Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: ripples

Our weather forecast for today, 6 July 2019, from the Weather Network: "A multi-day severe storm threat looms for the Prairies. This weekend is ripe with storm risk, with Saturday's thunderstorms set to fire for the afternoon and evening, along with some tornado chance on the table for southern Alberta -- something visitors to the Calgary Stampede should keep an eye on." This morning, 6 July 2019, I am posting 7 more photos taken three days ago, on a drive south to Frank Lake. Yet again, when I checked the weather forecast, it said continuing rain for day after day after day. However, the sun was shining when I decided to drive south. The clouds were sufficiently photogenic for me to change my plans and, instead of calling in at the Saskatoon Farm, I drove straight to the Lake. The previous time I was at Frank Lake, there was one Coot, two Canada Geese, and a Red-winged and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Two days ago, it was so much better! The Barn Swallows were there, having built their nest a few feet away from their previous nest site. The Eared Grebes had their tiny, adorable babies, sometimes riding on their back, other times swimming separately. Same thing with the Coots - some had very young babies; others had somewhat older youngsters. One Coot adult and baby were walking in thick mud, searching for food. They both looked such a mess, as if they had rolled in the mud. A pair of Western Grebes could be seen far in the distance. The sky began to change - the white clouds were taken over by rather menacing black ones and it became windy and the rain started. I really didn't want to drive back home on the very busy highway in pouring rain, but after waiting and hoping for it to end, I eventually had no choice but to risk it. As it turned out, there was hardly any traffic going north. It has been raining on and off for something like three weeks now, and everyone is tired of the rain. The famous 9-day Calgary Stampede runs from 5-14 July this year and rain during Stampede makes things so unpleasant! Judging by my Stampede photos posted on Flickr, I haven't been since 2013, when I went with my daughter - surely it hasn't been that long? I know I haven't been the last few years, as it was feeling just too much to deal with. Happy to be away from the huge masses of people and the sickening smell of grease, ha, ha! Of course, not going means not getting any mini-donuts, too. However, I was invited to a friend's Stampede BBQ yesterday evening - so much delicious food in such a beautiful garden. Thank you so much for inviting me, Diane!! Happy Stampeding, everyone! May the sun shine ....

I churned out (at least, that is what it felt like) 25 new photos this afternoon, all taken at the Leonabelle Turner Birding Centre on 22 March 2019. This was such a great place to visit - would recommend it to anyone! We were so lucky to have sunshine while we were there, too. Day 4, 22 March 2019, was a day of birding and also driving from Rockport, where we had stayed for three nights, to Kingsville, where we were going to stay for two nights at the Hampton Inn. All of these 25 photos were taken at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Centre, on the edge of the Port Aransas Nature Preserve. We really enjoyed this birding centre and their new boardwalk and tower. Lots of birds; even a huge Alligator. From an article published on 2 January 2019: "Work on a new boardwalk is underway at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. The old structure was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. A 700-foot replacement will connect the birding center to the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture. It’s the first new construction to take place in the preserve since the hurricane. The new boardwalk, which will cost about $670,000, is more than a replacement, according to officials. It will be the first leg of future boardwalks designed to link sections of the preserve for better wildlife viewing. It is being built of fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene grating rather than wood, which will make it stronger and less likely to be damaged by future storms. Because it is not buoyant, waves will crash through it and not lift it. At 7 feet above the surface, the new boardwalk is 2 feet higher than the previous structure." www.ccbiznews.com/news/new-boardwalk-underway-at-port-ara...

These ducks love to stand on one leg - hoping I have some photos with them standing on both legs. This evening, I have flooded my photostream, (yet again) with another 22 images taken on 22 March, Day 4 of our 13-day trip to South Texas, 19-31 March 2019. I don't seem to have all that many photos from that day - thought I took a lot more than I did at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Centre, at the Port Aransas Nature Reserve, South Texas. Day 4, 22 March 2019, was a day of birding and also driving from Rockport, where we had stayed for three nights, to Kingsville. Most of these 22 photos were taken at the Port Aransas Nature Preserve. When we arrived at that location, we discovered that only a small area near the beach was open to the public, as other parts had been closed because of damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. We had a short walk there, enjoying seeing a tiny - and fast! - Sedge Wren. We also all took photos of a white caterpillar, only to discover when we got back to Calgary, that in fact it was not a caterpillar after all, but two white moths mating : ) Shortly after leaving that area, we stopped to take a quick shot or two of a Loggerhead Shrike, perched high up on a wire. I have seen a Loggerhead Shrike before, here in Alberta, but I had never seen one this close. After we left this area, we stopped at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, on the edge of the Port Aransas Nature Reserve. We really enjoyed this birding centre and their new boardwalk and tower. Lots of birds; even a huge Alligator.

Taken at Focal Length (35mm format) - 2000 mm, but at least I got it : ) Not the best photo, but I rarely see a Harlequin Duck, so this was a happy sighting. On 17 October 2018, I managed to get over to Carburn Park for a walk. Though I have seen a number of Rusty Blackbirds, this species was still a bird I wanted to look out for. As it turned out, this was not one of my finds. However, I saw a few other things that were a delight to see, including meeting two Ferrets that were out for a walk (or rather, travelling in a stroller) with their 'people". Both are rescue animals, which was good to see. "Ferret Rescue & Education Society (FRES) is a non-profit, charitable organization that was started by a group of devoted ferret owners in the Calgary area who recognized the need for a locally based rescue dedicated to ferrets. Our committed volunteers assist FRES in their goal to find permanent homes for all of the ferrets surrendered to us. They also provide shelter, basic needs, veterinary care, and if necessary, rehabilitation for all abused, unwanted, and abandoned ferrets regardless of their health status." From the FRES website. www.ferrets.ca/ Another lovely encounter was with the resident Great Horned Owl. Two friends that I bumped into in the park described where they had just seen it. Two or three strangers also helped pinpoint the exact tree : ) Over the years, we have seen Great Horned Owls in this park - always a joy. On this particular day, this owl was rather agitated and moved two or three times. One of the park's Eastern Gray Squirrels was teasing the owl. As if a couple of 'rescue' Ferrets and a Great Horned Owl weren't enough, we were also very lucky to see a Harlequin Duck (male) out on the Bow River. When we first saw it, it wasn't too far out on the water, but it gradually swam further and further away, diving constantly. My photos were not the greatest, but they serve as a record of seeing this very handsome duck. "The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (French Arlequin, Italian Arlecchino), a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", "actor". In North America it is also known as lords and ladies. Other names include painted duck, totem pole duck, rock duck, glacier duck, mountain duck, white-eyed diver, squeaker and blue streak. These birds feed by swimming under water or diving. They also dabble. They eat molluscs, crustaceans and insects. Harlequins have smooth, densely packed feathers that trap a lot of air within them. This is vital for insulating such small bodies against the chilly waters they ply. It also makes them exceptionally buoyant, making them bounce like corks after dives." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_duck www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/harlequin_duck/id The weather was gorgeous, and much-deserved after the dreadful winter weather we have been having (in fall)! A perfect day to be outdoors, so I just couldn't resist. Lovely to see you, Pam, though unfortunate that you were just leaving when I arrived. Great to see you, Bonnie, and spend time with you. Had been a long time, no see.

More snow fell last night and it is still snowing very lightly this morning, 9 October 2018. Shortly before noon, our temperature is -4C (windchill -9C). Last night, I finally took another look at the photos I took way back in May, on our two-week trip to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec). I have only edited and posted photos from the first day there and a few from our second morning. I really need to get busy on this huge task and I think I may have to post far too many photos at a time. Will do this later in a day or at night, when most people are probably off Flickr. Many photos are simply "for the record" shots and not of good quality. I will see how long I can keep this up, though, as editing and posting photos does not help with the inflammation in my shoulder rotator cuffs. Nor does holding up a camera and taking photos!! On 6 October 2018, I joined a few birding friends for another day out east of the city. The weather was beautiful, and so different from the freezing cold trip that was held about a week earlier. As usual on these birding trips, almost every bird was far, far away. Luckily, this Yellowlegs wandered somewhat closer, so that I could actually see the feather detail on it. Another bird I was happy to see was a Thayer's Gull. I was thinking that I had never seen one before, or at least not to get a photo. However, I checked my photostream and discovered a photo of a juvenile that I took on 25 March 2018. The Thayer's Gull is now called an Iceland Gull. "The darker-winged “Thayer’s” gull of the west used to be considered a different species; the two were lumped in 2017." Like many people, I just don't "do" Gulls. A lack of interest in them does seem to be fairly widespread, On this day, however, our leader, Terry Korolyk, who is a Gull expert (along with tremendous knowledge on hybrids and all birds/wildlife), found several huge flocks of various Gulls at different locations, along with other bird species, including a few more Rusty Blackbirds (whose numbers are declining). A delight to see a few distant Swans, a Wilson's Snipe, Greater White-fronted Geese, Yellowlegs and an assortment of other shorebirds and waterfowl. Thank you, Terry, for yet another enjoyable and interesting trip. Thank you, also, for the ride.

This Killdeer was seen on 25 August 2017, when I at last did a long-overdue drive east of the city. This is my least favourite direction in which to drive from the city and I have to say it stresses me out so much. Once I reach the back roads, I can relax a little, but I am always worried about getting lost. The best few minutes in the five and a half hours I was out were when I came across a beautiful Swainson's Hawk juvenile, perched on a fence post. Finally, a hawk perched along a back road, where I could stop. Amazingly, not one single vehicle came along while I was there. It felt so good to get a few photos of a hawk in the wild, unlike the ones I photographed recently at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. I had really hoped I would see a perched hawk and, actually, I had seen another one earlier in my drive, though that one was more distant. That's all I needed, to make me feel happy and that the drive was worthwhile. For the first time ever, and after having driven past the location other times, I stopped at Weed Lake (south end). Quite a few birds, but most were really too far to photograph. Still, I was happy to see a Killdeer and a little Semipalmated Plover close enough to get a few shots. One disturbing thing I found on the path was a large dead, white bird with a long neck. There were two cylindrical canisters on top of the remains - looks like these were empty fireworks. No idea how long this body had been there, or if anyone else has seen it there. Added later: apparently, this dead Swan has been there since at least April of this year. Further update: the thinking is that there are wires overhead and that the bird probably hit them. "A shorebird you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and parking lots. These tawny birds run across the ground in spurts, stopping with a jolt every so often to check their progress, or to see if they’ve startled up any insect prey. Their voice, a far-carrying, excited kill-deer, is a common sound even after dark, often given in flight as the bird circles overhead on slender wings." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/id

Yesterday afternoon, 11 June 2017, I decided to join a few friends for a walk in Weaselhead. No rain was forecast, so I thought I had better make the most of it. We were hoping to see the three species of Hummingbird, but the Rufous stayed hidden. We only had a very distant look at a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a very fleeting look at a tiny Calliope Hummingbird, when it flew past us like a huge bumblebee, and disappeared from sight. Still good to see them,, though. The Merganser family in this photo was such a delight to see. Mom had just these four babies and they were so cute. We also saw another Merganser family with eight ducklings. I have added our leaders' list of species seen, in a comment box below. We were pleased to see a pair of Eastern Phoebes in their usual place. One of the birds had a piece of fishing line in its beak - photo posted this morning. It is such a distant photo, so the quality is poor, making it impossible to enlarge and be able to tell if it was caught or just being carried to perhaps add to their nest. The bird kept flying around and the fishing line stayed in place. I do hope the the nylon line had not got tangled around the bird somehow. Fishermen need to be far more careful and not discard any unwanted line - wildlife pays the price! Simple enough - just take it home with you! As well as birds, we saw quite a few species of wildflower. There were so many beautiful wild Roses in bloom. "Common Mergansers are streamlined ducks that float gracefully down small rivers or shallow shorelines. The males are striking with clean white bodies, dark green heads, and a slender, serrated red bill. The elegant gray-bodied females have rich, cinnamon heads with a short crest. In summer, look for them leading ducklings from eddy to eddy along streams or standing on a flat rock in the middle of the current. These large ducks nest in hollow trees; in winter they form flocks on larger bodies of water." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/id

"An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat This photo was taken yesterday at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. It was yet another cold, very overcast day and I almost didn't go. However, I had not been out of the house for several days in a row and just needed to get out somewhere. The lighting was atrocious, though this photo came out reasonably OK. The next photo, of a Great Horned Owl, is really bad quality, but I wanted to post it just for the record. Many thanks for the morning walk, Janet and Bernie, and for lunch at the Blackfoot Diner/Truckstop. Just what was needed after a cold walk. I will add their final list of species in a comment box below.

This photo and the next one were taken yesterday, 22 October 2016, when I went on a birding day trip with a group of friends, east of Calgary. I will add our leader's eBird list of species seen, as soon as I have it. We had beautiful weather for these few hours and we saw plenty of birds. Unfortunately, all the birds were extremely far away, as usual, so all I got were very distant shots of a mass of birds, plus photos of this Ring-billed Gull and the much smaller Bonaparte's Gull. In the breeding season, the Bonaparte's Gull has a black head, but in winter, it is white with a black dot on each cheek. There were quite a few Geese of different species - Canada Geese, Snow Geese and Greater White-fronted Geese. All the usual ducks were to be seen at the various sloughs. Chestermere Lake was one of our stops, and also Wyndham/Carseland Reservoir where I took this photo. This morning, I was up at an unearthly hour again, as I have a trip with various friends, this time going west of the city.

My thoughts continue to be with all the people of Fort McMurray, Alberta, who are being devastated by a massive wildfire at the moment. All 80,000 people have been evacuated, many leaving everything behind. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-fire-social... Four days ago, on 2 May 2016, I was incredibly fortunate to be able to witness about 30 (?) Sharp-tailed Grouse, mainly male with just a handful of females, displaying at their "lek" or communal dancing ground. On this particular day, five of us went to see this. There had been a couple of possible chances for me to get out there, but these had fallen through. Then, out of the blue, friend Dorothy phoned me, asking if I had been able to get to the lek yet. She said that if I hadn't been, that her husband Stephen would be willing to drive me there! This was such a wonderful surprise, though anyone who really knows this couple already knows what amazingly kind and generous people they are. I was so happy to get this unexpected chance and the three of us had a great morning, in good weather and in good company. Two young men also went, making their own way there. Delightful guys, highly respectful of not only the Grouse, but also of us, constantly moving form their seats to allow us to get our turn, and vice versa - there are only three tiny windows from which to shoot. They could so easily have left the 'hide/blind ahead of us when the Grouse had all left, but instead they waited till we were all packed up and then made sure that we were all able to safely get over the very awkward stile at the fence line. Having been out there last year, on 13 April 2015, I knew of this problem and had bought a three-step step ladder a few weeks ago, just in case I was able to go sometime this spring. This made so much difference, thank goodness, especially as I was really tired after staying up all night in order to leave at a very unearthly hour of the morning - we had to be there at least an hour before sunrise! So glad we had a nice, sunny day - the day I went a year ago, the weather was overcast and not good for photos. This year, I got to see the Grouse in beautiful sunrise light, too. Of course, the 'problem' of clumps of tall grass was exactly the same this year, lol, keeping the birds somewhat hidden, but every once in a while, a bird would come out into the open. Most of the time, they were quite distant, but we were very lucky that several did give us a closer view. Such magnificent birds, with their yellow 'eyebrows', purple patch (which is revealed when the males are dancing) below the side of the neck on the males, and glorious feather pattern. Their dance display to attract the females is so fascinating to watch. There is also more information about Grouse and their leks under my photos of these Sharp-tailed Grouse. If you have time, the following 2:30 minute YouTube video by the Alberta Conservation Association is very good for showing the action of these birds. There are several still shots first and then the video starts. Pretty amazing! The birds remind me of a child's wind-up toy : ) youtu.be/vRUVIU4UfYo Just after we got back to our cars, another car came along the road and stopped to talk with us. It turned out that this gentleman was indirectly connected to the lek. He voiced his huge concern at how many people had been out there this spring, feeling that this was not good for the Grouse. He said that hopefully no more people would be going, so that the Grouse would be undisturbed in their mating. We agreed with him and thought that maybe people should not be allowed to visit every year, but perhaps every two or three years, if that. I will pass on his words and great concern to our Naturalist leader who organizes these visits. After we left the lek, we travelled a few nearby backroads, hoping to see a Western Meadowlark. We saw 10! It had been so funny, while we sat in the blind at the lek, a Meadowlark was somewhere nearby and sang for us for about four hours! When we at last emerged into the sunlight, there was no sign of it anywhere. We did manage to get a few distant shots of two or three of them. We also stopped at one small slough to take a few photos of the American Avocets. Very elegant shorebirds. "With its elegant profile and striking coloration, the American Avocet is unique among North American birds. In summer it can be found in temporary and unpredictable wetlands across western North America where it swings its long upturned bill through the shallow water to catch small invertebrates." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Avocet/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_avocet Thank you so much, Stephen and Dorothy, for offering to take me - so very kind and thoughtful of you, as always! The stop for having our sandwiches was great and the muffins you brought along with you ended the morning very nicely.

In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be two days ago, on 10 May 2015, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : ) We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe (one seen in this photo), a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, and a Common Grackle (which I love to see). From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I think they were Trumpeters). Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake. Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. The driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could, of course making the hawks fly. We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all Mothers and Mother figures (including Grandmother, Step-Mother, Mothers-in-law, Guardians). In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year. Of course, each and every day should be Mother's Day : ) Hope everyone is enjoying the new Flickr layout, lol! What a mess! Hope they get this all sorted out - and quickly. WHY PHOTOGRAPHERS GET SUCH A BAD NAME! Shown on The Weather Network. www.theweathernetwork.com/videos/Gallery/all/video_galler... Three days ago, on 7 May 2015, I joined friends to go on a birding walk at the south end LaFarge Meadows, accessed off 194th Ave. The weather was beautiful, though the temperature was only 7C-11C, and the birds were so far away : ) I did manage to get a distant shot of two of the three Trumpeter Swans (both juveniles) that were near the river. A Bald Eagle flew overhead and a Great Blue Heron flew in the far distance. A little Savannah Sparrow posed in a small tree for us and a Muskrat was seen in the large pond by the river. The reported list is as follows, though I didn't see many of these birds myself: 1. Canada Goose-15 + two families with young 2. Trumpeter Swan-3 juv. 3. Gadwall-4 4. American Wigeon-40 5. Mallard-30 6. Blue-winged Teal-42 7. Cinnamon Teal-3 8. Northern Shoveler-6 9. Canvasback-6 10. Redhead-1 m 11. Ring-necked Duck-6 12. Common Goldeneye-3 13. Common Merganser-5+ 14. Red necked Grebe-3 15. Great Blue Heron-2 16. Osprey-2+ 17. Bald Eagle-2ad. (adult on nest feeding young) 18. Sharp-shinned Hawk-2 (1 m/1 f.) 19. Swainson’s Hawk-3+ (includes one dark morph) 20. American Coot-100 21. Killdeer-4 22. GREATER YELLOWLEGS-1 23. SOLITARY SANDPIPER-2 24. SPOTTED SANDPIPER-5 25. Franklin’s Gull-380 26. white-headed gull sp.-1 heard 27. Black-billed Magpie-3 28. American Crow-2 29. Common Raven-3 30. Tree Swallow-20 31. Northern Rough-winged Swallow-1 32. Bank Swallow-1 33. American Robin-2 34. European Starling-1 35. CLAY-COLORED SPARROW-1 heard 36. Savannah Sparrow-15 37. Song Sparrow-3 38. Red-winged Blackbird-6 (5 m/1 f) After the walk, I decided to call in at a wetland in SW Calgary, hoping that at least a few of the birds would be close enough for photos. I met a delightful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable photographer/birder while I was there, and she showed me the area accessed from a point that I had never tried before. A handful of duck species could be seen, including this handsome male Lesser Scaup. Just love his black and white, patterned feathers. "Two scaup species live in North America: the Greater Scaup prefers salt water and is found in America and Eurasia, while the Lesser Scaup prefers freshwater and is found only in North America. The Lesser Scaup is one of the most abundant and widespread of the diving ducks in North America." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Scaup/id

Four days ago, on 4 May 2015, we finally had a day without strong winds. I decided that it might be a good day to drive SE of the city again to see what I could find. The last few times I had been there recently, the wind had been so strong, making it almost impossible to take photos. The very first thing I saw when I reached the gravel road off 23 at Frank Lake, was a beautiful Western Meadowlark. I only see one occasionally, though I did see a second one later in the afternoon. At, or near, the bird blind/hide, there were a few Eared Grebes, Coots, Canada Geese, numerous and noisy Franklin's Gulls, a Ruddy Duck, a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, several Western Grebes (further away and barely within camera range) and American Avocets. White-faced Ibis were either down on the ground in the distance or flying around, mixed in with the Franklin's Gulls. After visiting the blind, I drove around the lake, seeing the second Meadowlark and, to my delight, a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were extremely well-camouflaged against the stubble and dried grasses in a field. I'm sure I have seen one before, probably through someone's scope, but never really "seen" one properly. Managed to get a few shots, though the birds don't show up very clearly. Along one of the roads, friend Greg passed me, going in the same direction. He stopped briefly and said he was on his way to help mutual friend, George. A few hours later, I saw a photo on Facebook of the predicament that George had found himself in. When I say his vehicle was stuck in mud, I really mean STUCK, lol! Not sure how he managed to find such wet, muddy ground, as everywhere else is bone dry. Well done, George! The things we birders/photographers sometimes go through to get photos! After driving all the way round the lake, I decided to drive north of 23, stopping at one of the sloughs there, where I was able to get photos of American Avocets (seen in this photo) and Black-necked Stilts. So, all in all, an enjoyable, quite rewarding afternoon, spent in one of my favourite areas. "With its elegant profile and striking coloration, the American Avocet is unique among North American birds. In summer it can be found in temporary and unpredictable wetlands across western North America where it swings its long upturned bill through the shallow water to catch small invertebrates." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Avocet/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_avocet

A couple of days ago, 4 May 2015, we finally had a day without strong winds. I decided that it might be a good day to drive SE of the city again to see what I could find. The last few times I had been there recently, the wind had been so strong, making it almost impossible to take photos. The very first thing I saw when I reached the gravel road off 23 at Frank Lake, was a beautiful Western Meadowlark. I only see one occasionally, though I did see a second one later in the afternoon. At, or near, the bird blind/hide, there were a few Eared Grebes, Coots, Canada Geese, numerous and noisy Franklin's Gulls, a Ruddy Duck, a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, several Western Grebes (further away and barely within camera range) and American Avocets. White-faced Ibis were either down on the ground in the distance or flying around, mixed in with the Franklin's Gulls. After visiting the blind, I drove around the lake, seeing the second Meadowlark and, to my delight, a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were extremely well-camouflaged against the stubble and dried grasses in a field. I'm sure I have seen one before, probably through someone's scope, but never really "seen" one properly. Managed to get a few shots, though the birds don't show up very clearly. Along one of the roads, friend Greg passed me, going in the same direction. He stopped briefly and said he was on his way to help mutual friend, George. A few hours later, I saw a photo on Facebook of the predicament that George had found himself in. When I say his vehicle was stuck in mud, I really mean STUCK, lol! Not sure how he managed to find such wet, muddy ground, as everywhere else is bone dry. Well done, George! The things we birders/photographers sometimes go through to get photos! After driving all the way round the lake, I decided to drive north of 23, stopping at one of the sloughs there, where I was able to get photos of American Avocets (seen in this photo) and Black-necked Stilts. So, all in all, an enjoyable, quite rewarding afternoon, spent in one of my favourite areas. "With its elegant profile and striking coloration, the American Avocet is unique among North American birds. In summer it can be found in temporary and unpredictable wetlands across western North America where it swings its long upturned bill through the shallow water to catch small invertebrates." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Avocet/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_avocet

Usually, one has to drive out of the city in order to find the beautiful Mountain Bluebird. Each year, though, a handful might be seen in one location or another within the city. Around 10 of these startlingly blue birds were seen yesterday (16 April 2013) at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, when I was on a walk with friends. The birds, male and female, would fly off and then return to land on the pebbles along the edge of the Bow River. This would have been my "best" photo from the sighting, if only the bird had turned its head just once before it immediately flew off, lol. I think most people probably don't have more than one photo from their Contacts displayed on their Home Page, so thought I'd slip this one in, as a reminder to myself, and to show the beautiful feather colour and pattern of the back view. Most of the time, the birds were not this close! 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... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Bluebird

I remember being so puzzled when I saw a patch of red moving across the pond at Bridlewood on 7 June 2011. When it got closer, I realized that it was a Muskrat carrying a bouquet of Carnations (that someone in one of the nearby houses obviously threw out) in its mouth, lol! Ha, ha, what with my female Mallard with beautiful snowflakes on her feathers, and now this .....

I thought this was such a beautiful sight, looking down into the thermal water at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US. It was taken somewhere near Canary Spring, on 12 September 2012, the second day of a week's holiday with friends from England. "Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park ... It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas... A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Hot_Springs For a diagram of the Hot Springs layout: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MammothHotSprings.JPG Map of Yellowstone National Park: hfc.nps.gov/carto/PDF/YELLmap2.pdf

Friends organized a wonderful day out for eight of us yesterday, walking the Sarrail Falls Trail along the edge of Upper Kananaskis Lake, in the Rocky Mountains. Our aim was to find anything that grew, flew or crawled - anything beautiful : ) My favourite kind of day! I just managed to catch this shot throuh the trees along the edge of the lake and liked the water patterns created by this couple in a boat (have blurred out the man's face). As you can see from my photo, the weather was absolutely perfect, though it did get rather too hot later on in the day. It was supposed to get up to 30C, but I don't know what the temperature ended up being. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for another wonderful day and thanks so much for doing the driving! (Oops, almost forgot to mention the second stop, at Elpoca - just a short walk, or should I say climb, up a scree slope (loose, very sharp pieces of rock) overlooking a beautiful stream with small waterfalls. However, I got just a short distance and then was unable to get around a bend where footing was maybe 4" wide and too high for me to get down to the ground below. Nothing to hold on to, but moss, ha. Then came the problem of how to turn around on that narow edge so that I could go back to where I started, to join a couple of others who knew it was not a climb they wanted to try. Thanks, David, for trying your best to help!