Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: in-flight

Yesterday morning, 19 October 2019, 10 of us set out on a day birding trip south of the city, to Pine Coulee Reservoir. Each year, I never expect to come home with photos of birds, as they are always very, very distant. However, I love that whole area, with its rolling hills and endless Alberta sky, but I have not yet driven there myself. On day outings, we always carpool to be as environmentally friendly as possible. We spent just over three hours driving around the lake, a distance of almost 24 km, making stops at various points to check for (mainly) waterfowl. Several distant, sunlit Swans flew over, and an extremely distant Rough-legged Hawk kept our attention for a few minutes. At one location, a few Swans were mixed in with Canada Geese and ducks - somewhat closer, but photos were not really worth posting. We stopped at a campsite along the edge of the reservoir and did a short walk. A lone Pine Grosbeak did what Grosbeaks like to do - find a really tall tree and perch at the top of it. I posted a photo of it, just for the record. Hopefully, this bird will eventually find the rest of its flock or be able to join a new group. As always happens, my camera lens turned to other things as well. Scenic shots tend to be the main subject, including a few taken looking into the sun, along with some reasonably interesting skies. At one viewpoint, I spotted a lonely caterpillar slowly making its way over one of the large rocks that edged a parking lot. No idea what species of moth it will turn into. Normally, we would have stayed out a bit longer, but our day was cut short as a few of us needed to get back to the city, ready to go to the annual "Banquet" in the evening. This year's guest speaker was Dr. Robert Berdan, who spoke mainly about micro-photography. Amazing what micro images and videos he captures. I had first met him when he did some work for me. The brand new National Museum of Qatar had requested to use 24 of my very old Middle East photos taken in Doha, Qatar. They needed the photos to be scanned at museum quality, and Dr. Berdan did this for me. Many thanks for the ride, Tony! Appreciated so much, as I had planned to take a cab. You did brilliantly, getting us out of the awful, tangled web of new roads/construction on the way home. A total maze, even more so in the dark. Thanks for a very enjoyable trip, Tony, as always. You guys did really well to find 41 species!

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 28 October 2018. A group of 15 of us went S and SE of the city on a birding trip to one of my favourite areas. This included Chain Lakes and Pine Coulee Reservoir. I just love some of the landscape through which we drove - barren, rugged, middle-of-nowhere kind of scenery. It looks so different in each season - I think my favourite time of year is when there is a covering of snow on the empty hills and ice on most of the water. I've still not had the courage to drive in this area myself, as I know that I might never find my way out. As on almost all these day trips out of the city, almost every bird is far, far away, needing at least binoculars and best of all, a scope. Also, as always happens, my camera lens turns to things other than birds. Scenic shots are always taken - after all, I feel that it is important to record the habitat of any birds seen. We saw so many Swans (Tundra and Trumpeter) on various sloughs and in flight. What a sight they were, with the sun shining on their pure white feathers. Love to hear the Trumpeter Swans "trumpeting". A huge thrill was when our leader led us to a small creek where there were four American Diippers, happily bobbing and dipping, and swimming under water. They weren't bothered by our presence at all. Terry, you took us on yet another amazing trip! You even arranged with the weatherman for a beautiful, sunny day. It couldn't have been a better outing - so very enjoyable. Thanks so much, Linda and Robin, for the ride all day - greatly appreciated! I have been off my computer all day today, too. My daughter came down for the day, as she had offered to come and help me with sorting through some things and getting rid of all my old electronics at recycle places. It saved me a whole lot of bending (which kills my back) and a lot of lifting. Her help was hugely appreciated! Tonight is THE night, ha, ha! I am going to set two or three mouse traps (which is how I started out about 6 months ago, but I caught nothing). I absolutely dread going downstairs tomorrow morning, in case the traps have caught something. If they were successful, friends are coming over straight away to remove it/them for me!! I just hope I don't hear the snap of a trap or any squealing!!!

This photo was taken on 19 March 2017, our last but one day on the island of Trinidad. On that day, we hiked from the Asa Wright Nature Centre to see the unusual Oilbirds in the morning and then we went to the Caroni Swamp in the afternoon and evening. We were lucky enough to see a Masked Cardinal near the Caroni Swamp, before going on a boat to see the Scarlet Ibis arriving. The Scarlet Ibis is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. At the Swamp, my six friends and I were privileged to be able to watch the arrival of huge flocks of amazing Scarlet Ibis flying in to roost for the night. Will add this YouTube link (not my video) to give an idea of what our boat ride was like - including the large snake curled up in a tree over our heads! All the other boats we saw were packed full of people, but we were given a boat to ourselves, which was great. Boats have to stay the far side of the huge body of water in order to not put stress on the birds, so my photos of the birds are very distant, fully zoomed, but at least they give an idea of the breathtaking colour of the Ibis. It was sunset when we returned through the mangrove swamp to our vehicle. We didn't even miss the daily Rum Punch that is always served at the Asa Wright Nature Centre - our guide came fully prepared and we sipped punch on the boat, while watching the Ibis! youtu.be/vV9XvW2JSVE This outing really was the highlight of our holiday, kept to the last but one day on Trinidad. There was just one more outing the following morning, and then we spent that afternoon hanging out at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, photographing some of the birds and packing our bags ready for leaving in the middle of the night (around 2:00 am?) to catch our flight home. This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my dear friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! We were so lucky with our flights, as we were just in time to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up the mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a minibus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure. This is a video that I came across on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it. youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015. youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk

This photo makes me smile. Is anyone actually looking at the breathtaking Ibis at this moment, or is everyone using Playback on their cameras? This photo was taken on 19 March 2017, our last but one day on the island of Trinidad. On that day, we hiked to see the unusual Oilbirds in the morning and then we went to the Caroni Swamp in the afternoon and evening. We were lucky enough to see a Masked Cardinal near the Caroni Swamp, before going on a boat to see the Scarlet Ibis arriving. The Scarlet Ibis is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. At the Swamp, my six friends and I were privileged to be able to watch the arrival of huge flocks of amazing Scarlet Ibis flying in to roost. Will add this YouTube link (not my video) to give an idea of what our boat ride was like - including the large snake curled up in a tree over our heads! All the other boats we saw were packed full of people, but we were given a boat to ourselves, which was great. Boats have to stay the far side of the huge body of water, in order to not put stress on the birds, so my photos are very distant, fully zoomed, but at least they give an idea of the breathtaking colour of the Ibis. It was sunset when we returned through the mangrove swamp to our vehicle. We didn't even miss the daily Rum Punch that is always served at the Asa Wright Nature Centre - our guide came fully prepared! youtu.be/vV9XvW2JSVE This outing really was the highlight of our holiday, kept to the last but one day on Trinidad. There was just one more outing the following morning, and then we spent that afternoon hanging out at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, photographing some of the birds and packing our bags ready for leaving in the middle of the night to catch our flight home. This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my dear friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! We were so lucky with our flights, as we were just in time to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up the mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a minibus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure. This is a video that I came across on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it. youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015. youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk

Needless to say, I am only posting this really poor photo for the record. This is a bird species that I have only ever seen once before, a few years ago, and I may never see it again. This flock was flying fast and in-flight shots were the only option. I will add the previously posted photo from my first sighting in 2008, in a comment box below. "These birds are locally common from mid-March to October; a few might overwinter.... They can be seen in mountain meadows, alpine tundra, avalanche slopes, roadsides and occasionally towns.... A few of these birds spend winter in Alberta on chinook-warmed slopes and at feeding stations in the foothills, but most leave the province for better climes to the south." From Birds of Alberta by Fisher and Acorn. "The gray-crowned rosy finch, or gray-crowned rosy-finch, (Leucosticte tephrocotis) is a species of passerine bird in the family Fringillidae native to Alaska, western Canada, and the north-western United States. Due to its remote and rocky alpine habitat it is rarely seen." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray-crowned_rosy_finch Below, I will add the helpful, detailed report from our leader, Howard Heffler, and the eBird list compiled by Nimali S., with thanks to both of them! Thanks, too, Gail, for the ride all day long - greatly appreciated and enjoyed! "Thirteen participants met at Assumption School at 8:30 AM and spent the day birding several locations west of Calgary. We first stopped at Jumping Pound pond. There were both species of swan and a few puddle ducks. We made another quick stop at Sibbald ponds where there were six swans. It appeared to be a family of five Trumpeters and one lonely Tundra. The (apparent) Tundra was all white but had a mostly pink bill. It was being harassed by the others so we concluded (speculated) was a second year bird that still had a pink bill (or maybe a first year bird that had turned white prematurely??). It was smaller than the others and was obviously an outcast. If anyone has any thoughts they would be most welcome. It was cold and windy at Bow Valley Park and a quick walk on Flowing Waters trail proved fruitless so we moved to the Seebe dam. Again there were a few swans and ducks but the cold winds seemed unfriendly to birds and birders alike. In Exshaw it was still cold and windy and there were few birds. However, a flock of about 45 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch was the highlight of the day. These are such active birds and their feeding habits are fun to watch as the flock seems to roll forward along the ground as the birds in the back leap-frog the leaders. The Canmore Visitor Center was an excellent (warm and comfortable) bathroom and lunch stop. Harvie Heights offered a few boreal birds but not as many as hoped for. An interesting note for future planning is that the community prohibits bird feeders until November 1st in an effort to reduce conflicts with bears or cougars. Thanks to Nimali Seneviratne for keeping track of species and doing the eBird postings. The combined list for the day (including species seen while driving) was: Snow Goose 1 Canada Goose 63 Trumpeter Swan 37 Tundra Swan 30 American Wigeon 3 Mallard 40 Common Merganser 1 Common Loon 2 Western Grebe 1 Rough-legged Hawk 2 Rock Pigeon 9 Downy Woodpecker 1 Gray Jay 2 Clark's Nutcracker 3 Black-billed Magpie 6 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 6 Mountain Chickadee 7 Boreal Chickadee 1 (heard only) Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 45 White-winged Crossbill 1 House Sparrow 2 Howard Heffler Calgary"

This beautiful Swainson's Hawk shrieked and shrieked, both when it was perched on a fence post and when it was circling rather low overhead, which it did for quite a while. I was in a vast area of bare hills without a tree to be seen anywhere, so it's not as if I was near a nest without knowing it. My first reaction was that maybe it was a juvenile letting its parents know that it was hungry, but I don't know enough about hawks to know how to tell if this is a juvenile or adult. I so rarely take and post any in-flight shots, but I thought this one was fit enough to be posted. Wednesday, 20 July 2016, was a day of adventure for me. I drove further than I have ever driven before (way, way SE of the city) - must remember to check my mileage when I next go out in my car, but it must have been somewhere between 400 and 500 km total at least. No big deal for many of you, but for me (and as someone with a driving phobia), it WAS a big deal : ) I was totally exhausted and my poor shoulder rotator cuffs were complaining like crazy. BUT, I had a great time - just a couple of moments of 'panic', when I thought I was lost, and when I noticed that I was seeing different wildflowers and definitely a different landscape. I eventually left home at 11:00 am, a good couple of hours later than I had intended. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take me to get to where I wanted to get, so had wanted to allow plenty of hours for this journey. I had been on the road for about three hours by the time I got there, but did stop at various places en route. The first part of my drive was along familiar roads - called in at Frank Lake just to check the gravel road leading to the gate. An Eastern Kingbird was the only species I saw. From there, I kept driving east on h'way 23, stopping briefly to photograph one of my favourite old houses. This highway eventually bends southwards and leads to Vulcan. I had only ever once driven as far as Vulcan, and that was on 30 March 2015. I had to stop again, like last year, and take a few photos of the cluster of old sheds, barn and house on the edge of Vulcan, before continuing on my way. From here until I reached my destination, was all new to me. Exciting and anxiety-causing, all at the same time. I drove further east and then turned south and found myself in a different kind of landscape, with a few interesting birds and plants to see and photograph, including a Ferruginous Hawk (three, actually) and wild sunflowers that lined the edge of one of the roads. I was barely able to get a photograph of these bright beauties, as it was so windy. I was in tall wind turbine country - which told me how far south I had come. The colours of some of the fields were unusual, too. Along one road, I had a Swainson's Hawk who perched nicely on a fence post at first and then circled overhead and followed my vehicle further down the road. Think it may have been a juvenile, screeching for its parents to come and feed it. Also saw a Mourning Dove on a fence post and what turned out to be a juvenile Horned Lark. Actually, there were a lot of Horned Larks this day. I tend to forget that we can see them in summer time. After travelling westwards and then north and west again, I found myself heading towards Frank Lake. It was along this road that I spotted some kind of shorebird perched on a fence post. Too late to stop, so I turned around and then slowly drove back to the bird - a Marbled Godwit, giving me a nice, sideways pose. It was still daylight, so I decided to try one more time along the gravel road leading to the gate at Frank Lake. Here, I had another nice sighting - friend, Debbie : ) Good to see you and have a nice, long chat. A great day with an enjoyable ending. Total distance, round trip, was something like 480 km. (298.3 miles).

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 5 July 2016, when I finally drove down SE of the city to the Frank Lake area. I have missed almost all the shore birds this year and knew that if I didn't go very soon, they would all have left. As it was, I saw very few birds of any kind yesterday. I drove straight to the blind/hide, where everything was quiet, other than a few Coots with their teenage kids, several Ruddy Ducks including a female lying on her nest, a Marsh Wren that I could hear but not see, a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds, maybe three White-faced Ibis flying by, and a few Tree Swallows. As soon as I had left the blind and taken a few steps down the boardwalk, I was totally taken by surprise by a Black-crowned Night Heron that flew overhead, being chased by a small shorebird. The Heron was letting out a very loud 'hoarse scream' that sounded almost human-like. Just managed to get a rapid shot of the Heron before it flew out of camera view, posted just for my own record. I so rarely see a Night Heron, though I did see and photograph a beautiful juvenile that was hanging out at Lafarge Meadows in Fish Creek Park last year (2015). From the blind area at Frank Lake, I drove eastwards and eventually came to Mossleigh, where I stopped at the three grain elevators to take photos. On the way, I stopped to photograph an old homestead - I have usually seen and photographed it in winter. The light was really bad, with massive storm clouds overhead. The weather forecast was for a risk of thunderstorms, though fortunately there was just a tiny bit of short-lived rain. The past week, there have been tornadoes north and south of us, but there was no Tornado Warning in effect yesterday. A great kind of sky when a few of the fields were turning bright yellow from the Canola crops. However, a real challenge for my camera, which recently developed a problem - when I am trying to focus on something, it goes in and out of focus rapidly and 'shudders', making it most unpleasant to view as well as making it very difficult to see what I'm taking. This is not the usual difficulty of getting the camera to focus. Then, yesterday, when I very slightly tipped the camera upwards, once I had focused on say a field of Canola, the lower half of the viewfinder went so dark I couldn't really see anything. Such a pain, especially as I absolutely have to have a working camera for the whole of this weekend! As it is, I always take almost all my photos on the sunset setting, because the regular settings give me totally washed out images that have little detail - just not usable. Amazes me that any of my photos turn out, ha. A few hours later, it was time to return home after a few very enjoyable hours out. More of a cloud, scenery and old barn trip than a birding trip, but those of you who know me, know I love photographing all of the above.

Two days ago, on 25 January 2016, after staying away from the Short-eared Owls for a week, I decided I would go back and see if one of them might just happen to land on something a little bit closer. Also, the weather forecast for the day was for sunshine and cloud, but the forecast for later in the week was for more snow. I had somewhat better luck, but the owls were still some distance away, so I had to fully zoom (48x), which resulted in less than sharp photos. Needless to say, though, I was thrilled to get a few better looks at these beautiful owls. Lol, I don't often try and take in-flight shots with my point-and-shoot camera, but this time I did. You are welcome to laugh at this image, but I couldn't bring myself to delete it! This does seem to be a good winter for this species, which is exciting. Even so, a tremendous amount of patience is needed. "A bird of open grasslands, the Short-eared Owl is one of the most widely distributed owls in the world. It is found across North America, South America, and Eurasia, and on many oceanic islands." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/id "The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is a species of typical owl (family Strigidae). Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may not be visible. Asio flammeus will display its tufts when in a defensive pose. However, its very short tufts are usually not visible. The short-eared owl is found in open country and grasslands. The short-eared owl is a medium-sized owl measuring 34–43 cm (13–17 in) in length and weighing 206–475 g (7.3–16.8 oz). It has large eyes, a big head, a short neck, and broad wings. Its bill is short, strong, hooked and black. Its plumage is mottled tawny to brown with a barred tail and wings. The upper breast is significantly streaked. Its flight is characteristically floppy due to its irregular wingbeats. The short-eared owl may also be described as "moth or bat-like" in flight. Wingspans range from 85 to 110 cm (33 to 43 in). Females are slightly larger than males. The yellow-orange eyes of A. flammeus are exaggerated by black rings encircling each eye, giving the appearance of them wearing mascara, and large, whitish disks of plumage surrounding the eyes like a mask." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-eared_owl "Short-eared Owls are one of few North American owl species that can be sexed easily by plumage colouration. Females have pale brown undersides with heavy dark vertical barring. Their facial discs are also washed with the same pale brown. Males have nearly white undersides and paler facial discs. The barring is usually lighter and less dense." From the Owl Foundation. www.theowlfoundation.ca/SpeciesInfo/speciesseow.htm

These beautiful White-faced Ibis flew over Frank Lake the day before yesterday. They were just distant, black silhouettes, but I took a very quick shot so that at least I would catch the shape of the curved bills. Fully zoomed and brightened till a bit of their iridescent colour showed. Such a poor quality shot, and normally I wouldn't post a photo that had headless or legless birds included : ) This is the closest in-flight shot I've ever taken of these Ibis - so I'm keeping it. Two days ago, 26 April 2015, I spent the day with a fair-sized group of friends, at Frank Lake. The weather was beautiful and, for once, not windy. Frank Lake and the surrounding area is one of my favourite places to spend a day or half a day. On a trip like this one, there are a lot of the birds that I don't see, as I don't use binoculars. Also, my interest is not to see as many species as possible, but to hopefully come across a few birds close enough to photograph. Fortunately, at the bird blind/hide, a pair of Eared Grebes and a Coot were within camera range. I will add the final list of the 51 species seen, complied by our Leader, Tony Timmons. Probably not of much interest to most people, but it does help my memory. Many thanks, as always, Tony, for a very successful and most enjoyable day! Really appreciate your giving up a precious weekend day to take us out there. "The birds put on a spectacular show for the 19 participants on the Frank Lake trip today. We tallied 51 species. Expected species were present in pretty good numbers; most noteworthy being American Avocet (200+) and White-faced Ibis (120). Thousands of ducks were on the Lake. Thanks to Dan Parliament and Al Borgardt for scoping birds and sharing sightings with the group. Before the start of the trip, Rose Painter spotted two Long-billed Curlew near Blackie. Later in the day, we searched for the birds without success. Eared Grebe 250 Western Grebe 20 Double-crested Cormorant 25 Black-crowned Night Heron 1 White-faced Ibis 120 Canada Goose Swan sp. 12 Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Green-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser 2 f. Ruddy Duck Northern Harrier 3 Swainson's Hawk 3 Gray Partridge 4 American Coot Killdeer 5 Black-necked Stilt 10 American Avocet 200+ Greater Yellowlegs 5 Lesser Yellowlegs 17 Franklin's Gull 1000 Bonaparte's Gull 10 Ring-billed Gull 5 California Gull 20 Rock Pigeon Great Horned Owl ( 3 ad. + 3 owlets ) Black-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow 60 Bank Swallow 1 Marsh Wren 4 American Robin European Starling Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark 5 Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird 1 House Sparrow Tony Timmons"

Yesterday afternoon, 22 March 2015, I went on a very enjoyable two and a half hour walk at Carburn Park, with birding friends. The weather was good and the company was perfect. These magnificent Bald Eagles are usually seen in the trees on the far side of the Bow River or flying overhead, so my photos tend to be very distant. I was just pressing the shutter when this adult unexpectedly took flight. I love seeing them when their legs are extended like this, so, even though this is a very grainy image, I thought I'd still post it. Until maybe 10 or so years ago, when I bought my very first digital camera and eventually got into "birding", I had no idea that we have Bald Eagles in Calgary - lots of people are still very surprised when they learn this. How lucky we are! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/id I'll add the list of sightings we had, put together by the leaders of the group: 1. Canada Goose-60 2. American Wigeon-1 m. 3. Mallard-55 4. Bufflehead-60 5. Common Goldeneye-60 6. Common Merganser-7 7. Bald Eagle-2 8. Ring-bill Gull-30 9. Calfornia Gull-30 10.Herring Gull-1 11. Rock Pigeon-3 12. Great Horned Owl-2 13. Downy Woodpecker-8 14. Hairy Woodpecker-1 15. Northern Flicker-5 16. Black-billed Magpie-14 17. American Crow-2 18. Common Raven-8 19. Black-capped Chickadee-5 20. Red-breasted Nuthatch-1 21. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 22. American Robin -4 23. House Finch-3 24. House Sparrow-10+ 25. Great Blue Heron-flew over, and noticed by Shirley, even though it was little more than a large speck in the sky After the walk, four of us went for coffee at Tim Hortons - always as enjoyable as the walk itself, if not more so : )

Yesterday, 10 February 2014, I returned to Griffith Woods, where I had been lucky enough to see a Great Gray Owl on 10 January 2014. (Can't believe it has been a month. It feels more like a couple of weeks.) It had been seen on a number of days since then, so I thought I would give it another try, especially as friends were going on a birding walk there yesterday. As I walked into the area, I could see a large, dark object sitting on the top of a very tall tree. During the time I was there, the owl plunged twice into the deep snow and caught a Meadow Vole, as well as flying to several different trees. The photo above was taken after it had flown to a different tree and sat for a while. I had taken several shots and then, just as I was pressing the shutter button, it took off. I rarely ever try in-flight shots with my point-and-shoot, so this was a very lucky "accident". Though it was a lovely, sunny morning, the light was rather harsh and the sun not always in the best position. Not as sharp a photo as I would have liked, but I'll keep it : ) Great Gray Owls are not normally seen in Calgary, so this was a real treat.

You'd laugh if you knew just how far away this hawk really was! I so rarely even bother to try and get birds in flight, but I think this image is just about fit to add to my Birds of Alberta set : ) Taken on 23 September 2012, when I was still within city limits on the south west edge of the city. I was trying to get a few shots of combine harvesters (or similar) and there must have been about a dozen of these hawks circling way, way overhead. I got in and out of my pulled-over car endless times - somehow, every time I got out, the Hawks would fly even further away. By the time I had got myself settled back in my vehicle, I'd glance upwards and find that the raptors were now that much closer, ha.

A pair of Bald Eagles seen yesterday morning from Carburn Park across to the far side of the Bow River. Fully zoomed and heavily cropped - couldn't tell which way round the Eagles were sitting for some of my photos, they were so far away. We saw about 5 of these majestic birds of prey, two adults and three immatures. Not many, compared to some days, but always great to see. There was even blue sky! Very different from today, as winter has returned once again, with more snow.

Can anyone tell what this very rare (in Alberta) bird is - I do know, but I just wondered if anyone else can tell, ha? Taken at Frank Lake (which will probably make it very obvious to those who know that area) on September 3rd. I think this bird image is brilliant in two ways - brilliant lack of closeness and brilliant lack of feather detail. However, I did just want it for my own records : ) Highly zoomed and ccropped, needless to say. Always a thrill to see this species. "The White-faced Ibis is a fairly recent addition to the bird life of Alberta. It has nested at Pakowki Lake since 1974 and now also breeds at Frank Lake and at Blizzard Lake, south east of Calgary. It spends the winter months in California and Mexico. It arrives at its Alberta colonies in early May, and leaves in early September. There is some dispersal of individuals after the breeding season, when they have been found as close as Namaka Lake. While there are no records yet from the Weaselhead delta, it seems likely that the first will occur in the fairly near future. The White-faced Ibis eats aquatic invertebrates and amphibeans. It finds these by probing in the mud of extensive marshes. The colonial nests are hidden in extensive stands of bulrushes. They are constructed of various kinds of course vegetation, lined with finer material." Written by Andrew Slater on the talkaboutwildlife website.

This little Black-capped Chickadee's wings are right up against the top left corner of the original image. Another split second and it would have been gone : ) Not a "clever" shot - just a lucky one! (Not my hand, of course, ha). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee

I rarely take in-flight shots as, in my experience, they usually just don't work with a point-and-shoot. This is such a distant photo and heavily cropped, but it does show the underwing markings of this beautiful Osprey, seen at Bankside, Fish Creek Park, a month ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey

About eight of these enormous American White Pelicans circled way, way overhead while we were botanizing the Western Sky Land Trust's Wheatland #1, formerly Jack Nodwell’s Property, 59 acres of land near Carseland, Alberta, yesterday afternoon. This area is about half an hour's drive south east of the city. It's so amazing to see Pelicans flying on a bright, sunny day. One moment they are dazzling white in the sun; next moment, when they turn, they almost vanish from sight. A zoomed and cropped image, LOL.

LOL, a very, very distant, cropped image, but it's not every day that you see a Rough-legged Hawk being harrassed by two Ravens. This behaviour went on for quite a long time - maybe they were "playing"? Seen a couple of weeks ago near the end of a walk at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park.