Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014February09

It's early on Sunday morning, 9 February 2014, -28C (windchill -37C) ,and I got up early to go on a bird walk with friends. It's beginning to feel less appealing by the minute - but, two good birds were spotted yesterday and the temptation is overwhelming. Wish I'd gone yesterday after all, though it was only a degree or two warmer : ) A group of us visited Keith Logan's property on 21 August 2013, on a botanizing trip. This little Pine Siskin was at one of the feeders and, though I'm not a huge fan of feeder shots, I rarely get to see and photograph Siskins.

The day before yesterday (6 February 2014) was a day of huge responsibility! My youngest daughter wanted (i.e. desperately wanted!) to see her very first Snowy Owl. So, off we went, SE of the city. I took her to various areas where Snowy Owls had been seen on 25 January, when I went there with friends and we saw 8 Snowy Owls and 8 Great Horned Owls. Nothing, absolutely nothing! All we managed to find was a flock of Horned Larks and a handful of Ravens. If nothing else, my daughter has now seen just how difficult it usually is to find a Snowy : ) Of course, we were happy to stop and photograph a number of old barns and homesteads during the day, including this very distant one, that we couldn't get closer to, so I had to use 48x zoom. The very distant, magnificent Rocky Mountains were always in view over the golden stubble fields. Four or five hours later, we called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home and drowned our disappointment in a delicious meal, ha. Their food is so good! A most enjoyable day, even if we didn't see a Snowy.