Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Anas

This morning, I am posting three more photos taken with the Nikon B700. Yesterday, 24 April 2018, I went for a morning walk in Carburn Park with a group of friends, hoping to see a few things to photograph. Late last night, I posted on Facebook about the huge issue I am having with this replacement camera, with images suddenly jumping upward, downward and to the side when I press the shutter button. I received a very helpful comment form someone, suggesting I try using the zoom lever on the side of the camera, instead of the zoom on the top. I had never used the side zoom on any camera that I have owned. As it was getting on for midnight, I only tried a series of shots indoors, but it seemed to work much better. Today, I will again have to do some more testing. This Mallard drake was looking very handsome with the sun bringing out the blue iridescence on his head feathers. Looks like these ducks are nesting. It was great to see a group of American White Pelicans near the edge of the river. I don't know if this was the same group I saw recently, just at a different location. Somehow, even after years of seeing these spectacular birds in the city, I still find it strange. They just look so exotic. Not the best light to photograph them, but it was good to see that the whites were not blown out and the white feathers had plenty of detail. Our crazy, crazy weather! Yesterday, I believe the temperature got up to about 20C. Of course, I wouldn't dream of saying that I was too warm before the end of the walk, lol. Not after the dreadful winter we have just survived. Just checked the forecast and I see it says 21C, 23C and 26C for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I still have a large snowdrift in my backyard!

It felt good to wake up and see sunshine this morning, 25 May 2017, after the May storm we had yesterday! We had strong winds and continuous heavy rain, even snow in the NW part of the city. This photo was taken on 11 May 2017, at a wetland in Calgary. Just a short drive and a quick visit. This Mallard landed on the fence railing, giving me the chance for a few close-up shots of her beautiful feathers. As soon as she landed, a male Mallard landed on a railing opposite her. No idea if they were a pair, or if he was hoping to make them a pair. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a Mallard on a fence before. Much as I don't like interrupting my Trinidad & Tobago images, I did want to add a few more local photos, otherwise I might forget. Seeing my calendar filling up rather quickly, I know that I will be getting various chances to take photos, and it would help greatly if I can get the last two days of my Trinidad photos finished. "If someone at a park is feeding bread to ducks, chances are there are Mallards in the fray. Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species." From AllAboutBirds. Occasionally, Mallards have been known to show up in people’s swimming pools. My good friend, Art (Leapfrog), has had more than 45 on his pool at any given time. His pool is covered, with a layer of water on top of the cover. One special pair, Daisy and Donald, have been coming to his backyard pool for at least 11 or 12 years! www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! In Canada, this is celebrated each year on the second Sunday of May. Of course, every day should be Mother's Day. The two photos I have just posted this morning, 14 May 2017, were taken three days ago, on 11 May 2017, at a pond in Calgary. Just a short drive and a quick visit. Much as I don't like interrupting my Trinidad & Tobago images, I did want to add these local photos, otherwise I might forget. Seeing my calendar filling up rather quickly, I know that I will be getting various chances to take photos, and it would help greatly if I can get my holiday photos finished. Tonight, I will hopefully add a few more photos from my trip. "If someone at a park is feeding bread to ducks, chances are there are Mallards in the fray. Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species." From AllAboutBirds. Occasionally, Mallards have been known to show up in people’s swimming pools. My good friend, Art (Leapfrog), has had more than 45 on his pool at any given time. His pool is covered, with a layer of water on top of the cover. One special pair, Daisy and Donald, have been coming to his backyard pool for at least 11 or 12 years! www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

She's beautiful, even if she is "just" an everyday female Mallard. I never get tired of photographing Mallards, or seeing photos taken by other photographers. This photo was taken at a wetland in SW Calgary on 10 April 2016, when I called in for just a very quick visit. The weather forecast had been for mainly sunny, but the day turned out to be mainly cloudy with a bit of sun. That made me cancel my plans to do a longer drive somewhere, which left me longing to get out with my camera. So, Mrs. Mallard it is : ) "If someone at a park is feeding bread to ducks, chances are there are Mallards in the fray. Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species." From AllAboutBirds. Occasionally, Mallards have been known to show up in people’s swimming pools. My good friend, Art (Leapfrog), has had up to around 45 (?) on his pool at any given time. His pool is covered, with a layer of water on top of the cover. One special pair, Daisy and Donald, have been coming to his backyard pool for 11 or 12 years! www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

First of all, has anyone heard anything from, or about, our amazing Flickr friend, Snowinglightly? Today is the 12th day since she suddenly stopped commenting here on Flickr, For years, she has been such a loyal friend, leaving such long, thoughtful and very creative comments on people's photos every single day. To suddenly stop like this, is making me very concerned. The only time I remember her not commenting, for maybe four days in a row, was when she had ended up in hospital. Twelve days would be more than enough time to sort out any computer problems or to have to replace a computer, so I don't think that would be a reason. I have left messages in various places, but so far, still don't know any answer. If you happen to know, could you PLEASE let me know? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She's beautiful, even if she is "just" an everyday female Mallard. I never get tired of photographing Mallards, or seeing photos taken by other photographers. This photo was taken at a wetland in SW Calgary yesterday, 3 November 2016, when I called in for just a very quick visit. Earlier in the day, I had been on a birding walk at Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park, all morning with friends, seeing various birds that were just distant silhouettes and much too far away for photos. I had been on a similar walk two days earlier, seeing only distant birds. Yesterday, though, I decided that I needed to see something close enough to photograph, so I went south a little way to look for a Long-tailed Weasel that people had been seeing all last week - but, as usual, not on the day that I went, lol! After 45 minutes of waiting, there was still no sign of the little Weasel yesterday. So, my usual plan of desperation took me to a wetland in the SW of the city, where I can usually see Mallards. Sure enough, there were two pairs hanging out together, and I really appreciated their giving me the chance to take a few photos. They were swimming in and out of sunlight and shadow, giving totally different photos. I will add the list of species seen at Burnsmead, complied by our leaders, in a comment box below.

He's beautiful, even if he is "just" an everyday male Mallard. I never get tired of photographing Mallards, or seeing photos taken by other photographers. This photo was taken at a wetland in SW Calgary on 10 April 2016, when I called in for just a very quick visit. The weather forecast had been for mainly sunny, but the day turned out to be mainly cloudy with a bit of sun. That made me cancel my plans to do a longer drive somewhere, which left me longing to get out with my camera. So, Mr. Mallard it is : ) The temperature this morning is 2C, but supposed to soar to 15C this afternoon with a chance of showers. Hopefully, the rain will stay away, though, as it is the May Species Count today and tomorrow. "If someone at a park is feeding bread to ducks, chances are there are Mallards in the fray. Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species." From AllAboutBirds. Occasionally, Mallards have been known to show up in people’s swimming pools. My good friend, Art (Leapfrog), has had up to around 45 (?) on his pool at any given time. His pool is covered, with water filling the cover. One special pair, Daisy and Donald, have been coming to his backyard pool for 11 or 12 years! www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

She's beautiful, even if she is "just" an everyday female Mallard. I never get tired of photographing Mallards, or seeing photos taken by other photographers. This photo was taken at a wetland in SW Calgary yesterday, 10 April 2016, when I called in for just a very quick visit. The weather forecast had been for mainly sunny, but the day turned out to be mainly cloudy with a bit of sun. That made me cancel my plans to do a longer drive somewhere, which left me longing to get out with my camera. So, Mrs. Mallard it is : ) The temperature this morning is -2C, but supposed to soar to 17C this afternoon. A few days ago, it got up to 23C! Crazy for early spring. "If someone at a park is feeding bread to ducks, chances are there are Mallards in the fray. Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species." From AllAboutBirds. Occasionally, Mallards have been known to show up in people’s swimming pools. My good friend, Art (Leapfrog), has had up to around 45 (?) on his pool at any given time. His pool is covered, with water filling the cover. One special pair, Daisy and Donald, have been coming to his backyard pool for 11 or 12 years and arrived back again just in the last day or two, to Art's delight. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

She's beautiful, even if she is "just" an everyday female Mallard : ) I never get tired of photographing Mallards, or seeing photos of them taken by other photographers. This photo was taken at a wetland in SW Calgary on 7 July 2015, when I called in for just an hour after a doctor's appointment. "If someone at a park is feeding bread to ducks, chances are there are Mallards in the fray. Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

She's beautiful, even if she is "just" an everyday female Mallard : ) I never get tired of photographing Mallards, or seeing photos taken by other photographers. This photo was taken at a wetland in SW Calgary on 7 July 2015, when I called in for just an hour after a doctor's appointment. "If someone at a park is feeding bread to ducks, chances are there are Mallards in the fray. Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard Today, 10 November 2015, the sun is shining, which feels so good after a dreary, snowy day yesterday. The temperature as I type is -3C (windchill -6C), so it's definitely feeling like winter.

Overslept by an hour and a half, so gotta post and run and see if there is any way to find the group of people I'm supposed to meet up with this morning! Later: this was taken on 22 October 2015, at a wetland in the SW of the city. Earlier, I had been to collect my car after getting my snow tires put on. I knew that everyone would be wanting to make an appointment for this reason if I left it much longer. From the tire place, I decided to call in at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on the way home. As sometimes happens, I saw nothing but a little Red Squirrel, but the light was so bad that my few photos all came out blurred. Feeling a little disappointed, I called in at a wetland area in the SW, where I knew there would at least be a few Mallards to photograph. It was such a beautiful, sunny day, it seemed a shame to be indoors. Sure enough, the Mallards were there, plus a Coot or two, a pair of very distant Ring-necked Ducks, a pair of Canada Geese, and a Lesser Scaup. I really do need to practice my skills when it comes to photographing ducks that are swimming fast, as most of my shots came out very blurry and had to be deleted!

Posting later than usual today, as I was just too tired last night to find and edit three photos to upload. I really don't enjoy having to do it in the morning : ) She's beautiful, even if she is "just" an everyday female Mallard : ) I never get tired of photographing Mallards, or seeing photos taken by other photographers. This was taken yesterday, 22 October 2015, at a wetland in the SW of the city. Earlier, I had been to collect my car after getting my snow tires put on. I knew that everyone would be wanting to make an appointment for this reason if I left it much longer. From the tire place, I decided to call in at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on the way home. As sometimes happens, I saw nothing but a little Red Squirrel, but the light was so bad that my few photos all came out blurred. Feeling a little disappointed, I called in at a wetland area in the SW, where I knew there would at least be a few Mallards to photograph. It was such a beautiful, sunny day, it seemed a shame to be indoors. Sure enough, the Mallards were there, plus a Coot or two, a pair of distant Ring-necked Ducks, a pair of Canada Geese, and a Lesser Scaup. I really do need to practice my skills when it comes to photographing ducks that are swimming fast, as most of my shots came out very blurry! Ha, I've just checked our weather forecast and I see that it is supposed to snow tomorrow! The morning temperature should be -1C, warming to 7C in the afternoon. I'm definitely not ready for this, even if my car is!

In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be five days ago, on 10 May 2015, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : ) We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards including this female. From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I think they were Trumpeters). Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before. From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake. Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. The driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could, of course making the hawks fly. We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!

I'm posting this photo for the colour and the patterns in the water rather than for the female Mallard (which isn't as sharp as it should be). It's amazing how the swirls and colours aren't always seen when you are actually taking the photo, but reveal themselves once the image has been downloaded to the computer. Taken in SW Calgary on 1 May 2014. The only birds I could see were several Canada Geese, a pair of Red-necked Grebes, a Yellow-headed Blackbird, a Red-winged Blackbird, a few Mallards and a number of Coots. This was just a very quick visit, to relieve the stress of discovering that I could no longer access McAfee anti-virus on my computer and having to dash out and buy Norton, and get it installed before any viruses, etc. reached my computer. I had to reinstall a driver for my printer, too, which stopped working after I had installed Norton - apparently, a common problem. Then I had to finish doing my Taxes, lol!! Couldn't get an appointment locally, so have to do the walk-in on Monday (the deadline). You could say we are back to winter yet again. There must be around 8" of snow on my fence this morning - and it's still snowing! I decided not to go on a birding day out, east of the city, today, as I wasn't sure what any of the roads would be like. I had half expected the trip to be cancelled. Not sure I can even go out very locally, as I don't think I'll be able to lift my arms high enough to clear all the snow off my car, with my painful arms and shoulder. It's quite the winter wonderland, though. We are now into the eighth month of snow!!!!

This photo was taken on 29 April 2013, when I was down in South Glenmore Park, battling a snowstorm with strong winds : ) About two thirds of the Glenmore Reservoir was still frozen, but there were a few birds swimming in the patches of open water, all of them way out on the water. Full zoom and heavy cropping left me with this photo of a male American Wigeon. Quite fancy feathers : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Wigeon

Lol, I got a surprise when I downloaded the few photos that I'd taken at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on 4 March 2013! Bet there isn't another photo on Flickr quite like mine! Sure, she's "just" an everyday Mallard, but .....

Love seeing the black, curled tail feathers of the Mallard male - females lack the curls. Always makes me shiver when I see birds lying in the snow or swimming in water amongst the ice on the river. Taken at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on 4 March 2013. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

Though our winter weather is wonderfully mild again, the light was just awful yesterday morning, when a few of us went on a three-hour walk in Carburn Park. I almost deleted this photo, as this handsome male Mallard was pretty much a black silhouette. Brightened the image and all his colours emerged out of the blackness : ) Can't help but wonder when we will pay the price for this amazing weather - it feels rather like spring - and we are loving it!

This male Blue-winged Teal was resting on a half-submerged log in a local wetland. The males have this blue-grey head with a white crescent on the face.