Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Synonym

As so often happens, I managed to get just a few photos (five) from this outing posted on Flickr. Other trips came along and I always seem to get so behind. This morning, I have added another four shots from this fun day with friends. On 9 July 2018, I went for a trip to Kananaskis with friends Shirley and Pam. This was planned as a bear hunt - but not a single bear was to be seen : ) As usual, when it comes to wildlife, it's all about timing. You can be lucky or unlucky, and I guess this was not our lucky day, at least not as far as bears were concerned. We left the city at 7:00 am to give ourselves the best chance. Within just a matter of minutes, we came upon a Great Blue Heron and a couple of Black-crowned Night-Herons, which was wonderful. Couldn't get good photos of them, just shots for the record. Our day was certainly starting off well. We travelled to Kananaskis via Highway 1, but returned to the city along the south portion of Highway 40. When I go to Kananaskis on my own (only about three times so far), I only go south to Highway 40, never on Highway 1. I believe it takes about the same time to drive either way. No sign of a bear, anywhere, but of course, we were surrounded by spectacular scenery all day. We had great weather, with a high of about 27C. Unfortunately, there was some haze over the mountains. One of our stops was at Peninsular, at Lower Kananaskis Lake. Such a peaceful spot, with just a handful of people fishing and several people in canoes or kayaks. The main thing we saw there was a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel down on the rocks. Another place we wanted to get to was the area where the Pikas can be seen. For the first while, we began to think that we were going to be out of luck. Fortunately, one little Pika did eventually show itself and we were able to get a few photos. When I don't get photos that I'm quite happy with, it is a huge incentive to drive myself out there for another chance. While we were there, we did see a little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (not the one in this photo), who was happily munching on Yellow Columbine flowers. Surprisingly, no Mountain Sheep were to be seen, here or anywhere else on this day. A final stopping place was on the way home along Highway 40. We had forgotten that this place is closed on Mondays. I remember last year, when I drove out there myself, I had been banking on buying a sandwich for my lunch and for getting gas for my car. However, we did see at least two tiny Hummingbirds there, nesting Barn Swallows, and several interesting moths that I had never seen before, including a beautiful One Eyed Sphinx Moth. So, all together, an interesting, fun day spent in good company. We are so very lucky to live within reach of such a breathtaking area!

Wow, thunder, lightning and rain right now - going to turn off my computer! Yesterday, 9 July 2018, I went for a trip to Kananaskis with friends Shirley and Pam. This was planned as a bear hunt - but not a single bear was to be seen : ) As usual, when it comes to wildlife, it's all about timing. You can be lucky or unlucky, and I guess yesterday was not our lucky day, at least not as far as bears were concerned. We left the city at 7:00 am to give ourselves the best chance. Within just a matter of minutes, we came upon a Great Blue Heron and a couple of Black-crowned Night-Herons, which was wonderful. Couldn't get good photos of them, just shots for the record. Our day was certainly starting off well. We travelled to Kananaskis via Highway 1, but returned to the city along the south portion of Highway 40. When I go to Kananaskis on my own (only about three times so far), I only go south to Highway 40, never on Highway 1. I believe it takes about the same time to drive either way. No sign of a bear, anywhere, but of course, we were surrounded by spectacular scenery all day. We had great weather, with a high of about 27C. Unfortunately, there was some haze over the mountains. One of our stops was at Peninsular, at Lower Kananaskis Lake. Such a peaceful spot, with just a handful of people fishing and several people in canoes or kayaks. The main thing we saw there was a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (not the one in this photo) down on the rocks. Another place we wanted to get to was the area where the Pikas can be seen. For the first while, we began to think that we were going to be out of luck. Fortunately, one little Pika did eventually show itself and we were able to get a few photos. When I don't get photos that I'm quite happy with, it is a huge incentive to drive myself out there for another chance. While we were there, we did see this little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, who was happily munching on Yellow Columbine flowers. Surprisingly, no Mountain Sheep were to be seen, here or anywhere else on this day. A final stopping place was on the way home along Highway 40. We had forgotten that this place is closed on Mondays. I remember last year, when I drove out there myself, I had been banking on buying a sandwich for my lunch and for getting gas for my car. However, we did see at least two tiny Hummingbirds there, nesting Barn Swallows, and several interesting moths that I had never seen before, including a One Eyed Sphinx Moth (photo posted this morning). So, all together, an interesting, fun day spent in good company. We are so very lucky to live within reach of such a breathtaking area!

This little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel decided to briefly explore one of the Pika's caves, no doubt looking for something good to eat. I don't think it stayed long enough to find anything, though. The Pikas spend so much of their day collecting huge mouthfuls of fresh greenery, which they add to the growing pile in various cavities among the rocks. They don't hibernate, so they need a supply of food for winter. Four days ago, on 18 August 2017, I made a very last-minute decision (just after midnight) to return to this location. Last year (2016), I had finally made myself do this long drive (293 km), after longing for years to be able to get there on my own. I was determined to go again this summer, and 18 August was the day. I left home a few minutes before 8:00 am and took the scenic back road to Highway 40. The mountains along Highway 40 vary so much in colour and formation - I especially love the ones that have barren, jagged peaks. Unfortunately, we are still getting the smoke from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires, so distant shots are not the best this summer. As of 19 August 2017, there were 140 wildfires currently burning across B.C., and this year's wildfire season is now officially B.C.’s worst ever wildfire season. However, the landscape on this whole drive is spectacular and I could never tire of it. I would imagine most people drive the whole loop along Highway 40, but my destination was the place where Pikas (or Rock Rabbits) live, keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of them would show up. I was in luck and saw two of them, and managed to get a few photos, though I have taken better photos on previous visits. While I was standing near the base of the huge talus/scree slope, I started hearing the sound of rocks falling! The first thing that flashed through my mind was that I was not standing in the best place if a rock slide happened, and then I remembered seeing someone's photo of a bear with her two cubs walking across the rocks just above where I was standing. Looking around, I could see nothing - and then, suddenly, I could just make out the tiny silhouette of a Bighorn Sheep on the very top of the very distant ridge, and then several others came along. In a short time, one of them walked to the end of the ridge and stood there, on guard the whole time it took for the rest of the herd to slowly make its way down the rocky mountain side. Sometimes, they would stop and feed for a while. They ended up passing me on a closer, low ridge and finally reached the road. What a journey they made in order to get salt off the road surface! I watched them for a long time, while they hung around just below me, refusing to leave the road when cars came along. Nothing would make them budge! It was just as interesting to watch the reaction of the drivers - most slowed right down or stopped, and most people stayed in their vehicles. There would have been a lot more people if it had been a weekend. After calling in again at Highwood House to pick up a much-needed coffee, I carried on with the drive home via various backroads, including the Priddis area. My early morning drive had given me just two birds - a Northern Harrier and some other Hawk. The return drive gave me maybe four Hawks, none of which stayed long enough for a photo. A strange, empty feeling, as two days earlier, friends and I had seen dozens of Hawks during a day's drive.

A few of us were invited to return to one of our absolute favourite places - Rod Handfield's acreage, SW of the city. This is always such a treat, and Rod and his wife are always so welcoming. They have an amazing forest that is usually full of so many fungi species in August. However, we knew that this was not going to be the case on 6 August, as everywhere is bone dry. While in the forest, our leader said that normally, we would have seen 75+ species of fungus by then. Instead, we saw maybe three very small mushrooms that I didn't even bother to photograph, plus a little cluster of Oyster mushrooms that were growing from the end of a fallen log. I don't know if the situation is likely to change, even if we got a lot of rain in the next little while. We have had some rain the last couple of days, but most likely not enough to make any difference. Our morning hike was still very enjoyable, of course, and in pleasant weather and with good friends. There was a bit of smoke haze, which has been with us most of the time for weeks now. After the hike, seven of us went for lunch in the tiny strip mall in the hamlet of Priddis, on the way home. Friends had said how good the food is at Jane's Cafe, and we agreed. Made a lovely end to our botany morning.

Is it any wonder that people think these little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels are cute and irresistible? This one was seen on our second day in Waterton, when we stopped at Cameron Falls on the edge of town. The cooling mist that came from the waterfalls felt so good! As usual, this little animal was doing what these cute animals tend to do - approach people, look cute, and beg for food! I saw a number of empty sunflower seed shells scattered on the ground. Of course, WILDLIFE SHOULD NEVER BE FED!! However, I hope the children feeding this little animal will develop a love for wildlife and grow up to help protect any kind of creature. Late afternoon on 9 July 2017, I arrived back home from a wonderful three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. I had just been on a one-day bus trip to this beautiful park on 24 June 2017, so felt very lucky to be returning for a longer stay so soon. I travelled there and back with friend, Darlene, who had very kindly offered to take me, and we had a fun time, seeing so many interesting things. Thank you SO much, Darlene - I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciated being able to go on this trip with you! It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of good company with around 20 (?) 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 but adequate 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 huge thanks go out to Jean Kennedy, the camp cook, who cooked and prepared these great meals for us! Jean was there in 2015 and 2016, when I attended this weekend, and it was really good news when I was told that she would be there again this time. The food was so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! On the second day, Darlene decided to go on a long day hike to Bertha Lake with a few of the group, which I knew would be far too much for me. Car space was very limited for other locations, so I was beginning to think I would have to stay at the camp all day - with no walks around the camp grounds, seeing as a few if us had seen a Black Bear in the camp the previous evening! As it turned out, I was able to get a ride with Caroline, for which I was extremely grateful, and we went with another couple in a separate vehicle, to Cameron Lake. There, we went on the forest trail along the edge of the lake, as far as one is able to go. This trail is a favourite of mine, especially as it is level, not uphill. A few birds and lots of wildflowers to see and photograph, including a Stellar's Jay that was seen in the parking lot when we first arrived. I think I have only ever seen a Stellar's Jay twice before. A neat bird to see along the forest trail was a Fox Sparrow. More Bear Grass along this trail, so of course I couldn't resist taking a few more photos. After this hike, we stopped at a small picnic area along the main parkway, where we managed to find a table in the shade. There, we saw something that I had never seen before - on the distant mountain slope, there were thousands of Bear Grass, giving an interesting texture. I will post a photo of this sometime. After our lunch, we went into town and visited the Cameron Falls, where this photo was taken. From there, we drove to Red Rock Canyon. It was packed with people and there were so many of them sitting or climbing on the beautiful red rocks along the creek. Made taking a few decent scenic shots impossible, unless one zoomed in on a particular spot. It was SO hot, and once we had taken a few photos, we left and made our way back to the camp by late afternoon. After supper, Andrew, organizer of our weekend, took everyone to the Maskinonge area, where we were lucky to see a group of several Swans, two extremely distant Sandhill Cranes, and a couple of very distant Loons. There was also a small group of deer down at the water's edge on the far side of the lake. All ridiculously distant photos, but I may add some of them later just for the record. From Maskinonge Lake, we all drove a short distance to the Bison Paddock, where we saw a group of about six Bison, including two little ones, and nearby a massive male standing alone. The rest of our group were ahead of Darlene and I and they reached the main road quickly. By the time Darlene and I reached the intersection, there was no car in sight. Should we turn left or right? I remembered in a previous year going all the way up the Chief Mountain Parkway to watch the sun set over the mountains, so this is where we drove, as far as the border crossing into the US. Not a single other car to be seen! We found out later that the rest of the group had gone elsewhere, so all Darlene's driving was in vain - and I felt really bad! Three days of 32C temperatures, and then I arrived home to find that my thermostat read 29C inside my home. I am not good at dealing with the heat and then to walk and hike in such temperatures was exhausting. Our huge thanks to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! He has been organizing these annual weekends for a number of years now. A great time was had by all.

This little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel was seen on our second day in Waterton, when we stopped at Cameron Falls on the edge of town. The cooling mist that came from the waterfalls felt so good! As usual, this little animal was doing what these cute animals tend to do - approach people, look cute, and beg for food! I saw a number of empty sunflower seed shells scattered on the ground. Of course, WILDLIFE SHOULD NEVER BE FED!! However, I hope the children feeding this little animal will develop a love for wildlife and grow up to help protect any kind of creature. Late afternoon on 9 July 2017, I arrived back home from a wonderful three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. I had just been on a one-day bus trip to this beautiful park on 24 June 2017, so felt very lucky to be returning for a longer stay so soon. I travelled there and back with friend, Darlene, who had very kindly offered to take me, and we had a fun time, seeing so many interesting things. Thank you SO much, Darlene - I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciated being able to go on this trip with you! It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of good company with around 20 (?) 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 but adequate 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 huge thanks go out to Jean Kennedy, the camp cook, who cooked and prepared these great meals for us! Jean was there in 2015 and 2016, when I attended this weekend, and it was really good news when I was told that she would be there again this time. The food was so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! On the second day, Darlene decided to go on a long day hike to Bertha Lake with a few of the group, which I knew would be far too much for me. Car space was very limited for other locations, so I was beginning to think I would have to stay at the camp all day - with no walks around the camp grounds, seeing as a few if us had seen a Black Bear in the camp the previous evening! As it turned out, I was able to get a ride with Caroline, for which I was extremely grateful, and we went with another couple in a separate vehicle, to Cameron Lake. There, we went on the forest trail along the edge of the lake, as far as one is able to go. This trail is a favourite of mine, especially as it is level, not uphill. A few birds and lots of wildflowers to see and photograph, including a Stellar's Jay that was seen in the parking lot when we first arrived. I think I have only ever seen a Stellar's Jay twice before. A neat bird to see along the forest trail was a Fox Sparrow. More Bear Grass along this trail, so of course I couldn't resist taking a few more photos. After this hike, we stopped at a small picnic area along the main parkway, where we managed to find a table in the shade. There, we saw something that I had never seen before - on the distant mountain slope, there were thousands of Bear Grass, giving an interesting texture. I will post a photo of this sometime. After our lunch, we went into town and visited the Cameron Falls, where this photo was taken. From there, we drove to Red Rock Canyon. It was packed with people and there were so many of them sitting or climbing on the beautiful red rocks along the creek. Made taking a few decent scenic shots impossible, unless one zoomed in on a particular spot. It was SO hot, and once we had taken a few photos, we left and made our way back to the camp by late afternoon. After supper, Andrew, organizer of our weekend, took everyone to the Maskinonge area, where we were lucky to see a group of several Swans, two extremely distant Sandhill Cranes, and a couple of very distant Loons. There was also a small group of deer down at the water's edge on the far side of the lake. All ridiculously distant photos, but I may add some of them later just for the record. From Maskinonge Lake, we all drove a short distance to the Bison Paddock, where we saw a group of about six Bison, including two little ones, and nearby a massive male standing alone. The rest of our group were ahead of Darlene and I and they reached the main road quickly. By the time Darlene and I reached the intersection, there was no car in sight. Should we turn left or right? I remembered in a previous year going all the way up the Chief Mountain Parkway to watch the sun set over the mountains, so this is where we drove, as far as the border crossing into the US. Not a single other car to be seen! We found out later that the rest of the group had gone elsewhere, so all Darlene's driving was in vain - and I felt really bad! Three days of 32C temperatures, and then I arrived home to find that my thermostat read 29C inside my home. I am not good at dealing with the heat and then to walk and hike in such temperatures was exhausting. Back in Calgary, we had already been having a heatwave, but we have had rain and it temporarily cooled down the last couple of days, thank goodness. Today, 13 July, we are back to high temperatures again. Our huge thanks to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! He has been organizing these annual weekends for a number of years now. A great time was had by all.

Late yesterday afternoon, 9 July 2017, I arrived back home from a wonderful three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. I had just been on a one-day bus trip to this beautiful park on 24 June 2017, so felt very lucky to be returning for a longer stay so soon. I travelled there and back with friend, Darlene, who had very kindly offered to take me, and we had a fun time, seeing so many interesting things. Thank you SO much, Darlene - I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciated being able to go on this trip with you! Three days of 32C temperatures, and then I arrived home to find that my thermostat read 29C inside my home. I am not good at dealing with the heat and then to walk and hike in such temperatures was exhausting. Back in Calgary, we had already been having a heatwave and now, the forecast is for more hot days. This morning, it rained for a while and temporarily cooled a little. It was wonderful to again be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few walks/hikes with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds and animals. Lots of good company with around 20 (?) 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 huge thanks go out to Jean Kennedy, the camp cook, who cooked and prepared these great meals for us! Jean was there in 2015 and 2016, when I attended this weekend, and it was really good news when I was told that she would be there again this time. The food was so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! Not sure just where to begin, so I grabbed and edited these three photos this morning. This little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel was seen on our first day in Waterton, when Darlene and I stopped at Cameron Falls on the edge of town. The cooling mist that came from the waterfalls felt so good! As usual, this little animal was doing what these cute animals tend to do - approach people, look cute, and beg for food! A little girl was feeding this one - not sure what it's eating, but I prefer to think it is nibbling on raw carrot rather than some kind of fake-coloured chip. I saw a number of empty sunflower seed shells scattered on the ground, too. Of course, WILDLIFE SHOULD NEVER BE FED!! However, I hope the children feeding this little animal will develop a love for wildlife and grow up to help protect any kind of creature. Our huge thanks to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! He has been organizing these annual weekends for a number of years now. A great time was had by all.