Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Family: Tyrannidae

"An eye-catching bird with ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage, the Western Kingbird is a familiar summertime sight in open habitats across western North America. This large flycatcher sallies out to capture flying insects from conspicuous perches on trees or utility lines, flashing a black tail with white edges. Western Kingbirds are aggressive and will scold and chase intruders (including Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels) with a snapping bill and flared crimson feathers they normally keep hidden under their gray crowns." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Kingbird/id On 18 July 2016, I had a wonderful day out NE of the city with my daughter. The last time I had actually driven eastwards was about six months ago, when I was shooting Short-eared Owls near the end of January. The last time (also the first time) I had ever driven out as far as Drumheller was on 29 September 2014. A few times over the years, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my daughter and I had a great time exploring some of the roads between Calgary and Drumheller. There were a handful of things or places we wanted to check out, but many things were total surprises. We knew we wanted to see fields, yellow fields full of canola as far as the eye could see. No disappointment there as we took in the gorgeous colour and the perhaps not so pleasant smell of this crop. When we were driving through regular, green landscapes, it all seemed so 'ordinary' after being treated to vibrant gold. As well as canola fields, we also knew of a particular grain elevator and nearby old barn that we were keen to see. There was also an old, two-storey house in a hilly setting that we knew would have to be photographed from a great distance, but we were curious about it. There was also a small wetland that I wanted to drive by, just in case there was something to see. How glad we were that we went, as a magnificent Black-crowned Night-heron was posing nicely on a post, out in the open. This was the first time I had ever seen one close, so it made my day. At least, an adult - in October 2015, I had seen a gorgeous juvenile in Fish Creek Park. Continuing on our way, we stopped to take a couple of quick shots of an Eastern Kingbird and then my daughter spotted a dark patch just above ground level, hidden in the bushes. It turned out to be an Eastern Kingbird's nest, with what looked like three large babies in it. No idea how she caught sight of this, but it was a treat to see. Soon after this, we stopped to photograph two beautiful red barns (one of them seen in this photo, the other hidden behind it on the right hand side of photo) and then stopped again to photograph a Western Kingbird. This is not a bird I normally see, so i was very happy to catch sight of this one. A short drive further, we spotted a distant shorebird standing on a fence post - and then a second one a few posts away. At first, we thought maybe they were Wilson's Snipe, but then realized that they were something different - two beautiful Upland Sandpipers! I had seen one quite a few years ago, but it was too far away for a photo. These are uncommon in Alberta. So, another very lucky find. It was a pretty good day for hawks, too - so much so, that I got a gentle reminder form my daughter that I didn't need to photograph EVERY hawk we saw, lol. We had other places and other things that we wanted to get to. As well as birds and beautiful scenery, we saw several old barns, including a special small shed/granary. Each year, the farmer allows the graduating class from the local high school to decorate this old building in any way they wish. A fun idea and it certainly adds a splash of colour. I was absolutely fascinated to read a little bit of history from someone who was a contact of mine on Flickr a few years ago. Her Grandmother was apparently born in this house/shed. It was later converted to a granary and now, of course, has become the canvas for local students. One of our main goals was to visit the old grain elevator at Sharples. I had wanted to visit there for quite a while and finally, we made it. Unfortunately, the elevator and nearby barn were in shadow, but it was great to see both old structures. We also passed another old elevator when we were driving along the road north of the river, on the way to Drumheller. This, needless to say, meant another stop for photos. A great day of fun, seeing and photographing such a variety of things. Beautiful weather and, best of all, a day spent with my daughter. Thanks so much, Rachel - glad you felt up to a day out, but sorry you got so many mosquito bites! Total driving distance, round-trip: approximately 397 km, 247 miles.

Last night, I got the dreaded Blue Screen on my computer, so in a panic, I knew I just had to start backing up almost the last year's worth of photos! Will have to spend time the next few days continuing with this chore. Yesterday morning, 11 June 2015, I joined a group of friends for a walk in Weaselhead, hoping to see three species of Hummingbird - Calliope, Rufous and Ruby-throated. The Calliope (5 of them) gave us the closest (but still distant) views, while the other two were very distant. It never fails to amaze me that these three species are all found in Weaselhead. As usual at this time of year, it was good to see the huge number of Cliff Swallows, swarming like a cloud of large insects around the metal bridge over the river. In flight, they catch insects and fly back to their mud nests, that are built under the bridge, to feed their babies. It amazes me how each bird knows which is its own nest - they all look alike. Another bird (a pair) that was good to see was the little Eastern Phoebe, back at the same location where it has been at least the last few years. This photo is the closest one I've been able to get, taken when the bird flew to a piece of driftwood in the water. "One of our most familiar eastern flycatchers, the Eastern Phoebe’s raspy “phoebe” call is a frequent sound around yards and farms in spring and summer. These brown-and-white songbirds sit upright and wag their tails from prominent, low perches. They typically place their mud-and-grass nests in protected nooks on bridges, barns, and houses, which adds to the species’ familiarity to humans. Hardy birds, Eastern Phoebes winter farther north than most other flycatchers and are one of the earliest returning migrants in spring." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/eastern_phoebe/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_phoebe The group divided into two for this walk and the following is the combined list of species seen. As usual, I didn't see all the listed birds, but was happy especially to see the three Hummingbird species. Mallard-2 Great Blue Heron-1 Swainson’s Hawk-2, 1 captured juv. BBMagpie. Merlin-1, captured a Cliff Swallow. Spotted Sandpiper-1 Franklin’s Gull-50 Ruby-throated Hummingbird-2 Rufous Hummingbird-1 Calliope Hummingbird-5 Northern Flicker-4 Olive-sided Flycatcher-1. Eastern Phoebe-2 Black-billed Magpie-6 American Crow-4 Common Raven-1+ Tree Swallow-12 Cliff Swallow-249 Black-capped Chickadee-3 White-breasted Nuthatch-2 House Wren-6 American Robin-5 Gray Catbird-6 Cedar Waxwing-12 Yellow Warbler-10 Spotted Towhee-1 heard. Clay-colored Sparrow-12 White-throated Sparrow-6 Common Grackle-1 Brown-headed Cowbird-6 House Finch-2 American Goldfinch-2 Red Squirrel-3 Muskrat-1

The sun was shining two afternoons ago, so I decided to take a short drive SW of the city and see if I could find Mountain Bluebirds and Wilson's Snipe. These are two of my favourite birds to photograph and I was lucky with both. Didn't see much else, other than Blue-winged Teal, a Clay-coloured Sparrow, Red-winged Backbirds, Tree Swallows and this Eastern Kingbird. "With dark gray upperparts and a neat white tip to the tail, the Eastern Kingbird looks like it’s wearing a business suit. And this big-headed, broad-shouldered bird does mean business—just watch one harassing crows, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Blue Herons, and other birds that pass over its territory. Eastern Kingbirds often perch on wires in open areas and either sally out for flying insects or flutter slowly over the tops of grasses. They spend winters in South American forests, where they eat mainly fruit." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Kingbird/id

Not a very good photo of an Eastern Phoebe, but these small birds are always seen from quite a distance in Weaselhead, where they seem to nest each year in the same hidden spot. Adding to my Birds of Alberta 9 album, as I don't seem to have a photo of this species in my photostream. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/eastern_phoebe/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_phoebe