Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014January19

Sunday, 5 January 2014 was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton and its surrounding areas. This count was originally supposed to have taken place on 28 December 2013, but the weather forecast warned of a Flash Freeze, and so it was postponed till 5 January 2014. As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us that day. What you can't see was that it was brutally cold that day! On the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! It did eventually warm up a few degrees and thankfully, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. The only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms and homesteads. One backroad in particular had too much snow on it, so we had to leave that one out. Also, there was just too much snow in many of the farmyards, so we weren't able to check out all the trees and bushes as thoroughly as we would like to have done. I absolutely love the scenery on this Count, so I was able to get a few shots to show some typical landscapes, including this one (SW of Nanton), to give you an idea of where we were for a day. Not sure where all the Hawks and Owls were hiding that day, but we did see 2 Golden Eagles and 2 Bald Eagles, plus various smaller species. After driving (being driven, for me, which was pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 4:00 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards to thoroughly enjoy a delicious supper. One of my favourite Bird Counts and perhaps the most favourite. Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! Can't wait for next Christmas!

Just an old photo that I had put in a folder to maybe upload to Flickr. I haven't been getting much time to go through old files to find something that is NOT blue and white, but I found this one last night. This photo of a little Northern Hawk Owlet, seen NW of Calgary, was taken on 31 May 2012. Not the greatest light, but I think I managed to rescue the shot sufficiently. We learned a lot from this beautiful little owl family and they gave us so much pleasure. No sign of them since then, which was so disappointing, but it did save me some long drives out of the city. This morning, I decided to go on a walk at Griffith Woods, as I knew there would be a group of birding friends there. Despite all the great pairs of eyes, there was no sign of the Great Gray Owl - I believe this is the fifth day in a row that it has not been seen by anyone. Makes me feel so lucky that I saw it on 10 January. One of the days, a friend with brilliant birding skills walked the area from very, very early morning (like 4:30 a.m.) till early evening and he was unable to find any sign of (owl) life. I've done more walking this past week than perhaps I've done during a single week in the last year. I have found it very difficult to get motivated and go for walks for at least a year, possibly two. Not good, as my back is more painful than ever. The possibility of seeing this owl (again) has pushed me out the door this week, which has been good, but I don't think I will be going back to look in this area again. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/12012173705