Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: poor quality shot

Needless to say, this photo is being posted for ID help, not for any photographic merit : ) Unfortunately, this little bird was so far away and the sunlight was harsh. Took a few quick shots of it, as it looked like something different from the small Sparrows I would normally see. It was taken on 9 September 2016, SE of Vulcan, on my way home from a trip to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, near Lethbridge. Many thanks, Ron (Kube), for the ID. Have also just heard back from friend and excellent birder, Tony T, and he said that "the strong eye ring points to Vesper Sparrow". Thanks, both of you, for the ID! I wasn't sure if I had ever seen or photographed a Vesper Sparrow before, but I discovered that I have five previous (and much better) images on Flickr. Maybe i will post one of them in a comment box below.

Hope no one clicks through to this photo - it must be one of the absolute worst photos you've ever seen : ) However, I believe this was the very first Lazuli Bunting I had ever seen and I'll probably never, ever see one again. Hey, Andrew, this one is for you. You (with your long lens) thought it was amusing that I (with my point-and-shoot) was even trying to photograph a small bird that was SO far away - across a meadow, over a road, across more grassland and into the very distant trees. A few seconds later, another tiny speck flew in and off they flew together, so perhaps a second Lazuli? According to the Waterton list of birds, Lazuli Buntings are "uncommon - seen each year but not necessarily during a single visit; numbers variable." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lazuli_Bunting/id Four days ago, late afternoon, (I think around 5:15 pm), on 10 July 2015, I arrived back home from my holiday of the year - a two and a half day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of great company with 22 people, some of whom I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry, but she was also there for us in July 2015) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! "Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve. No other park in the world has these three designations. Waterton Biosphere Reserve as it is officially called, was designated in 1979 under what is called the internationally recognized "Man and the Biosphere program" of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sure is a mouthful. Biosphere Reserves are designed to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature." www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-... Thank you SO much, Janet, for driving your friend and me to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that I appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly, as usual! A great time was had by all. And I am SO happy and relieved that you were finally able to find a bear (and her cub) - yes, we came across the same ones shortly after you saw them. Not sure if they were two of the three I had seen at more or less the same location the previous morning, 9 July 2016. If it was the same female, then her second cub must have been really well hidden in the tangle of bushes and trees. We didn't get a good view, though I did take a handful of photos, including when the cub looked towards us for a split second. I had never seen such a young cub before, so I was thrilled to bits. Can't forget to add my huge thanks for finding me a Lazuli Bunting yesterday, too, at some unearthly hour (well, 7:30 am). No idea how on earth you managed to spot such a small bird from so far away - just a tiny speck in the far, far distance. Also was delighted that you found two Nighthawks flying high overhead at the Nature Conservancy area. So, I guess you and I both returned to Calgary feeling really happy : )

Lol, NO NEED TO COMMENT! I told myself that no matter how bad the only shot I managed to get of this beautiful little Hooded Warbler turned out, I was going to post it : ) And BAD it is, probably the worst photo I've ever posted. However, I think this is the most sought-after bird here at the moment and I'm just happy to have caught a very quick glimpse of it and get even an extremely poor shot. You can see where it got its name from, despite the blur. These Warblers' range is over in the east, but somehow this male has ended up so far west, in Alberta. A rarity, for sure. "The hooded warbler is a small bird and mid-sized warbler, measuring 13 cm (5.1 in) in length and weighing 9–12 g (0.32–0.42 oz). It has a plain olive/green-brown back, and yellow underparts. Their outer rectrices have whitish vanes. Males have distinctive black hoods which surround their yellow faces; the female has an olive-green cap which does not extend to the forehead, ears and throat instead. Males attain their hood at about 9–12 months of age; younger birds are essentially identical to (and easily confused with) females. The song is a series of musical notes which sound like: wheeta wheeta whee-tee-oh, for which a common mnemonic is "The red, the red T-shirt" or "Come to the woods or you won't see me". The call of these birds is a loud chip." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_warbler