Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: changing colour

Hazardous winter conditions for today, 2 October 2017, and I am so thankful there is nowhere I absolutely have to go! The temperature is -1C (windchill -10C) and we are having strong winds (howling, earlier) and blowing snow this morning. I am SO not ready for this! It is almost unheard of that a birding walk is actually cancelled because of the weather, but that is what happened for people today. Knowing that snow was in the forecast for today, I made a last minute decision to go on a walk with birding friends yesterday afternoon. The sun was shining, though grey clouds were slowly moving in, and you could tell that there was about to be a big change in the weather. It is so rare that I go for a walk any more, but it was good to get out for the afternoon, down at Bebo Grove in Fish Creek Park. Our big question was, where were all the birds? We saw practically nothing in maybe a two and a half hour walk, though I was glad to at least have seen and got a quick shot of a little Red-breasted Nuthatch. People are not supposed/allowed to feed the birds down in the park, which means that the birds fly up to the top of the hillside and visit the feeders in people's gardens. The afternoon is not the best time of day to be looking for birds, to start with. We used to see quite a few deer in Fish Creek Park, too, years ago, but people letting their dogs run off-leash, despite all the signs, have spoilt all that. We always go for coffee after the afternoon walk - good old Tim's : ) Always enjoyable to catch up with friends.

Yesterday, 6 October 2014, I managed to get over to the Calgary Zoo again. About a week ago, I had finally visited what used to almost be my 'second home', after not going since before June 2013, when Alberta suffered the devastating effects caused by our Flood of the Century. The Zoo had been under several feet of water, and I couldn't help but try to imagine what it must have looked like. The Zoo folks did such an absolutely incredible job of rescuing and moving so many creatures, large and small - just impossible to even imagine. It felt so good last week and yesterday to be able to wander round and enjoy the animals once again. Interesting how different two visits can be - for example, last week, I had a good view of the new trio of young male Mandrills (monkeys), but yesterday, they were outside in the old African Wild Dog enclosure where it is impossible to see and photograph them. Last week, there was no sign of the amazing "white" black bear, but yesterday I was lucky. You just never know what will be out and what will be hidden. Photographed this single strand of Virginia Creeper, in its full autumn glory, growing on one of the zoo walls. Here in Calgary, we don't get the magnificent Maple trees that turn red in the fall, so any splash of red colour tends to catch the eye here.

I think I'm right when I say this is a Virginia Creeper. Photographed it growing on a wall at the Calgary Zoo, 5th October 2010.