Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: on barbed-wire fence

This morning, I am posting three photos from my archives, all taken in June 2014. I just haven't been getting out and, on the very occasional time I have been out with my camera, there has been so little to photograph. As for Mountain Bluebirds, I have seen one very distant male so far this spring. Ha, is it really spring? We had yet another snowfall yesterday! In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... This photo was taken on a drive along some of the backroads SW of Calgary, on 21 June 2014. This male Mountain Bluebird was busy helping to catch insects to feed to their babies. He caught a very nice Grasshopper this time : ) It had rained the few days before this, so I really, really wanted to get out for a short time, even though I needed to get my things ready for a very early start the next morning, for a day trip with a group of friends, to Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Yesterday, 4 June 2015, was a dry day, though a thunderstorm was forecast. After grey skies and rain the previous couple of days, I felt like going for a drive. Started at a wetland in SW Calgary, where I saw the usual Lesser Scaup and Redheads. The male Redhead did not like any of the other ducks around him and would chase away each one in turn. Quite the bully! Also managed to get a few more shots of a Common Grackle, though they move fast and seemingly constantly. From there, I drove some of my usual backroads SW of the city. The clouds were building up quite dramatically, and I stopped at one wetland where they were reflected quite beautifully. I didn't see all that many birds, but was content to get a few chances to photograph a pair of Mountain Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, an Eastern Kingbird, and a Savannah Sparrow. No Wilson's Snipe this time, though I thought I had one on a distant fence post. Turned out to be a Mourning Dove - only the second time I've ever seen one on a fence post. Also saw a Swainson's Hawk which flew and landed on a high power pole near where the Bluebirds and Tree Swallows were nesting. The Tree Swallows, in true fashion, were causing the Bluebirds enough stress by flying and landing just a foot or two away from the Bluebirds' nesting box. The male did such a great job of chasing away its rather beautiful, iridescent neighbours - which I also enjoy photographing. So, a short trip, but one that I always enjoy, especially each spring. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

I just needed a change of colour and subject, so had to dig into my archives last night. Thought this would be a change from winter scenes, old barns, and tiny owl images! Last summer (2014), I was lucky enough to take so many photos of Mountain Bluebirds, many of which I've never posted. This photo was taken on a drive along some of the backroads SW of Calgary, on 21 June 2014. This male Mountain Bluebird was busy helping to catch insects to feed to their babies. He caught a very nice Grasshopper this time : ) It had rained the few days before this, so I really, really wanted to get out for a short time, even though I needed to get my things ready for a very early start the next morning, for a day trip with a group of friends, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... Once again, sleep was more important, so I'm posting really late again today, shortly after noon.

I have just uploaded a batch of 30 photos from Flickr - I had fallen way behind! Photographed this beautiful female Mountain Bluebird on 7 June 2014, when I went for a drive along the backroads SW of the city. Though the females don't show the bright blue of the males, they have such a wonderful mix of more subtle colours. They really do have a beauty of their own. This female had just fed a mouthful of insects to her babies in the nesting box. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

Taken on a drive along some of the backroads SW of Calgary, on 21 June 2014. This male Mountain Blackbird was busy helping to catch insects to feed to their babies. He caught a very nice Grasshopper this time : ) It had rained the few days before this, so I really, really wanted to get out for a short time, even though I needed to get my things ready for a very early start the next morning, for the day trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

This little male Mountain Bluebird must feel blue every day, but yesterday made quite a few of us feel blue, too. In the afternoon, four of us met up to go for a botany walk in North Weaselhead. Shortly before we were supposed to start, a lady came over to us in the parking lot, to let us know that our leader, Karel Bergmann, had just been in an accident. She said that he was so concerned about the rest of us wondering where he was, that she very kindly offered to find us and give us the news. I had seen a fire truck blocking the road, and so had turned up the road just before the one I needed, but of course never dreamt that it was there to help Karel. He was riding his motorcycle, when a young man (who was very upset over the accident, apparently) turned in front of him, cutting him off. Karel's leg was broken, which means that he will be missing the joys of summer - and we will be without a great leader for plants and mushrooms. We are all so thankful that the accident wasn't worse than it was! Good luck with your recovery, Karel! It will be so good to have you back with us once your leg has healed. This photo was taken SW of the city, on 7 June 2014. Such a "cooperative" little guy, which I really appreciated. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...