Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014May18

I took so many photos of this Raven - nearly every time I clicked the shutter, it would turn its head away. Managed to get a handful of OK shots, though. These birds are always so fascinating to watch, especially knowing that they are very smart. This one was, of course, looking for food - which it didn't get, I should add! When I see Ravens within the city, they are usually flying overhead or perched near the top of a very tall tree. Out in the mountains, they have, unfortunately, learned to follow people and like to hang out at stopping points. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_raven www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/id?utm_source=Co... 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 was happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : ) 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. My friends are good at telling individual bears, often by a certain scar and, of course, the actual location. Many of the bears we see, they have seen before. Basically, it's all about timing, as with any wildlife. A few minutes earlier or later and we would have missed seeing something special. We just happened to be lucky. All wildlife/nature photographers know it's all about timing : ) I was so tired after the trip, that I had no choice but to fall into bed at 7:00 p.m. yesterday evening, thinking that a short nap might be a good idea. I slept for something like 13 hours with a couple of hours awake in the middle. I think the excruciating pain in both arms and shoulders was a factor in my utter tiredness, too. Not good timing, to say the least. After seven or eight months of brutal winter weather, spring has finally arrived and normally I would be getting out on lots of walks and day-trips. I suspect I will have to miss many, if not most or all of these, which will be really difficult! Here in Canada, it's a long weekend, as Monday is Victoria Day. No doubt the roads and highways will be absolutely packed. Hope everyone has a safe journey to and from wherever they are going - please do drive carefully.