and I must turn my time and efforts towards other, far more urgent things. I needed the break today, going on an almost 15-hour Bird Count for Nanton, south of Calgary. My alarm clocks blared at 4:30 a.m. and I was picked up at 6:30 a.m. this morning and I got home around 8:45 p.m. this evening, so am posting very late. A very successful day, including seeing 5 Golden Eagles (!), 3 Northern Shrikes (!), 70 Sharp-tailed Grouse (!), 2 Great Horned Owls, etc., etc. My little group of four found 15 species, but many of them were very nice species to find, especially in such great numbers. After the Count, while numbers were being tallied, we were all treated to a lovely supper. Thanks to the organizers of this event - so much work involved (including the supper, of course!). Many thanks to the Truch family for their delightful hospitality - so much appreciated by us all! Now, though, I have to return to far more serious, difficult things to deal with. I was up till around 2:30 this morning seeing to more e-mails, etc., and felt rather overwhelmed. So, some sunshine and being in the company of good friends was much needed before I continue with getting things sorted out in connection to my brother's death..

I happened to come across this photo of a little Burrowing Owl that I hadn't posted, so thought I'd upload today. It was taken on 23rd May 2009 at the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, Southern Alberta. A delightful place to visit, and they do such a great job of rescuing and, whenever possible, releasing injured birds of prey. Those, whose injuries are too severe for them to be released back into the wild, remain at the Centre to educate children and adults. Such a thrill to see these birds up close. This Centre is "Canada’s largest birds of prey facility. Situated on a 70-acre wetland area site, the centre is a celebration of nature featuring the hawks, falcons, eagles and owls of Alberta. Throughout the site and along the pathways, a number of birds of prey are sitting on their perches only feet away from visitors. These birds are all in various stages of training and receive lots of exercise in the daily flying programs. At the centre, they have one of North America's largest captive breeding populations for the endangered Burrowing Owl." www.burrowingowl.com/ It rained a lot overnight and, so far, the day is overcast and lightless. Rain on and off today. I cancelled plans to go forest exploring ... sigh. Temperatures soared to a balmy 8C today and possible snow/frost are in the forecast for later this week. Oh, no : (