Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: CL Ranches

Two days ago, on 23 October 2016, I couldn't resist taking a photo or two of this little cow family. They were far away in a field next to the Jumpingpound Pond, where we stopped to check for birds and to watch several Swans. I think the smallest calf has such a cute expression on its face. Below, I will add the helpful, detailed report from our leader, Howard Heffler, and the eBird list compiled by Nimali S., with thanks to both of them! Thanks, too, Gail, for the ride all day long - greatly appreciated and enjoyed! "Thirteen participants met at Assumption School at 8:30 AM and spent the day birding several locations west of Calgary. We first stopped at Jumping Pound pond. There were both species of swan and a few puddle ducks. We made another quick stop at Sibbald ponds where there were six swans. It appeared to be a family of five Trumpeters and one lonely Tundra. The (apparent) Tundra was all white but had a mostly pink bill. It was being harassed by the others so we concluded (speculated) was a second year bird that still had a pink bill (or maybe a first year bird that had turned white prematurely??). It was smaller than the others and was obviously an outcast. If anyone has any thoughts they would be most welcome. It was cold and windy at Bow Valley Park and a quick walk on Flowing Waters trail proved fruitless so we moved to the Seebe dam. Again there were a few swans and ducks but the cold winds seemed unfriendly to birds and birders alike. In Exshaw it was still cold and windy and there were few birds. However, a flock of about 45 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch was the highlight of the day. These are such active birds and their feeding habits are fun to watch as the flock seems to roll forward along the ground as the birds in the back leap-frog the leaders. The Canmore Visitor Center was an excellent (warm and comfortable) bathroom and lunch stop. Harvie Heights offered a few boreal birds but not as many as hoped for. An interesting note for future planning is that the community prohibits bird feeders until November 1st in an effort to reduce conflicts with bears or cougars. Thanks to Nimali Seneviratne for keeping track of species and doing the eBird postings. The combined list for the day (including species seen while driving) was: Snow Goose 1 Canada Goose 63 Trumpeter Swan 37 Tundra Swan 30 American Wigeon 3 Mallard 40 Common Merganser 1 Common Loon 2 Western Grebe 1 Rough-legged Hawk 2 Rock Pigeon 9 Downy Woodpecker 1 Gray Jay 2 Clark's Nutcracker 3 Black-billed Magpie 6 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 6 Mountain Chickadee 7 Boreal Chickadee 1 (heard only) Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 45 White-winged Crossbill 1 House Sparrow 2 Howard Heffler Calgary"

This photo was taken on 17 October 2015, when I spent the day birding with six friends. We travelled west of the city, the direction that I don't often get to see, mostly along Highway 1, turning off in a few places to see what species we could find. Overall, it was a very quiet day as far as birding goes. At this particular pond, we watched several distant Swans, which are always nice to see. The two in this photo are Tundra Swans, but there were also Trumpeter Swans on the pond. This particular pond is part of the Trumpeter Swan's migratory path. "True to its name, the Tundra Swan breeds on the high tundra across the top of North America. It winters in large flocks along both coasts, and is frequently encountered during its migration across the continent." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tundra_Swan/lifehistory While my friends were checking out the few other waterfowl, I just had to turn around and take a few photos of an old orange/red barn in the distance (seen in the next photo). I wasn't sure just where we were, but last night I went on Google Earth and eventually found the exact place. I also discovered that there is a whole lot more about this barn and the ranch it belongs to. It also has a whole movie set in Western theme (i.e. old saloon, etc.), which has been used in a long list of movies. We also did an enjoyable walk along the Flowing Waters Trail in Bow Valley Provincial Park - a highlight there was seeing a Brown Creeper. Here is our leader, Andrew Hart's report, that he sent in to e-Bird. Thanks, Andrew, for the list and of course for a most enjoyable day, as always. "Seven of us met to head west on what was initially a chilly morning which promised to warm up later. Our first stop was at the Jumping Pound Pond where we saw a family of five Trumpeter Swans along with a few assorted ducks. We then worked our way along the back roads parallel to Hwy 1 checking out the sloughs. Only one (about half way to the Sibbalt turnoff) was really productive, yielding 18 Tundra Swans and several waterfowl including some Hooded Mergansers. We then headed to Bow Valley Provincial Park, where we were met by very strong winds. Possibly because of the winds we did not see very much on our walk around the Flowing Waters Trail, several flocks of White-Winged Crossbills were the easiest to see. We did have one Brown Creeper which seemed to be blown up the slope towards us and almost slammed into a lone tree on the ridge path. We passed the Seebe Dam en route to Exshaw, but again slim (to say the least) findings at both locations. We saw about four Rough-legged Hawks between stops. Here is what we saw at the stops. Checklists included in this summary: (1): Jumping Pound Pond Date: Oct 17, 2015, 8:50 AM (2): CA-AB-Rocky View No. 44-45240 Township Road 252 - 51.1252x-114.5434 Date: Oct 17, 2015, 9:10 AM (3): Bow Valley PP - Flowing Waters Trails Date: Oct 17, 2015, 10:10 AM (4): Seebe Dam Date: Oct 17, 2015, 12:25 PM (5): Exshaw Date: Oct 17, 2015, 12:55 PM 38 Canada Goose -- (1),(4) 5 Trumpeter Swan -- (1) 18 Tundra Swan -- (2) 4 Gadwall -- (2) 41 American Wigeon -- (1),(2),(4) 204 Mallard -- (1),(2),(4) 12 Northern Shoveler -- (1) 26 Green-winged Teal -- (2) 2 Ring-necked Duck -- (2) 6 Hooded Merganser -- (2) 4 American Coot -- (2) 4 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (1) 2 Black-billed Magpie -- (2),(5) 1 Common Raven -- (3) 2 Black-capped Chickadee -- (3) 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch -- (3) 1 Brown Creeper -- (3) 6 Golden-crowned Kinglet -- (3) 2 American Robin -- (5) 1 European Starling -- (1) 46 White-winged Crossbill -- (3),(4) 10 Pine Siskin -- (3) 20 House Sparrow -- (5) Andrew Hart"

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 17 October 2015, when I spent the day birding with 6 friends. We travelled west of the city, the direction that I don't often get to see, mostly along Highway 1, turning off in a few places to see what species we could find. Overall, it was a very quiet day as far as birding goes. At this particular pond, we watched several distant Swans, which are always nice to see. They were just off to the left and right of my photo. This is part of the trumpeter swan’s migratory path. You would never guess that the main Highway 1 runs from left to right through this area - the reflections of passing vehicles were seen in the water. While my friends were checking out the few other waterfowl, I just had to turn around and take a few photos of an old orange/red barn in the distance (seen in the next photo). I wasn't sure just where we were, but last night I went on Google Earth and eventually found the exact place. I also discovered that there is a whole lot more about this barn and the ranch it belongs to. It also has a whole movie set in Western theme (i.e. old saloon, etc.), which has been used in a long list of movies. I'm adding a link to a detailed account of the Ranch by The Western Producer, posted on 27 August 2012 by Barbara Duckworth. It provides a lot of interesting information. This Ranch family emphasizes watershed management on 28,000 acres of land. www.producer.com/2012/08/ranch-uses-tranquil-setting-to-d... www.clranches.com/ clwesterntown.com/ www.country-guide.ca/2014/07/31/the-wide-view/44390/ calgaryherald.com/business/local-business/producing-a-mor... calgaryherald.com/business/mcdonalds-undertakes-pilot-pro...

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 17 October 2015, when I spent the day birding with 6 friends. We travelled west of the city, the direction that I don't often get to see, mostly along Highway 1, turning off in a few places to see what species we could find. Overall, it was a very quiet day as far as birding goes. At one particular pond (seen in the previous photo), we watched several distant Swans, which are always nice to see. They were just off to the left and right of my photo. This is part of the trumpeter swan’s migratory path. You would never guess that the main Highway 1 runs from left to right through this area - the reflections of passing vehicles were seen in the water. While my friends were checking out the few other waterfowl, I just had to turn around and take a few photos of this old orange/red barn in the distance. I wasn't sure just where we were, but last night I went on Google Earth and eventually found the exact place. I also discovered that there is a whole lot more about this barn and the ranch it belongs to. For one thing, it also has a whole movie set in Western theme (i.e. old saloon, etc.), which has been used in a long list of movies. I'm adding a link to a detailed account of the Ranch by The Western Producer, posted on 27 August 2012 by Barbara Duckworth. It provides a lot of interesting information. This Ranch family emphasizes watershed management on 18,000 acres of land. www.producer.com/2012/08/ranch-uses-tranquil-setting-to-d... www.clranches.com/ clwesterntown.com/ www.country-guide.ca/2014/07/31/the-wide-view/44390/ calgaryherald.com/business/local-business/producing-a-mor... calgaryherald.com/business/mcdonalds-undertakes-pilot-pro...