Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014March23

This was taken early in the morning on 7 March 2014, on a drive SE of Calgary, and was quite a dark photo. With a fair bit of brightening, I was able to "rescue" the shot. I really like this old barn, which I don't think I had photographed before.

When I was down at Frank Lake on 15 March 2014 with a group of friends, it was a rather strange feeling walking over this ground. I guess the wind (which often blows and blows strongly at this location) had flattened and twisted this dried grass. I also discovered that it's not just snow in between, but water! The wooden building you see in the distance is the Frank Lake bird hide (blind). On this day, temperatures rose from about zero to plus 10 deg C, with sunshine all day and gentle breezes at most. "Frank Lake is a restored wetland located 6 km (3.7 mi) east of High River, Alberta, 50 km (31 mi) south of Calgary, and about 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Blackie. The lake is controlled by Ducks Unlimited Canada for wildlife management purposes, and is an Important Bird Area. It is one of four Alberta lakes with the same name. The lake has had a history of years of being completely dry, and years of being flooded. The main goal of managing Frank Lake is to ensure that the lake is a permanent waterbody, which will improve wildlife habitat. Water control measures have been implemented to help ensure that water levels are maintained. Measures include the building of dikes and water control structures as well as the building of a pipeline from High River to channel treated effluent from the town of High River and a local food processing plant. Water quality is regularly monitored. Nesting boxes, nesting platforms, and rock islands are among the structures placed around the lake to encourage nesting and improve habitat. The Important Bird Areas program considers Frank Lake to be the most important wetland in southwestern Alberta for the production of waterfowl and other water birds. The lake and its surrounding upland areas attracts many species of birds. Waterfowl and shorebirds and other birds use the lake for staging during migration, and nesting. Some birds that can be seen here include: Tundra Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose, Northern Pintail, Franklin's Gull, Ring-billed gull, California Gull, Common Tern, Short-eared Owl, Eared Grebe, Marbled Godwit, Long-billed Dowitcher, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Black-necked Stilt. Birdwatching is a popular activity." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lake_ (Alberta) www.ducks.ca/your-province/alberta/wetlands-area/frank-lake/ "In 2005, it was estimated that there were 50,000 Franklin’s Gull nests at Frank Lake. That makes it one of the largest breeding population of Franklin’s Gulls in the world. Local counts of the numbers of White-faced Ibis, Western and Eared Grebes indicate that the lake supports some of the largest breeding populations of these species in Alberta and Canada." From Town of High River website. www.highrivertourism.com/birding

Taken at the Reader Rock Garden in Calgary on 26 July 2013. Managed to find a pretty perfect flower to photograph : ) Such a joy to see, as the city and province had been devastated by the Alberta Flood of the Century just over a month before my visit to this garden. Not sure what variety this one is, but there are large numbers of hybrids available for gardens. I always enjoy coming across the delicate, wild species, too. "The flowers of various species of columbine were consumed in moderation by Native Americans as a condiment with other fresh greens, and are reported to be very sweet, and safe if consumed in small quantities. The plant's seeds and roots are highly poisonous however, and contain cardiogenic toxins which cause both severe gastroenteritis and heart palpitations if consumed as food. Native Americans used very small amounts of Aquilegia root as a treatment for ulcers.[citation needed] However, the medical use of this plant is better avoided due to its high toxicity; columbine poisonings may be fatal." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia After a few snowflakes fell this morning, the sun has finally come out and there are patches of blue sky. It's -11C (windchill -19C).

This Swainson's Hawk was hanging around a farm when I went for a drive SW of the city, on 26 June 2013. I'd noticed it in the area previously, but never close enough for a photo. Wish the sun was shining that brightly today, instead of the totally overcast sky. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swainson's_Hawk www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/swainsons_hawk/id Just read the results of the 17th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (Feb 14 to 17, 2014), when scientists and citizens around the world joined forces for the Great Backyard Bird Count. The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with partner Bird Studies Canada and support from sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited. A couple of interesting facts are: "It was another exciting, record-breaking year for the Great Backyard Bird Count. The final 2014 GBBC results are in! Participants in 135 countries around the globe submitted more than 144,000 checklists. Canada made a stellar contribution with 13,458 checklists. The Northern Cardinal appeared on more checklists than any other bird, while the Red-winged Blackbird was the most numerous species, with more than 1.6 million individuals counted." From BirdStudiesCanada. "Last year’s bird count went beyond North America for the first time and shattered records for the number of bird species that were identified. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, people from 111 countries and territories from all seven continents recorded more than 34.5 million birds, representing almost 4,000 species, in just four days." From CBC News. www.cbc.ca/news/technology/great-backyard-bird-count-appe... Too bad that people around the world can't get together like this when it comes to politics, not just birding! Well done, everyone!