Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: tangle of branches

Once again, a giant leap from the tropical rainforest of Trinidad to the latest Alberta snowfall that arrived this morning. Sigh ... will this ever end, lol? Our temperature just before noon is -1C (windchill -7C). Thinking ahead to next month, it is not that unusual for us to have a major May snowstorm. Hopefully not this year. From the Weather Network: "Snowfall Warning Issued at 10:39 Monday 16 April 2018 Snowfall with total amounts of 10 to 20 cm is expected. 10 to 20 cm of heavy wet snow are likely. Snow will end from south to north tonight, with 10 to 20 cm generally expected. Near the eastern edge of the warning, including the city of Calgary, snowfall amounts will be highly variable and dependent on elevation. Lower portions of Calgary may see less than 10 cm while higher areas, most notably the northwestern part of the city, will likely see higher amounts. Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow." Sure, this sounds and feels like spring : ) I feel so glad that I finally got out for a few hours yesterday, 15 April 2018, joining a group of friends on a birding trip SE of the city.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday (as well as being April Fool's Day). I decided to join friends for an afternoon walk in Fish Creek Park, despite the overcast sky, cold temperature and a forecast for yet more snow. We only had a few snowflakes and this morning, there is just a light dusting over everything. The temperature this morning, 2 April 2018, is -9C (windchill -14C). The forecast for this week shows snow every other day. One of our stops yesterday was to see the male Great Horned Owl, perched where he was almost impossible to see, his camouflage was so good. This was the only photo I got, fully zoomed and from far away. Those eyes looked tightly shut and he was no doubt getting some sleep after a busy night of hunting. We were also lucky to see two Coyotes together, at first way off in the distance and then they came somewhat closer. Beautiful animals, though we were concerned to see them in the area, having been asked by a family if we had seen their puppy that had run off from the parking lot. We kept our eyes open for the two and a half hours that we were walking, but we saw the family still searching. To spot a white dog against all the snow would have been difficult, and it wasn't answering to its name being called. I do hope this had a happy ending! Migrating birds are beginning to be seen in and around Calgary - but, let's face it, who in their right mind would want to come to a place where spring is still an ongoing time of cold and snow?! After braving the cold, coffee at Tim Horton's was the perfect ending to our afternoon of birding. On the way there, we stopped to look at a new birding blind that we had heard about. Made from rusty metal with several holes cut out of it, it was certainly a rather unusual sight. Thanks, Bernie and Janet, for leading the walk - always appreciated.

This morning, it's SNOWING! And it's settling, unfortunately. We really can't complain, though, as we have just enjoyed a wonderful fall. Yesterday afternoon, 1 November 2015, was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches. Not the best photo, but it gives an idea of how easily these owls can hide. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had just seen this owl, so that helped. Thanks, David and Melanie! The other thing I would have missed seeing was a handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12