Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014June28

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

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...