Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Bankside

Sneezewort is an introduced plant, from Eurasia. Its status in Calgary is rare; casual escape from cultivation. The white flowers are much smaller than shown in this image. I have added a better photo taken in August 2007, in a comment box below. "Achillea ptarmica (Sneezewort, Sneezeweed, Bastard Pellitory, European Pellitory, Fair-maid-of-France, Goose Tongue, Sneezewort Yarrow, Wild Pellitory, White Tansy) is a species in the genus Achillea. It has loose clusters of white, button-like flowers that bloom from June to August. Its dark green leaves have finely-toothed margins. This is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that prefers full sun and moist but well-drained soil. The name ptarmica comes from the Greek word ptairo (=sneeze) and means 'causes sneezing'. The plant is poisonous to cattle, sheep, and horses. Symptoms are generally slow to develop, and include fever, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, weight loss, drooling, spasms and loss of muscular control, and convulsions." From Wikipedia website. I only remember ever seeing this plant growing at one location before - Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park - in August 2007. Yesterday, 2 September 2017, I found this plant tucked away among tall grasses and other plants. This, too, was in Fish Creek Park, but at Bankside at the east end of the park. As you can see, the flowers were way past their prime, but I did want to post this photo just for the record. The walk I was on was actually a birding walk and the only reason I came across the plant was that two of us were walking slowly and quietly towards a low tree that we had seen a light-coloured bird fly into. This outing was led by Terry Korolyk and started near the Visitor's Centre. After checking the area, we then walked eastward to the Bow River and continued walking north as far as Burnsmead. After returning to the Visitor's Centre, we all drove over to Bankside and did a short walk near the river. An exciting sighting there, just as we were walking back to our cars, was a bird that is rarely seen here - a Turkey Vulture! The bird was flying high overhead. Unfortunately, some people had already left for home earlier, so missed this. At this point, I was planning to go home, too, as we had been walking all morning and it was getting hotter all the time. The temperature reached 32C, and the air quality was not good, thanks to the smoke from wildfires in British Columbia, blowing into Alberta. However, I changed my mind and decided to join the others, driving the short distance to Mallard Point, where we again walked along the Bow River. I had to return to my car a bit before the remaining few, as I could not have walked another step and I was SO hot. I will add the final list of bird species seen, in a comment box below. Thanks for a great walk, Terry!

Update on the massive wildfire in the Fort McMurray area: "On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings and forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in Albertan history. As of May 17, it continues to spread across northern Alberta, consuming forested areas and impacting Athabasca oil sands operations. It may become the costliest disaster in Canadian history. .... While the fire had moved away from Fort McMurray, explosions and poor air quality continued to prevent residents and rebuilding crews from returning to the town. The wildfire is still burning and is expected to take months to contain and extinguish." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Fort_McMurray_wildfire www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/the-fort-mcmurray-di... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adding another photo of the gorgeous Ring-necked Pheasant that I saw a few weeks ago. I rarely see a Pheasant and when I do, it's usually a long way away. On 7 April 2016, the weather was beautiful and I finally got out for a walk in Fish Creek Park with birding friends. We started off at the Boat Launch, checking the Bow River for any waterfowl, then walked to the first storm water pond. From there, we walked down the path by the river, where, among other things, we spotted a little male Tree Swallow working at his nest cavity. Also a Black-capped Chickadee doing exactly the same thing. At one point, we heard a rustling in the dead leaves on the ground and then caught sight of a Meadow Vole. We even heard one little squeak : ) The last stop on our walk was to check on the pair of Great Horned Owls. Dad was sleeping in a tree not far from the nest tree and Mom was on the nest. We couldn't see any young ones yesterday morning. The Balsam Poplar trees were full of bright red (male) catkins - they always look so beautiful, especially when seen against a blue sky. We saw one flower on our walk - yellow, and I think it was Silverweed, if I remember correctly. When I returned home later, I was welcomed by another yellow flower - my first Dandelion of the season : ) After the bird walk, I had intended going straight home, but on the spur of the moment, I turned on to the small road leading down to Bankside (still in Fish Creek Park). Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am meant to go somewhere, that there is a reason, and usually it ends up with my seeing something beautiful. Well, yesterday, the 'something' was this gorgeous male Ring-necked Pheasant! On the drive to the parking lot, I had already seen another male, but the one in this photo ended up crossing the path, giving a much closer view. As soon as I got out of my car, I recognized a lady in the distance - it was friend, Shirley, who had already spotted this bird. A helpful fisherman mentioned it to us, as well. After watching the very well-hidden bird, we were treated to a clear view when it walked across the path ahead of us. Such a spectacular bird! Its very long tail (that didn't fit into the photo) is roughly the same length as the rest of the body. "The ring-necked pheasant is a native of Japan and southern China. It was first successfully introduced into southwestern Alberta in 1908. It soon became common throughout central and southeastern Alberta in agricultural areas of the prairie and parkland zones." From Alberta Fish and Wildlife. aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/grouse-re... I will add the list of species seen on the first walk, compiled by our leaders: Spring Birding, Boat Launch, FCPP, Calgary, 0915-1215, Thu07Apr2016. Sunny, calm, 3 – 15°C. Combined results of three groups. Canada Goose-20 American Wigeon-2 Mallard-20 Common Goldeneye-10 Common Merganser-5 RED-TAILED HAWK-1 WILSON’S SNIPE-1 FRANKLIN’S GULL-5 Ring-billed Gull-15+ Rock Pigeon-2 Great Horned Owl-2 Downy Woodpecker-6 Hairy Woodpecker-2 Northern Flicker-7+ Black-billed Magpie-3 Common Raven-3 TREE SWALLOW-3. One male was excavating nest-hole Black-capped Chickadee-10, one pair were excavating nest-hole White-breasted Nuthatch-2+ American Robin-4 European Starling-40+ SONG SPARROW-2+ RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-3 m. Meadow Vole-1 Muskrat-2

Amazing, our temperature yesterday, 19 April 2016, got up to 27C! We have been having summer weather and it's only spring. The temperature in Calgary climbed high enough yesterday to top a century-old weather record. "According to Environment Canada, the previous record high for Calgary on April 19 was recorded at the Calgary International Airport in 1910 when it was 26.7 C. Calgary had tied that record by 2 p.m. and beat it at around 5 p.m. by reaching 27.5 C." globalnews.ca/news/2647710/calgary-poised-to-break-100-ye... Adding another photo of the gorgeous Ring-necked Pheasant that I saw almost two weeks ago. I rarely see a Pheasant and when I do, it's usually a long way away. On 7 April 2016, the weather was beautiful and I finally got out for a walk in Fish Creek Park with birding friends. We started off at the Boat Launch, checking the Bow River for any waterfowl, then walked to the first storm water pond. From there, we walked down the path by the river, where, among other things, we spotted a little male Tree Swallow working at his nest cavity. Also a Black-capped Chickadee doing exactly the same thing. At one point, we heard a rustling in the dead leaves on the ground and then caught sight of a Meadow Vole. We even heard one little squeak : ) The last stop on our walk was to check on the pair of Great Horned Owls. Dad was sleeping in a tree not far from the nest tree and Mom was on the nest. We couldn't see any young ones yesterday morning. The Balsam Poplar trees were full of bright red (male) catkins - they always look so beautiful, especially when seen against a blue sky. We saw one flower on our walk - yellow, and I think it was Silverweed, if I remember correctly. When I returned home later, I was welcomed by another yellow flower - my first Dandelion of the season : ) After the bird walk, I had intended going straight home, but on the spur of the moment, I turned on to the small road leading down to Bankside (still in Fish Creek Park). Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am meant to go somewhere, that there is a reason, and usually it ends up with my seeing something beautiful. Well, yesterday, the 'something' was this gorgeous male Ring-necked Pheasant! On the drive to the parking lot, I had already seen another male, but the one in this photo ended up crossing the path, giving a much closer view. As soon as I got out of my car, I recognized a lady in the distance - it was friend, Shirley, who had already spotted this bird. A helpful fisherman mentioned it to us, as well. After watching the very well-hidden bird, we were treated to a clear view when it walked across the path ahead of us. Such a spectacular bird! Its very long tail (that didn't fit into the photo) is roughly the same length as the rest of the body. "The ring-necked pheasant is a native of Japan and southern China. It was first successfully introduced into southwestern Alberta in 1908. It soon became common throughout central and southeastern Alberta in agricultural areas of the prairie and parkland zones." From Alberta Fish and Wildlife. aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/grouse-re... I will add the list of species seen on the first walk, compiled by our leaders: Spring Birding, Boat Launch, FCPP, Calgary, 0915-1215, Thu07Apr2016. Sunny, calm, 3 – 15°C. Combined results of three groups. Canada Goose-20 American Wigeon-2 Mallard-20 Common Goldeneye-10 Common Merganser-5 RED-TAILED HAWK-1 WILSON’S SNIPE-1 FRANKLIN’S GULL-5 Ring-billed Gull-15+ Rock Pigeon-2 Great Horned Owl-2 Downy Woodpecker-6 Hairy Woodpecker-2 Northern Flicker-7+ Black-billed Magpie-3 Common Raven-3 TREE SWALLOW-3. One male was excavating nest-hole Black-capped Chickadee-10, one pair were excavating nest-hole White-breasted Nuthatch-2+ American Robin-4 European Starling-40+ SONG SPARROW-2+ RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-3 m. Meadow Vole-1 Muskrat-2

You all know the answer to that, lol! On 7 April 2016, the weather was beautiful and I finally got out for a walk in Fish Creek Park with birding friends. We started off at the Boat Launch, checking the Bow River for any waterfowl, then walked to the first storm water pond. From there, we walked down the path by the river, where, among other things, we spotted a little male Tree Swallow working at his nest cavity. Also a Black-capped Chickadee doing exactly the same thing. At one point, we heard a rustling in the dead leaves on the ground and then caught sight of a Meadow Vole. We even heard one little squeak : ) The last stop on our walk was to check on the pair of Great Horned Owls. Dad was sleeping in a tree not far from the nest tree and Mom was on the nest. We couldn't see any young ones yesterday morning. The Balsam Poplar trees were full of bright red (male) catkins - they always look so beautiful, especially when seen against a blue sky. We saw one flower on our walk - yellow, and I think it was Silverweed, if I remember correctly. When I returned home later, I was welcomed by another yellow flower - my first Dandelion of the season : ) After the bird walk, I had intended going straight home, but on the spur of the moment, I turned on to the small road leading down to Bankside (still in Fish Creek Park). Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am meant to go somewhere, that there is a reason, and usually it ends up with my seeing something beautiful. Well, yesterday, the 'something' was this gorgeous male Ring-necked Pheasant! On the drive to the parking lot, I had already seen another male, but the one in this photo ended up crossing the path, giving a much closer view. As soon as I got out of my car, I recognized a lady in the distance - it was friend, Shirley, who had already spotted this bird. A helpful fisherman mentioned it to us, as well. After watching the very well-hidden bird, we were treated to a clear view when it walked across the path ahead of us. Such a spectacular bird! Its very long tail (that didn't fit into the photo) is roughly the same length as the rest of the body. "The ring-necked pheasant is a native of Japan and southern China. It was first successfully introduced into southwestern Alberta in 1908. It soon became common throughout central and southeastern Alberta in agricultural areas of the prairie and parkland zones." From Alberta Fish and Wildlife. aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/grouse-re... I will add the list of species seen on the first walk, compiled by our leaders: Spring Birding, Boat Launch, FCPP, Calgary, 0915-1215, Thu07Apr2016. Sunny, calm, 3 – 15°C. Combined results of three groups. Canada Goose-20 American Wigeon-2 Mallard-20 Common Goldeneye-10 Common Merganser-5 RED-TAILED HAWK-1 WILSON’S SNIPE-1 FRANKLIN’S GULL-5 Ring-billed Gull-15+ Rock Pigeon-2 Great Horned Owl-2 Downy Woodpecker-6 Hairy Woodpecker-2 Northern Flicker-7+ Black-billed Magpie-3 Common Raven-3 TREE SWALLOW-3. One male was excavating nest-hole Black-capped Chickadee-10,One pair were excavating nest-hole White-breasted Nuthatch-2+ American Robin-4 European Starling-40+ SONG SPARROW-2+ RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-3 m. Meadow Vole-1 Muskrat-2

Four days ago, 7 April 2016, the weather was beautiful and I finally got out for a walk in Fish Creek Park with birding friends. We started off at the Boat Launch, checking the Bow River for any waterfowl, then walked to the first storm water pond. From there, we walked down the path by the river, where, among other things, we spotted a little male Tree Swallow working at his nest cavity. Also a Black-capped Chickadee doing exactly the same thing. At one point, we heard a rustling in the dead leaves on the ground and then caught sight of a Meadow Vole. We even heard one litte squeak : ) Our last stop on our walk was to check on the pair of Great Horned Owls. Dad was sleeping in a tree not far from the nest tree and Mom was on the nest. We couldn't see any young ones yesterday morning. The Balsam Poplar trees were full of bright red (male) catkins - they always look so beautiful, especially when seen against a blue sky. We saw one flower on our walk - yellow, and I think it was Silverweed, if I remember correctly. When I returned home later, I was welcomed by another yellow flower - my first Dandelion of the season : ) After the bird walk, I had intended going straight home, but on the spur of the moment, I turned on to the small road leading down to Bankside (still in Fish Creek Park). Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am meant to go somewhere, that there is a reason, and usually it ends up with my seeing something beautiful. Well, on this day, the 'something' was this gorgeous male Ring-necked Pheasant! On the drive to the parking lot, I had already seen another male, so was already feeling very lucky. It was a treat to see this second male 'drumming', too. As soon as I got out of my car, I had recognized a lady in the distance - it was friend, Shirley, who had already spotted this bird. A helpful fisherman mentioned it to us, as well. After watching the very well-hidden bird, we were treated to a clear view when it walked across the path ahead of us. Such a spectacular bird! "The ring-necked pheasant is a native of Japan and southern China. It was first successfully introduced into southwestern Alberta in 1908. It soon became common throughout central and southeastern Alberta in agricultural areas of the prairie and parkland zones." From Alberta Fish and Wildlife. aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/grouse-re... I will add the list of species seen on the first walk, compiled by our leaders: Spring Birding, Boat Launch, FCPP, Calgary, 0915-1215, Thu07Apr2016. Sunny, calm, 3 – 15°C. Combined results of three groups. Canada Goose-20 American Wigeon-2 Mallard-20 Common Goldeneye-10 Common Merganser-5 RED-TAILED HAWK-1 WILSON’S SNIPE-1 FRANKLIN’S GULL-5 Ring-billed Gull-15+ Rock Pigeon-2 Great Horned Owl-2 Downy Woodpecker-6 Hairy Woodpecker-2 Northern Flicker-7+ Black-billed Magpie-3 Common Raven-3 TREE SWALLOW-3. One male was excavating nest-hole Black-capped Chickadee-10,One pair were excavating nest-hole White-breasted Nuthatch-2+ American Robin-4 European Starling-40+ SONG SPARROW-2+ RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-3 m. Meadow Vole-1 Muskrat-2

It made me laugh just now, when I noticed the automatic tags by Flick had identified this as a Pheasant, even with its tail missing. Wow, I'm rather impressed! At least it didn't say "pet" or "cat". Yesterday's weather was beautiful and I finally got out for a walk in Fish Creek Park with birding friends. We started off at the Boat Launch, checking the Bow River for any waterfowl, then walked to the first storm water pond. From there, we walked down the path by the river, where, among other things, we spotted a little male Tree Swallow working at his nest cavity. Also a Black-capped Chickadee doing exactly the same thing. At one point, we heard a rustling in the dead leaves on the ground and then caught sight of a Meadow Vole. We even heard one litte squeak : ) Our last stop on our walk was to check on the pair of Great Horned Owls. Dad was sleeping in a tree not far from the nest tree and Mom was on the nest. We couldn't see any young ones yesterday morning. The Balsam Poplar trees were full of bright red (male) catkins - they always look so beautiful, especially when seen against a blue sky. We saw one flower on our walk - yellow, and I think it was Silverweed, if I remember correctly. When I returned home later, I was welcomed by another yellow flower - my first Dandelion of the season : ) After the bird walk, I had intended going straight home, but on the spur of the moment, I turned on to the small road leading down to Bankside (still in Fish Creek Park). Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am meant to go somewhere, that there is a reason, and usually it ends up with my seeing something beautiful. Well, yesterday, the 'something' was this gorgeous male Ring-necked Pheasant! On the drive to the parking lot, I had already seen another male, but the one in this photo ended up crossing the path, giving a much closer view. As soon as I got out of my car, I recognized a lady in the distance - it was friend, Shirley, who had already spotted this bird. A fisherman mentioned it to us, as well. After watching the very well-hidden bird, we were treated to a clear view when it walked across the path ahead of us. Such a spectacular bird! "The ring-necked pheasant is a native of Japan and southern China. It was first successfully introduced into southwestern Alberta in 1908. It soon became common throughout central and southeastern Alberta in agricultural areas of the prairie and parkland zones." From Alberta Fish and Wildlife. aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/grouse-re... I will add the list of species seen on the first walk, compiled by our leaders: Spring Birding, Boat Launch, FCPP, Calgary, 0915-1215, Thu07Apr2016. Sunny, calm, 3 – 15°C. Combined results of three groups. Canada Goose-20 American Wigeon-2 Mallard-20 Common Goldeneye-10 Common Merganser-5 RED-TAILED HAWK-1 WILSON’S SNIPE-1 FRANKLIN’S GULL-5 Ring-billed Gull-15+ Rock Pigeon-2 Great Horned Owl-2 Downy Woodpecker-6 Hairy Woodpecker-2 Northern Flicker-7+ Black-billed Magpie-3 Common Raven-3 TREE SWALLOW-3. One male was excavating nest-hole Black-capped Chickadee-10,One pair were excavating nest-hole White-breasted Nuthatch-2+ American Robin-4 European Starling-40+ SONG SPARROW-2+ RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-3 m. Meadow Vole-1 Muskrat-2

Taken yesterday, 11 September 2015, when I called in at Bankside, Fish Creek Park. I had to run an errand at the east end of the park, so I thought I would call in at Bankside to see if I could see any Pelicans or Cormorants on the Bow River. One Pelican flew over and a Cormorant flew along the river. One of the Ospreys was looking for fish, but I wasn't able to get any photos.

A Northern Flicker, seen excavating a cavity at Bankside, Fish Creek Park, on 7 May 2014. I so rarely get out for a walk, but I'm glad I went that morning, and caught this male working hard. Most of the Flickers we see here are hybrids. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_flicker www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_flicker/id Overslept this morning, thanks to having to take a muscle relaxant tablet last night. Actually, I only took half a tablet, just to see what it would do, so I can't say I look forward to having to take a whole one for the next 30 days. These are part of the treatment for the inflammation of my rotator cuffs, especially in the right shoulder, along with an anti-inflammatory ointment, heat, etc.. Finally had my appointment with my doctor yesterday, and she said she doesn't think there are tears in the rotator cuffs. Have to set up physiotherapy (which normally I avoid, as it's expensive and I don't like having to go, ha). However, when something interferes with my photography - not to mention everything else I need to do - then I have no choice but to go : )

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

I haven't had the chance to photograph a Pileated Woodpecker in quite a while so, even though this isn't the most photogenic "perch", I'll still post it. This female was seen in the Bankside area of Fish Creek Park.