Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: buck

With a lot of snow forecast for 8 of the following 10 days, I feel very lucky that my daughter and I had such a beautiful day on 17 December 2017, for our Christmas get-together. Along with the snow has come much colder temperatures, too, unfortunately. It was such weird weather that day, as the colour of the sunrise sky lasted all day, till we left just before sunset. A gorgeous Chinook Arch crossed the sky, staying the whole day. Some of the fields were bare, and others had a light dusting of snow on them. The day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm - always enjoyable. They do close from the end of the day on 23 December and open again in the morning of 17 January. A well-earned break for everyone who works there. As always, we walked around the grounds to look for things to photograph and, as usual, we were in luck - dead Sunflowers, cats, dogs, and House Sparrows that were flying in and out of one of the greenhouses. From there, we continued south to the area east of High River and drove some of the usual back roads; ones that I had driven just four days earlier. Of course, we were hoping that we might find a Snowy Owl, though I knew not to get our hopes up. Before too long, my daughter spotted our first Snowy Owl of the season - the tiniest speck of white that I could barely see with the naked eye, but it was a Snowy and that was all that mattered. Later in the day, she somehow spotted a second one; again, the tiniest speck perched on a very distant fence post. A few minutes before this second sighting, my daughter spotted two handsome Mule Deer bucks - looked like father and son - lying down next to a metal grain silo, near the edge of the road. They stayed there for a while, which was surprising, as males tend to be far more skittish. Eventually, they stood up and walked off into the field. Of course, we couldn't resist taking shots of any old barns, sheds and houses that we came across. Altogether, a great day that was much enjoyed. Thank you so much, Rachel, for spending the day with me, and doing something that we both love! These are my absolute favourite days in the year.

With a lot of snow forecast for 8 of the next 10 days, I feel very lucky that my daughter and I had such a beautiful day yesterday, 17 December 2017, for our Christmas get-together. Along with the snow will come much colder temperatures, too, unfortunately. Looks like we could be getting around 20 cm of snow tomorrow, badly timed for one of our out-of-city Christmas Bird Counts. Yesterday was rather chilly, with a cold wind. It was such weird weather, as the colour of the sunrise sky lasted all day, till we left just before sunset. A gorgeous Chinook Arch crossed the sky, staying the whole day. Some of the fields were bare, and others had a light dusting of snow on them. The day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm - always enjoyable. They do close from the end of the day on 23 December and open again in the morning of 17 January. A well-earned break for everyone who works there. As always, we walked around the grounds to look for things to photograph and, as usual, we were in luck - dead Sunflowers, cats, dogs, even a little House Sparrow that was inside one of the greenhouses. From there, we continued south to the area east of High River and drove some of the usual back roads; ones that I had driven just four days earlier. Of course, we were hoping that we might find a Snowy Owl, though I knew not to get our hopes up. Before too long, my daughter spotted our first Snowy Owl of the season - the tiniest speck of white that I could barely see with the naked eye, but it was a Snowy and that was all that mattered. Later in the day, she somehow spotted a second one; again, the tiniest speck perched on a very distant fence post. A few minutes before this second sighting, my daughter spotted two handsome Mule Deer bucks - looked like father and son - lying down next to a metal grain silo, near the edge of the road. They stayed there for a while, which was surprising, as males tend to be far more skittish. Eventually, they stood up and walked off into the field. Of course, we couldn't resist taking shots of any old barns, sheds and houses that we came across. Altogether, a great day that was much enjoyed. Thank you so much, Rachel, for spending the day with me, and doing something that we both love! These are my absolute favourite days in the year.

Friend, Gayle, made an appointment to go to the Cochrane Ecological Institute Centre the day before yesterday, 9 December 2017, and invited me to go along, too. I had longed to visit and, a few years ago, two friends and I were all set to go, but a major storm prevented us from going. It made an interesting morning, going on a tour of the grounds with our guide, Lisa Dahlseide. I know Lisa in connection with the Weaselhead Natural Area in Calgary and it was so nice to see that she was going to be our leader for this walk. She has such a wealth of knowledge and her personality is very much a "people person", including doing a lot of work with young children and nature. As well as being a busy mother of three young children, she is part time Naturalist with Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society and the Education Director for the Cochrane Ecological Institute. Unfortunately, I was too busy being distracted by taking photos of things, that I missed a lot of the explanations for the animals/birds that we saw. I always think that I will be able to find information once I get home and get on the Internet, but that doesn't always happen. "Wildlife" that we saw including several (4?) Bison that had originally been brought up from Waterton years ago; deer; several Wild Turkeys; two Great Horned Owls; and a pair of birds that I have never seen before - White Pheasants. I missed the explanation for these Pheasants, unfortunately. After our visit to the Centre, we drove to Cochrane for an enjoyable lunch. Took a while to drive round looking for somewhere to eat - I had no idea that Cochrane had grown so much. Thanks so much, Gayle, for a different kind of day! Much enjoyed and appreciated. vimeo.com/225317099 "The CEI (Cochrane Ecological Institute) is a family founded, charitable organization devoted to breeding endangered species for reintroduction, wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release, educating the public, monitoring habitat and species, and developing non intrusive wildlife survey methods. The CEI was founded (1971) by Miles and Beryl Smeeton and is now run by their daughter, Clio Smeeton. Miles and Beryl Smeeton were internationally known sailors, mountaineers, and explorers. The Smeetons initiated the swift fox reintroduction program in Canada in 1972, six years before the species was declared extirpated in Canada. All animals held at the CEI are destined for reintroduction. They are not maintained for public exhibit, trade, or sale. Over the 26 years of its existence the CEI has also been an integral part of the Canadian Wildlife Service's Trumpeter swan (Cygnus bucinnator) and wood bison (B.b.athabascae) reintroduction programs, as well as playing a key role in the Canadian swift fox reintroduction program. The CEI is unique in that it holds the world's longest established (1972), largest (20 pairs), and only captive breeding colony of swift fox. These animals are bred solely for reintroduction as part of the CEI's ecosystem restoration program. Internationally, as species and habitat vanish, the concept of ecosystem restoration through the reintroduction of indigenous flora and fauna, is gaining greater and greater prominence. The preservation of habitat without those species, which made that habitat a viable whole, is a sterile exercise." From the CEI's website. www.ceinst.org/about-us.html "Cochrane Ecological Institute's Swift Fox Reintroduction programs began in 1972 under the direction of Beryl and Miles Smeeton. Since that time 0ver 800 Swift fox were reintroduced to the Canadian Prairie. This has resulted in the Species being downlisted by the Canadian Government from Extirpated to Endangered. In 1998 the CEI was invited by the Blackfeet Tribal Fish and Wildlife Department, Browning, Montana to join in a partnership to start the first swift fox re-introduction in the USA on the Blackfeet Tribal Lands. Defenders of Wildlife also became partners in this project and the first swift foxes were released on Blackfeet land in the fall of 1998.This program continued until 2003. The CEI was requested to design and implement a Swift Fox reintroduction program on Blood reserve lands in Alberta Canada in 2003. This resulted in only a 2 year program because of complications resulting from permitting problems and the new Species at Risk Act in Canada." From the CEI website.

- worth far more than 3 bucks : ) These White-tailed bucks were along the Red Rock Canyon Parkway in bright, early morning (7:08 am) sunlight. The only reason I was up so early is that, for some annoying reason, I woke up more than an hour before my alarm went off. I had had no sleep at all the previous night, despite taking one and a half sleeping tablets - I had learned my lesson last year on the same trip that, if one has to sleep in a dormitory-style cabin, one person snores and keeps everyone else awake : ) So, I went, armed with sleeping tablets this time, expecting them to work. The following night, I took two tablets, but was still kept awake until maybe 5:00 am. When I did wake, the only thing to do was to get up as quietly as possible and then I started on a short walk along the road alongside the camp. Soon, a car came along behind me and it turned out to be friend, Andrew (leader of the trip). He was off to see if he could finally find a bear, as he had been out of luck all weekend. When he asked if I wanted to go along, of course I accepted. He drove down the Red Rock Canyon Parkway to an area where he knew bears can be seen, but we were out of luck. The day before, I had seen a sow and her two cubs there. However, when we all left the camp later in the day to return to Calgary, Andrew did see a sow and one cub (maybe the same ones I had seen the day before?) and shortly after Andrew saw them, my friends and I also saw the same bears. It was at this location that Andrew had brilliantly spotted a Lazuli Bunting early in the morning - the first one I had ever seen - dreadful quality photo posted this morning, just for my own record. Four days ago, late afternoon, (I think around 5:15 pm), on 10 July 2015, I arrived back home from my holiday of the year - a two and a half day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of great company with 22 people, some of whom I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry, but she was also there for us in July 2015) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! "Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve. No other park in the world has these three designations. Waterton Biosphere Reserve as it is officially called, was designated in 1979 under what is called the internationally recognized "Man and the Biosphere program" of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sure is a mouthful. Biosphere Reserves are designed to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature." www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-... Thank you SO much, Janet, for driving your friend and me to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that I appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly, as usual! A great time was had by all. And I am SO happy and relieved that you were finally able to find a bear (and her cub) - yes, we came across the same ones shortly after you saw them. Not sure if they were two of the three I had seen at more or less the same location the previous morning, 9 July 2016. If it was the same female, then her second cub must have been really well hidden in the tangle of bushes and trees. We didn't get a good view, though I did take a handful of photos, including when the cub looked towards us for a split second. I had never seen such a young cub before, so I was thrilled to bits. Also was delighted that you found two Nighthawks flying high overhead at the Nature Conservancy area. So, I guess you and I both returned to Calgary feeling really happy : )

It snowed again last night and is still snowing. The temperature this morning, 24 November 2015, is -6C (windchill -14C). On 1 November 2015, it was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while, blending in well with their surroundings. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches that made the owl easy to miss. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

It snowed again last night. The temperature this morning (18 November 2015) is -4°C (windchill -11°C) and I suspect everywhere will be very slippery. On 1 November 2015, it was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches that made the owl easy to miss. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Thanks, David and Melanie! Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

The afternoon of 1 November 2015 was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches that made the owl easy to miss. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Thanks, David and Melanie! Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

This morning, it's SNOWING! And it's settling, unfortunately. We really can't complain, though, as we have just enjoyed a wonderful fall. Yesterday afternoon, 1 November 2015, was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl, seen in one of the photos I've posted today. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches. Not the best photo, but it gives an idea of how easily these owls can hide. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Thanks, David and Melanie! Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

This was yet another great sighting this morning, 26 October 2013, when i was on a three-hour birding walk with friends in Fish Creek Park. On our way back to the parking lot, this large buck came through the bushes to fairly close to where we were standing. It watched us for a few seconds, turned and retraced its steps. Normally, when I see a buck, I find they tend to move off away from me, but it's rutting season and behaviour is different, so people need to be on guard. Looks like this was a good day for a walk - it started off rather chilly but by noon was up to about 13C. There is a Snowfall Warning in effect for Southern Alberta for tomorrow. "Snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 cm are expected by Sunday evening for most areas although the foothills could see local amounts over 20 cm." I am so not ready for this! Next day: yes, we have blowing snow today and it looks cold and miserable out there. A good day to stay home with a mug of steaming coffee!

I can't remember exactly where this was seen, but it was during an amazing, two-day trip to the Rocky Mountains. This rather nice design was on the outside wall of an outhouse or washroom at one of the many places we stopped. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, had left Calgary very early morning on Wednesday (14 May 2014) and I think it was around 12:15 a.m. midnight on Thursday (15 May 2014), that my friends dropped me off at home. Wednesday night was spent in a spotless motel, in a place that had so many Mountain Sheep roaming the streets, lol! Though we were hoping to see at least one Bear, I was happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : ) I'm never really disappointed if we don't see a particular something, as there are just endless other things to photograph! However, over the two days, we had 7 bear sightings, with three definitely different Black Bears (no Grizzlies), and possibly four. The rest of the sightings were of Bears we had already seen.

On a drive along some of the backroads SW of Calgary yesterday, 27 June 2014, I pulled over to check for birds at a small pond. Three of these beautiful White-tailed Deer appeared, including this male and another male, plus a female. The males hung out together, and there was a brief moment of locked antlers. I don't know enough about Deer to be able to age them, but the males were acting rather like teenagers : ) Lol, guess that could make them any age. Unfortunately, one buck was missing the antlers on one side of the head, which I believe is probably permanent. This was the same drive that I found the male Bobolink - an uncommon bird in Alberta, so it was a real treat. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer

My friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, had left Calgary early morning on Wednesday (14 May 2014) and I think it was around 12:15 a.m. midnight (Thursday, 15 May 2014), that they dropped me off at home after two long, wonderful days in the Rocky Mountains, west of the city. Wednesday night was spent in a spotless motel, in a place that had so many Mountain Sheep roaming the streets, lol! Though we were hoping to see at least one Bear, I knew I would be happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : ) At one point, we drove past a site that had quite a few wooden cabins. A large, Elk-shaped object caught my eye in the far distance, among the cabins. At first, I wondered if the owners of the site had added a sculpture for interest. However, when we went to check, this is what we found : ) This huge Elk buck was wandering in between the cabins, happily feeding. Unfortunate, really, when wildlife becomes this accustomed to humans, but it did give us a chance to see one of these impressive wild animals at closer quarters (used lots of zoom for this photo). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk

Not sure what went "wrong" with my photos yesterday, when I went for just a short walk in a local park. I came across a small group of beautiful White-tailed females and just a minute later, came across a number of bucks. The bucks were standing at the edge of the trees, so maybe the light was worse than I thought. The setting that I use for most of my photos (because the regular setting gives me such awful, washed out images, that I can't use it), resulted in really bad photos. I think this was the only one that was usable. A shame, as the males gave me such a great chance for photos. What amazing animals they were! So glad that I finally pushed myself out for a walk after all. I'm already having to miss most walks and trips because my lower back makes walking too painful, so I decided yesterday that I just have to make myself start with very short walks on my own. I took my camera with me, knowing that I had to limit myself to just a handful of shots, if any, because of my painful arms and shoulders. My poor old body, lol! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer

We witnessed a really cool thing on a walk at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, a while ago. A Mule Deer buck, accompanied by a doe, came towards us and got pretty close - certainly close enough, knowing that it's rutting season! Then a huge buck arrived on the scene and approached the other two. Eventually, the smaller buck realized that the other male was bigger and more powerful and that he might as well leave the scene, seeing as he would be out of luck. My photo is of the lucky "winner", the larger buck, with the rather disinterested doe. I think this is the closest photo I've ever been able to get of a male. He's an impressive sight - just look at the size of his neck!

We witnessed a really cool thing on a walk at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, this morning. A huge Mule Deer buck, accompanied by a doe, came towards us and got pretty close - certainly close enough, knowing that it's rutting season! Then this smaller buck arrived on the scene and approached the other two. Eventually, he realized that the first male was bigger and more powerful and that he might as well leave the scene, seeing as he would be out of luck. My photo is of the unfortunate "loser". He's still a pretty impressive sight, though, and we were thrilled to bits to see all three deer and this interesting behaviour.

Need to quickly add that I "cheated" with this photo, including doing a very quick ear tag removal! Finally got out of the city southwestwards just a short way yesterday evening, to go with Don Stiles again on his Bluebird Route. He has been a Bluebird Monitor for about 30 years! We pass a Buffalo and Elk farm in that area and several of these maginficent animals happened to be on a hill that was near to the fence. Elk meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken. The light was not too good, so I'm surprised that any of the photos I took came out at all. In fact, we hadn't been sure whether to go or not, because of some rather black clouds. You'd never know there had been devastating floods the past week, that have affected the whole of southern Alberta. I was expecting to see flood water everywhere, so was hugely relieved to see none! It felt SO good to get out - anywhere - though I did drive a few minutes away from home just before this evening trip, as a friend had mentioned that there were mushrooms growing in a place where they had been last year. Again, you would never know that we have been experiencing the "flood of the century" for almost a week now. Thanks for a great Bluebird evening, Don - we saw various other birds, too, including a Snipe, House Wren, Tree Swallows, American Goldfinch, Swainson's Hawk, a yet-unidentified Hawk with what I think was an Eastern Kingbird "piggy-backing" on it, etc., etc.. I missed getting it actually riding on the back, but did get it just a few inches above the Hawk - see my third photo posted today. Most of Don's boxes have Tree Swallow nests in them, but I also posted a photo of a box that had six gorgeous baby Bluebirds all huddled together. It was such a relief to see so much wildlife - I had feared the worst! Of course, many parts of the city have now started on clean-up, and what a monumental task that is going to be!!! I saw yesterday that the first billion dollars have now been made available towards this clean-up! People just amaze me, how they get to work to clear all the mud from inside their homes and get rid of all their ruined possessions. Can you imagine how difficult this must be, with water restrictions in effect? I think everyone is so impressed by the way the city has, and still is, handling the whole situation. Our Mayor, Naheed Nenshi (36th mayor, sworn in on October 25, 2010), has proved that people made the right choice when they elected him Mayor! He is working tirelessly to protect his city and get it back to as normal as possible!! "Stampede officials say this year’s version of the Calgary Stampede scheduled to go ahead on July 5 will be a “beacon of light” for those affected by the floods – and as big as ever. “Throughout our entire history, we have never cancelled a show, despite two wars and a Great Depression,” Stampede president Bob Thompson said Monday on Scotsman’s Hill, a bluff overlooking the expansive Stampede grounds. “We will be hosting the greatest outdoor show on earth, come hell or high water.” Stampede officials say they will run a “concentrated” version of the setup, compressing what is usually three weeks of work into about 10 days. Around 300 staff and some of the 2,400 volunteers involved in the annual event, many of whom have already been volunteering to help clean up after the floods across southern Alberta, will work around the clock." Hard to believe that the Saddledome (at the Stampede Grounds) was flooded up to the 8th row of seats!). From the Globe and Mail, 24 June 2013. Incredible YOUTUBE VIDEO OF CALGARY FLOODS from Global News: youtu.be/bRS8YfVlt3Y

This young buck crossed the path ahead of me, down at Carburn Park, on 28 January 2013. He was with two other males, both older than he was. The females and young ones were nearby, but seemed to keep to themselves.

Yesterday morning, I went for a walk with friends in Carburn Park. It was such a beautiful morning, and 21 species of bird (all the "usual") were seen. We spotted several White-tailed Deer in amongst the trees in the distance - at which point I announced that I was going to stay and try and get a few photos : ) The thought of hopefully seeing deer had been enough to get me out of bed early and face the cold, so I wasn't going to miss this opportunity. I hung around, at a respectful distance, and was able to watch how they interacted with each other. I think I spent more time watching them than I've ever watched deer before - and it was fascinating. For most of the time, there was a mass of branches between us, but I did get a handful of reasonably open shots. This buck, along with two other bucks of different ages, eventually made their way to feed out into the open, so I only had bushes and tall grass to contend with. They were fully aware that I was there, but I still got a rather surprised look on their face each time they glanced my way. In the afternoon, I had various errands I had to run, including desperately needing to wash my car. My joy at getting in and out of a sparkling clean car and of loading and unloading bags of groceries without getting my clothes filthy, was VERY short-lived! It snowed overnight - again : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer