Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014August20

So many of the old wooden barns and homesteads that scatter the prairies are in such a bad state, unfortunately. This one was photographed SE of Calgary, on 14 April 2014, when I went driving the backroads for the day with my youngest daughter. Some of the roads were familiar to me, but others were new territory, which gave us a chance to discover some different abandoned barns. We knew where our destination was going to be, more or less, though it was disappointing that the heat distortion was just too great to get distant, zoomed photos. Unfortunately, it was quite a hazy day, which didn't help. Once we got really close, the problem thankfully went away. I liked the patterns of the fields in the distance and the various shades of brown. Who knows why old barns and homesteads are left to crumble? Farmers are very busy people and probably not too concerned about an old, rotting building on their land. Many are no doubt living on a tight budget, too. I'm just happy that I have an occasional chance to photograph a few of these wonderful old barns and homesteads - I can think of at least three that have disappeared since being photographed, which is always a sad feeling, I find.

This insect was spotted on a blade of grass in Carburn Park a few mornings ago, 16 August 2014. I looked on Google last night, but was unable to find the ID. It's the time of year when the various tiny Warblers are passing through the city again. Various ones were seen, but without binoculars, I couldn't really see them. For me, the highlight of the three-hour stroll was seeing a female White-tailed Deer and her twins. They were hidden deep in the bushes and trees, making it difficult to get photos. Such a treat to see these gorgeous wild animals. I ended up being out all day as Flickr/birder/photographer friend, Pam, asked if I wanted to go SE of the city to the Frank Lake area, straight after the morning's walk. We had a fun afternoon, with a few reasonable bird sightings. The clouds were amazing, though somehow I didn't manage to get any good photos of them. Seeing them reflected in the lake was perhaps the best place. Thanks, Pam, for suggesting a drive to one of my favourite areas!

This butterfly was spotted on an Alfalfa plant in Carburn Park a couple of mornings ago, 16 August 2014. It's a small Skipper butterfly, and I think it may be a Common Branded Skipper. There are a lot of Skippers everywhere at the moment. It's the time of year when the various tiny Warblers are passing through the city again. Various ones were seen, but without binoculars, I couldn't really see them. For me, the highlight of the three-hour stroll was seeing a female White-tailed Deer and her twins. They were hidden deep in the bushes and trees, making it difficult to get photos. Such a treat to see these gorgeous wild animals. I ended up being out all day as Flickr/birder/photographer friend, Pam, asked if I wanted to go SE of the city to the Frank Lake area, straight after the morning's walk. We had a fun afternoon, with a few reasonable bird sightings. The clouds were amazing, though somehow I didn't manage to get any good photos of them. Seeing them reflected in the lake was perhaps the best place. Thanks, Pam, for suggesting a drive to one of my favourite areas!