Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: vivid

I had these three images from two days ago ready to post yesterday, but I overslept by about an hour and a half yesterday, which left me just 27 minutes from waking up suddenly and actually leaving the house!! This is always my biggest concern on any Count day - will I wake up in time or might I sleep through my two alarm clock radios and a kitchen timer. Well, yesterday, it was the latter, and it was not pleasant! Annoying, too, as yesterday's Count is my favourite Count. I did three long-day counts within the last four days, with the last two being back to back days, which is just too much. By the way, this is the 113th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, so it has been going on for more than a century! Today will be a day for staying home, but tomorrow morning, I take part in the 27th annual New Year's Day Fish Creek Park Count in the city. The forecast for tomorrow is more snow. All three photos posted this morning, 31 December 2016, were taken two days ago, when three of us took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called a Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of backroads and farms just like on our other Counts. Only three of us went two days ago, travelling in just one car, and the area we covered was east of Highway 22/Cowboy Trail (across from the Water Valley area). We have to be way NW of the city by 8:00 am, ready to start driving our Count area. There always seems to be a beautiful sunrise when we start this Count. One of the highlights of this Count for me is seeing several Llamas on one of the farms. Unfortunately, it was very overcast all day. Several of the backroads were in bad condition and I was expecting us to get stuck, which fortunately didn't happen. A huge bag of gravel and a snow shovel were in the back of the driver's vehicle, just in case. Another of my favourite farms to stop at has a shy, old dog named Fang, along with beautiful cats, and I always look forward to seeing them each year. The neighbouring farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, we drove in past them, but didn't stop - of course, it IS a birding trip : ) A bit further in, we did get out of the car while our leader tried to find someone to ask permission for us to get out and look for birds. No one could be found, but it gave me the chance to take two rapid shots through the trees of the second barn, from a side view, which I had never seen it from before. So, it was a very enjoyable day, though there were not all that many species or individual birds to be seen. Many thanks, Andrew, for driving our leader and myself. You did a great job of handling the roads that had not been cleared of snow. I will add a list of the bird species seen, in a comment box below.

Each year, when a handful of us (only three last time) cover an area for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve Christmas Bird Count, we tend to get a glorious sunrise by the time we get to the starting place for our long day of bird counting. Last 28 December 2012 was no different - what a great way to start the day. Not sure why the name of this whole area has the word "Reserve" in it, as it is like any other area of backroads and countryside. Maybe there is a limit to development in the area? Not sure what happend to the snow we were supposed to get, according to the Storm Watch that was issued the last couple of days, but I'm really hoping that it stays away for the whole of today. It did snow lightly for just a very short time yesterday, but nothing settled. Desperate to get out somewhere. As the forecast says we will have variable cloudiness (which so often seems to mean that there is sunshine, but by the time I reach my distant destination, the sky has completely clouded over, lol!) I think I will get ready and go while I have the chance. Just hope it doesn't snow.

We are in yet another winter deepfreeze. Temperature is -24C (-11F), windchill -35C (-31F). I know it could be worse, lol, but I really wish I didn't have to go out for a routine dental visit this afternoon. They say that the best things in life are free - like AIR, for example. I finally got my car as far as a tire place yesterday, as barely being used for two months and in such cold temperatures, my tires were looking and feeling horribly flat. In fact they were at 22 when they should be at 32-35! Some AIR - and now my vehicle feels so good to drive! Stay warm, everybody! Photographed this beautiful Lily at Reader Rock Garden on August 11th.

I always love to see Poppy buds with the gorgeous, crumpled petals just starting to emerge. This orange Oriental Poppy was growing at the Reader Rock Garden a few days ago. Don't you just love it when a photo turns out with a black or very dark background? Must check and see if I used flash for this one - no, I didn't, so it was just one of those lucky shots : ).

Always a joy to come across these vivid, large Common Gaillardia wildflowers. Photographed this one at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, a few days ago. Also known as Blanketflower, Brown-eyed Susan, Gaillardia and Wild Gaillardia. It is a perennial that is native to Alberta, and grows in grasslands, roadsides and in open woods throughout Southern Alberta. Flowers bloom in July and August.

Just loved the brilliant colour of these gorgeous Water Lilies at the Calgary Zoo! I was so thrilled to see that this plant had flowered, on my recent visit there. A rather "messy" photo, but I didn't think they'd appreciate it if I plucked a few leaves (?) : ) Was out a good part of the day today north west of the city, in the Benchlands area, birding and botanizing Erik Butters' Ranch, followed by a delicious BBQ for lunch. Thanks so much to Erik and his wife for putting on this annual event, organized by the Ghost River Watershed Alliance. Our "task" was to point out the various species to the members of GRWA. We were SO lucky to see a Great Grey Owl sitting on a branch way, way in the distance! Always such a thrill to see one of these magnificent birds of prey! On the way home, I decided to call in at a small wetland within the city and enjoyed watching Coots feeding their youngsters (who had already shed their amusing orange feathers and were now a mix of grey and white, but still very cute). And so passed yet another day (a somewhat cooler one, thank goodness!!!) out in the field, leaving me yet again with so little time to be on Flickr. Sorry, everyone!

One needs a lot of patience to capture some of the amazing butterflies in the Calgary Zoo's Enmax Conservatory. They either land on a far from photogenic window ledge or land and immedicately close their wings. Sometimes, one is lucky enough for spread wings AND a vividly coloured plant : ) Haven't ID'd this one yet. We are back to winter again - more rain and snow and strong winds today and a miserable next few days' forecast, too. MUST work on my Taxes this evening!!! I seem to have said that before, LOL.

Couldn't resist this small Easter Cactus plant when I went grocery shopping the other day : ). Thought it would make a change from the more usual photos of Christmas Cacti flowers. Such a pretty flower when seen up close, and such a gorgeous colour. Seem to remember it was snowing, raining and very windy when I bought it, LOL. "These plants are originally forest cacti, growing as epiphytes at elevations between 1000 and 1700 meters (3300 to 5600 feet) above sea level in the Organ Mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, South America.... Many modern holiday cactus cultivars are hybrids between Schlumbergera truncata and S. russelliana, first bred about 150 years ago in England." From Wikipedia.

Can you imagine a brighter display of flowers than this - and to have a beautiful butterfly (with wings spread!) at rest on them? Can't remember the name of this butterfly off hand, but I love the zigzag wing edges. Needed something bright on this unpleasant, snowy day - and yes, this IS May, LOL! Seen in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. I think the ID is Cethosia biblis, Red Lacewing. Anyone else having a few problems with Flickr today? Seems very quiet - and I keep getting empty boxes with red Xs with some photostreams. If I go back and access the page again, all seems fine.

Another photo of one of my Easter Cactus flowers - so different from the flowers of the Christmas Cactus. Later: just realized that, all being well, I should be going on a strenuous, full day hike tomorrow (as long as it doesn't rain), so thought I'd better add my Happy Mother's Day wishes to all of you now, instead of when I get back late tomorrow. Hope you have a happy day! cactus.biology.dal.ca/paulS/christmas/christmas.html

A huge room in the new Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo is full of spring flowers at the moment, waiting for actual spring to arrive, when it will be transformed into a butterfly house. Lots of these beautiful Cyclamen added their gorgeous colour, taking ones mind off the cold and snow outside : ) "Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants, traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae, but in recent years reclassified in the family Myrsinaceae (Kallersjo et al. 2000). The genus is most widely known by its scientific name Cyclamen being taken into common usage; other names occasionally used include sowbread and sometimes, confusingly, Persian violet (it is not related to the violets), or primrose (neither is it a primrose)." From Wikipedia.

Just a few teeny water droplets on a pink petal : ) Loved the colour that they turned out. Can't remember if this was on a Christmas Cactus flower.

Couldn't resist buying this small cactus with a brilliant orange Strawflower growing from the top. I love orange : )

A red Sunflower, 27th September. Always a cheery shot of vivid colour : ) Hope it brightens your day, if you've been having crummy weather, like rain or the "white stuff". It's been a reasonable day here, mild but rather dull. Have just got home from having to call in and buy a new external hard drive. Bought two about a month ago, and the one keeps freezing my computer completely. Art (LeapFrog!), I should have listened to your words of wisdom a little while ago and returned it sooner. Fortunately, I was told that I could still return the faulty one next week. So, now I have many dozens of files to save all over again : ( WiIl be out all evening.

Bye-bye sunshine - hello colour, LOL! Definitely needed this shot of colour today - where is the sun hiding? This is just another moment of playing in my kitchen yesterday. A rare, "just about sharp enough" image to post, but I love the orange and blue together! I have several other abstracts to post sometime - please bear with me until/IF I ever get a tiny, table-top tripod to use when attempting supermacros, ha, ha. This is the sharpest of them, so really the others are more for the colour : ) Oh, guess I should just add that this is a tiny petal tip with a couple of water droplets. The white tip is almost translucent and sparkly.

When I saw this almost perfect flower blooming in a friend's garden, I just knew I had to photograph it, LOL! I love those petals : ) Our weather has been beautiful for the long weekend - though it is rain that we need! This afternoon, the Weaselhead Society held its annual Volunteer Thank You Barbecue in North Glenmore Park. A very enjoyable afternoon, with great food provided by the same gentleman as previous years - it felt so good to have a proper meal for once, LOL! Afterwards, I went to the Reader Rock Garden which wasn't all that far away, to take a few photos of bright, colourful flowers. It was horribly windy, so a real challenge to catch any flower head in the viewfinder, LOL. Have a bad feeling that I'll find a lot of blurry shots when I get them on to my computer. Hope you've all enjoyed a great long weekend!!

So where was THIS when it was -30C and snowing, LOL? Funny, I still crave bright colours, despite the fact that our weather is warming up. Yes, I know there are already "too many" images of Tulip centres on Flickr - but, while some people hate them, I love them, ha! A beautiful day today, and I went on another walk at 12 Mile Coulee. Wanted to check out the Lichens and early spring wildflowers again. It's a good workout, too - which I definitely need : )

Happened to notice a small bunch of these vivid pink fringed Gerberas at Safeway yesterday. It was the only bunch and I was sure it had my name on it, LOL. Needless to say, I just HAD to buy them. Just enough natural light was coming through my window,