Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: sunlit

A friend invited me to go with him to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan eight days ago, on 27 November 2017, with plans to meet four other mutual friends out there. What a great day we had, with amazing scenery, beautiful weather until we got into the mountains and closer to our destination, and a wonderful sighting of 11 of these fascinating birds. I know for sure that I would never have found them on my own, especially as I don't own a pair of snowshoes, just my warm, winter boots. Out there, one absolutely has to have snowshoes, as the snow is knee- or thigh-deep, and walking is impossible without them. Mind you, last year, I did do the walk without snowshoes, but it was brutal and I was dragged uphill by a very kind friend, with help from others along the way! I was so grateful to everyone, as that was my very first sighting of these Ptarmigan, that I had longed to see for quite a few years. What a thrill it was! I had seen photos of them against the snow, and I longed to have the chance to try and take photos like that. So, eight days ago, my friends had snowshoes and went off searching in all directions, while I searched close to where we were parked, and also enjoyed myself taking photos of the winter wonderland that surrounded us and that I so rarely see, especially in winter. From 1 December each year, the winter gates in Kananaskis close for months, partly for safety reasons, but also to allow the wildlife some peaceful time, especially when their young are born. Towards the end of our time out there, guess what my friends found. If these birds had a sense of humour, I can just picture them laughing at all the effort that everyone was putting into looking for them. At first, they flew just a short distance - actually in my direction! - but only one of them landed within my sight, and far, far away. It took me a while to see it, as especially from a distance, a white bird on white snow just isn't seen, except for the black beak and the little, shiny, black eyes. Friend, Lyn, called out to me and was waving her arms, telling me that there were four birds near where she was standing. When I reached the spot, one had taken off, but three remained. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw one against a darker background of bushes, along with two others near it, but completely against a snowy background. Sun would have been most welcome, but unfortunately, we had to make the best of the low light. Unlike last year, my photos of these newest birds have practically no detail in their feathers - but I will very gladly take whatever I can get. Just as big a thrill to see them again as it was to see them for the very first time a year ago. Thanks, everyone, for walking so far in difficult surroundings. The gusts of fine, blowing snow didn't exactly make it more pleasant, but actually were quite refreshing in a strange way. Lovely to spend time with you all, and you did such a great job of finding our target birds and making sure that each one of us was able to see them. Thanks so much, Tony, for inviting me and for the ride, including that extra stretch of magnificent scenery that we unexpectedly drove through after we missed a turn : ) Also, it was nice to see a Shrike perched on a fence post along the back way home. My photos were pretty bad, very blurry, but I tried to rescue the 'best' one with a touch of filter in post-processing, just so that I could add it to the album for this trip. Such a great day! "The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico. It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id "The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan

Today, 23 December 2016, we are having a heavily overcast day and the snow is steadily falling. Just noticed that there is a Snowfall Warning in effect. The temperature is -6C (windchill -11C). I don't think I need to go out, though, unless to the mailbox. Wish the old days were still here, when the mailman actually put mail in the mailbox right by your front door, instead of everyone having to use community boxes. I had my Christmas yesterday, 22 December, with my daughter. We drove south of the city to the Saskatoon Farm and had a delicious breakfast. She is in so much pain that we can't go for a drive to look for Snowy Owls or old barns. She has an appointment next month and is more than ready to take the absolute earliest date for her surgery. On the way to drop her off at home, we called in at the Glamorgan Bakery - a well-known bakery that we have used for the last few decades. It always feels good to see their traditional cookies, Cheese Buns, cakes and pies. Thanks, Rachel, for a lovely few hours spent together - the best Christmas gift possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Helios. A solar-powered, interactive, kinetic sculptural installation consisting of eight large scale repurposed vintage mechanical horses running wild across the breathtaking prairie landscape at Leighton Art Centre. The horses were released (note: until 13 November 2016) onto the 80 acre property in celebration of Alberta Culture Days." From Lisa Brawn's website. www.lisabrawn.com/ "In 2013 I purchased a herd of broken down coin-operated horses as the core components of a giant sculptural installation. These are the mechanical horses that stood outside Woodwards, Woolworths, Kresge’s, and so on, in Calgary and small towns in Southern Alberta from the 1950s through the 1980s. I believe these horses are a touchstone of that era, holding a place of local historical value in our collective cultural imagination, and that compelled me to reimagine and reactivate them in a contemporary context. I have been presenting the horses in different configurations and environments, and emphasizing distinct elements as the project unfolds. The first iteration consisted of dynamic mechanical multiples in the 150’ public art spectacle, Spacepony for Beakerhead, 2014. The horses emerged from a UFO and invaded Fort Calgary in a historical reenactment of questionable veracity. I then collaborated with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks on a multidisciplinary performance emphasizing movement, rhythm, and desire; Year of the Horse, at Theatre Junction Grand. For this production eight horses were further altered to battery power and remote activation, with heavy duty swivel casters and clear plexiglass base panels to reveal the mechanical workings. The current installation at Leighton Art Centre references the herds of free-roaming horses called "Wildies" in Alberta. This stage of transformation consisted of installing solar panels, application of silver leaf (to reflect the sky and surroundings), and changing the activation to motion sensors. The reflective surfaces have a confounding effect in this prairie landscape environment, making the extremely substantial installation somewhat illusory or ephemeral." www.lisabrawn.com/index.php/blog/item/helios This photo was taken on 10 November 2016, when I decided on the spur of the moment to do a short drive SW of the city. I hadn't been taking much in the way of photos for a couple of weeks and had been feeling less and less motivated to go out. However, on this particular day, I wanted to go to the Leighton Art Centre to see Lisa's artistic display. The last day for the exhibit, before the eight horses were removed, was 13 November 2016, so I only just made it in time. By mistake, it took me much longer to get there than it should have done, despite following their map, and I arrived there five minutes after they closed. I asked if I could still wander part way down the hill to take a few photos. As the lady said, it was 'magic hour', with a wonderful sunset. At one point, the valley below and the distant mountains almost disappeared in an orange haze. It did, indeed, feel magical. This wasn't my first visit to the Leighton Art Centre, as I had been decades ago with my youngest daughter's Kindergarten class. In more recent years, I had been a couple of times with botany friends, to list all the plant species that we could find. Check out Lisa's Flickr stream to see the hundreds/thousands of beautiful, painted woodcuts that she has created. www.flickr.com/photos/lisabrawn leightoncentre.org/

Posting just one photo again today - feel like I have 50 things to see to, all at the same time at the moment!. Thought I'd better not add another White-tailed Ptarmigan, in case you get tired of seeing them : ) I do have a few more photos of them that I will gradually add, in case I never see this species again. "Helios. A solar-powered, interactive, kinetic sculptural installation consisting of eight large scale repurposed vintage mechanical horses running wild across the breathtaking prairie landscape at Leighton Art Centre. The horses were released (note: until 13 November 2016) onto the 80 acre property in celebration of Alberta Culture Days." From Lisa Brawn's website. www.lisabrawn.com/ "In 2013 I purchased a herd of broken down coin-operated horses as the core components of a giant sculptural installation. These are the mechanical horses that stood outside Woodwards, Woolworths, Kresge’s, and so on, in Calgary and small towns in Southern Alberta from the 1950s through the 1980s. I believe these horses are a touchstone of that era, holding a place of local historical value in our collective cultural imagination, and that compelled me to reimagine and reactivate them in a contemporary context. I have been presenting the horses in different configurations and environments, and emphasizing distinct elements as the project unfolds. The first iteration consisted of dynamic mechanical multiples in the 150’ public art spectacle, Spacepony for Beakerhead, 2014. The horses emerged from a UFO and invaded Fort Calgary in a historical reenactment of questionable veracity. I then collaborated with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks on a multidisciplinary performance emphasizing movement, rhythm, and desire; Year of the Horse, at Theatre Junction Grand. For this production eight horses were further altered to battery power and remote activation, with heavy duty swivel casters and clear plexiglass base panels to reveal the mechanical workings. The current installation at Leighton Art Centre references the herds of free-roaming horses called "Wildies" in Alberta. This stage of transformation consisted of installing solar panels, application of silver leaf (to reflect the sky and surroundings), and changing the activation to motion sensors. The reflective surfaces have a confounding effect in this prairie landscape environment, making the extremely substantial installation somewhat illusory or ephemeral." www.lisabrawn.com/index.php/blog/item/helios This photo was taken on 10 November 2016, when I decided on the spur of the moment to do a short drive SW of the city. I hadn't been taking much in the way of photos for a couple of weeks and had been feeling less and less motivated to go out. However, on this particular day, I wanted to go to the Leighton Art Centre to see Lisa's artistic display. The last day for the exhibit, before the eight horses were removed, was 13 November 2016, so I only just made it in time. By mistake, it took me much longer to get there than it should have done, despite following their map, and I arrived there five minutes after they closed. I asked if I could still wander part way down the hill to take a few photos. As the lady said, it was 'magic hour', with a wonderful sunset. At one point, the valley below and the distant mountains almost disappeared in an orange haze. It did, indeed, feel magical. This wasn't my first visit to the Leighton Art Centre, as I had been decades ago with my youngest daughter's Kindergarten class. In more recent years, I had been a couple of times with botany friends, to list all the plant species that we could find. Check out Lisa's Flickr stream to see the hundreds/thousands of beautiful, painted woodcuts that she has created. www.flickr.com/photos/lisabrawn leightoncentre.org/

My daughter and I saw this small, sunlit clump of moss growing on a log in the middle of the creek at Big Hill Springs Provincial Park. We were there for a short while on 25 May 2015, when my daughter and I spent the day driving a large area NW of Calgary - a round trip of 338 km. The perfect way to celebrate my birthday : ) Most of the roads were roads that I had driven before, but my daughter had never been to most of the area. I had never driven to Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, but had been several times on birding trips with friends a few years ago. I had really, really hoped to find a Great Gray Owl, as my daughter has never seen one in the wild. No luck yesterday, even though I knew a few areas NW of the city to check. In fact, we saw so few birds of any kind! I'm always thankful that we both enjoy taking photos of all sorts of things, including barns. Our little adventure started off in hopes of seeing a Red Fox family (out of luck), then driving the Grand Valley Rd and area. We stopped at Wynchell Lake, where my daughter spotted a Great Blue Heron and a very distant Kingfisher perched on a piece of driftwood. Also some kind of shorebird. She has great eyes for spotting things! From there, we travelled eastwards and eventually reached Big Hill Springs Provincial Park. I had been hoping that there might at least be some wildflowers in bloom, but Dandelions were all we saw all day! Plenty of green foliage everywhere, but no flowers. Since the day of this trip, Alberta is now under a province-wide fire ban thanks to the lack of rain. Everywhere is bone dry, which of course is affecting the growth of plants. After I had dropped my daughter off at home, I did get some rain on my drive home - there were even snowflakes mixed in with the rain! Another thing I saw on my drive home, while stopped at a traffic light, were four Jack Rabbits that had fun chasing each other round the base of a huge Spruce tree near the edge of the road and then they all ran across the road in single file between my car and the car in front. They were so, so cute : )

Never have I looked so tall and skinny, lol! How I love shadows, sometimes! No matter what I did, I couldn't lose my shadow. On 25 January 2014, I spent an amazing day south of Calgary with friends Cathy and Terry. I had found an e-mail on my computer around 12:45 a.m., just as I was about to turn off my computer for the night. Did I want to go birding tomorrow and, if so, to meet at 8:00 a.m.? A full day of excitement and enjoyment left me tired out, but so happy. I had been missing being out and taking photos, feeling lethargic and extremely tired, so this invite was welcomed with open arms. The crazy weather soared to a balmy 11C, but a lot of the day was colder, with a strong wind! Along one of the roads, we stopped to photograph a barn and I couldn't resist taking a couple of shots of the sunlit stubble in the fields. The golden colour always looks so beautiful on a sunny day. Can you believe that we saw 16 owls (oops, when I first posted this info under a previous photo, we thought we had seen 17, but after viewing all their photos and videos, my friends reckon that we "only" saw 16, ha). SIXTEEN! 8 Snowy Owls and 8 Great Horned Owls. The closest Snowy Owl was seen when it was early evening and the light had gone, and my photos are all blurry. The other owls were little more than a tiny speck in the far, far distance, but I still managed to get some kind of shot of some of them, using 48x zoom plus cropping. Perhaps I should add that maybe 15 of the owls that were seen would never have been seen by less experienced birders (and I include myself in that category!). My friends have brilliant eyes when it comes to spotting owls! Just left me shaking my head each time they found one! I'm not too bad at finding owls, but not at that distance!

Almost embarrassing to say that I think this snowman was the highlight (for me) on yesterday's Bird Count, lol! The sun was shining exactly on it, while the surrounding area was in shade. Yesterday, 1 January 2014, was the 21st annual Fish Creek Park New Year's Day Bird Count and, as you can see from the blue sky, it was a gorgeous day out there. Sunny, calm, -8 to -5C, with 5cm new snow that had fallen overnight. We walked from 9:00 a.m. till noon, and my small group covered the area from Bebo Grove to bridge 6 and back. Twenty people turned up for the Count in this part of the park, so we split into two groups. Other small groups covered other parts of the park and just after noon, some participants met at Tim Horton's for coffee and lunch. Always tastes so good after being outdoors for a few hours : ) Always feels so good to meet up with friends and spend a few hours in this way! Results for my small group (the other half of the group had very similar results, also with a total of 11 species) are listed below. As you can see, nothing spectacular or rare, though we did look in vain for the Three-toed Woodpecker and kept our eyes open for one of the tiny Northern Pygmy Owls that had given us so much pleasure two or three winters ago. Downy Woodpecker-8 Hairy Woodpecker-3 Northern Flicker-1 Black-billed Magpie-4 Common Raven-20 Black-capped Chickadee-37 Boreal Chickadee-1 Red-breasted Nuthatch-1 White-breasted Nuthatch-5 Townsend's Solitaire-2 Bohemian Waxwing-300 Talking of snow, CBC News reported on 21 December 2013: "December SNOWFALL in Calgary has broken a 112-year record according to the city. The City made the announcement in a tweet Saturday morning after weeks of on-and-off heavy snowfall left many residents complaining about the lack of snow removal in parts of Calgary. "A total of 43.8 cm of snow has fallen in Calgary this month. We haven’t seen this much snow in 112 years!" tweeted the City."

A couple of evenings ago, I drove out westwards in the hope of finding a Mountain Bluebird that had been reported within the city limits, but no luck. This particular gravel backroad in my image is actually still within the city boundary. I ended up driving along here and the early evening sun was shining beautifully through these cattails. I always love the incredible views one gets from some of our backroads. Not always the best of road conditions (the muddy ruts can become quite treacherous sometimes), but, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, LOL.

Photographed this beautiful wildflower, growing at the top of the cliffs above the River at Great Falls, Montana, US, on 11 September 2012. My reaction when I was there was that it must be a species of wild Sunflower, but I'm not sure. It was pretty, though, highlighted by the sunshine.

A very distant Snowy Owl female (or juvenile?) turning its head around to watch us, seen January 13th, east of Calgary. Even though it is such a distant capture, it does show the kind of scenery. The image is fully zoomed, so the Rocky Mountains appear much closer than they really are.

Taken June 30th at the Reader Rock Garden in Calgary.

On October 18th, I drove west from the city out towards the mountains. Highway 22X/Highway 66 goes past Bragg Creek and ends up at Forgetmenot Pond - one of my favourite places to drive for just an afternoon. Snow was on the ground when I reached the Pond and so I was down on my knees in snow to photograph this whispy Yellow Mountain-avens seedhead. A little sunshine on the snow and I ended up with a bokeh of tiny sparkles. It snowed a bit this morning while we were on a three-hour walk again in Fish Creek Park - no Northern Pygmy-owl, no Northern Goshawk, no Townsend's Solitaire, no Coyotes - but I did spot a very small caterpillar clinging to a tall stalk of grass, LOL!

I love the way the small, cone-like strobili terminal of the Water Scouring-rush lights up in the sunlight. Seems to glow and really shows off the hexagonal pattern beautifully. This semi-aquatic plant grows in marshes, bogs and roadside ditches. Seen at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park four days ago.

A row of beautiful tulips caught my eye recently in a friend's garden. They were growing at the top of a slight embankment, which meant, for one thing, that I didn't need to kneel or lie on my side to get this shot, LOL. I think I was looking into the sun, but it still worked out OK. Talking of knees, mine are in agony this evening, after a wonderful hike on the border of Kananaskis country, west of Longview. I did far too much kneeling on small rocks in order to get photos of plants, which I am not supposed to do, but ... Thanks, David, for the new-for-me plants today - Scorpionweed and Balsamroot - and for showing us this amazing area that you knew about! What an absolute treat!! LOL, I'm posting late today, because I fell asleep in front of the TV for a couple of hours after all that exercise and fresh air.

When I took a drive along one of the small, side roads leading off Highway 22X two days ago, I was a bit disappointed because the sky had clouded over in the direction of the mountains. When I turned around, I noticed that the sun was just catching faraway downtown Calgary. This photo is zoomed in 18x, so the city is in fact much further away than it looks in my photo. I was surprised at how high up the city seemed to be. Note: the Calgary Tower on the right used to be the tallest building in downtown Calgary!

Yesterday, three of us went westwards into the mountains to Kananaskis, with Mount Lorette as our destination. This area is where the Golden Eagles always fly over during their twice-yearly migration. In between straining my eyes to find the tiniest dark speck against the deep blue sky, I wandered around the area finding autumn leaves covered in snow, a couple of Ruffed Grouse, and these seedheads that shone so beautifully in the sunshine. Though the day started off chilly, it was a beautiful, crisp, fall day.