Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: 11 May 2017

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. I love seeing these Red-necked Grebes, though they tend to be rather distant when I do see them. Most of the time, they just look so quietly elegant while they swim. "The Red-necked Grebe breeds on small inland lakes in Canada and Alaska, and winters along both coasts of North America. Boldly marked, vocal, and aggressive during the breeding season, it is quiet and subtly attired in winter. Like other grebes, the Red-necked Grebe ingests large quantities of its own feathers. Feathers remain in the bird's stomach. The function of feathers in the stomach is unknown. One hypothesis suggests that the feathers help protect the lower digestive tract from bones and other hard, indigestible material. The Red-necked Grebe also feeds its feathers to its young. The Red-necked Grebe migrates over land strictly at night. It sometimes migrates over water or along coasts by day, in large flocks. The oldest recorded Red-necked Grebe was at least 11 years old when it was found in Minnesota, the same state where it had been banded." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-necked_Grebe/id

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

The last 7 images that I have just uploaded were taken yesterday afternoon, 11 May 2017, at a pond in Calgary. Love seeing these beautiful Redhead males. Much as I would rather not interrupt my Trinidad photos, I did want to post these local birds, otherwise I might forget. Sorry that I have added so many photos, and at such a fast rate! 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. This morning, I finished the last few photos taken at Manzaniila Beach, Trinidad. From there, we drove the Nariva Swamp area, which is mainly agricultural habitats with some wetlands. Some good birding there and I will be posting various new species. Also, at least a couple of plants that we enjoyed seeing, especially the Sacred Lotus. This is one of my favourite things to photograph in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. "With a gleaming cinnamon head setting off a body marked in black and business gray, adult male Redheads light up the open water of lakes and coastlines. These sociable ducks molt, migrate, and winter in sometimes-huge flocks, particularly along the Gulf Coast, where winter numbers can reach the thousands. Summers find them nesting in reedy ponds of the Great Plains and West. Female and young Redheads are uniform brown, with the same black-tipped, blue-gray bill as the male." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Redhead/id

The last 7 images that I have just uploaded were taken yesterday afternoon, 11 May 2017, at a pond in Calgary. Love seeing these beautiful catkins, but I can never remember if they are Bebb's Willow catkins. Much as I would rather not interrupt my Trinidad photos, I did want to post these local birds and plants, otherwise I might forget. Sorry that I have added so many photos, and at such a fast rate! 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. This morning, I finished the last few photos taken at Manzaniila Beach, Trinidad. From there, we drove the Nariva Swamp area, which is mainly agricultural habitats with some wetlands. Some good birding there and I will be posting various new species. Also, at least a couple of plants that we enjoyed seeing, especially the Sacred Lotus. This is one of my favourite things to photograph in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo.

The last 7 images that I have just uploaded were taken yesterday afternoon, 11 May 2017, at a pond in Calgary. Love seeing these beautiful Common Grackles, though I didn't catch much iridescence on this one. Much as I would rather not interrupt my Trinidad photos, I did want to post these local birds and plants, otherwise I might forget. Sorry that I have added so many photos, and at such a fast rate! 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. This morning, I finished the last few photos taken at Manzaniila Beach, Trinidad. From there, we drove the Nariva Swamp area, which is mainly agricultural habitats with some wetlands. Some good birding there and I will be posting various new species. Also, at least a couple of plants that we enjoyed seeing, especially the Sacred Lotus. This is one of my favourite things to photograph in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. "Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched. They're taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies. Grackles walk around lawns and fields on their long legs or gather in noisy groups high in trees, typically evergreens. They eat many crops (notably corn) and nearly anything else as well, including garbage. In flight their long tails trail behind them, sometimes folded down the middle into a shallow V shape." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Grackle/id

The last 7 images that I have just uploaded were taken yesterday afternoon, 11 May 2017, at a pond in Calgary. This Canada Goose came near me, not the other way round. Much as I would rather not interrupt my Trinidad photos, I did want to post these local birds and plants, otherwise I might forget. Sorry that I have added so many photos, and at such a fast rate! 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. This morning, I finished the last few photos taken at Manzaniila Beach, Trinidad. From there, we drove the Nariva Swamp area, which is mainly agricultural habitats with some wetlands. Some good birding there and I will be posting various new species. Also, at least a couple of plants that we enjoyed seeing, especially the Sacred Lotus. This is one of my favourite things to photograph in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo.

The last 7 images that I have just uploaded were taken yesterday afternoon, 11 May 2017, at a pond in Calgary. Love seeing these beautiful Redhead males. Much as I would rather not interrupt my Trinidad photos, I did want to post these local birds, otherwise I might forget. Sorry that I have added so many photos, and at such a fast rate! 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. This morning, I finished the last few photos taken at Manzaniila Beach, Trinidad. From there, we drove the Nariva Swamp area, which is mainly agricultural habitats with some wetlands. Some good birding there and I will be posting various new species. Also, at least a couple of plants that we enjoyed seeing, especially the Sacred Lotus. This is one of my favourite things to photograph in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. "With a gleaming cinnamon head setting off a body marked in black and business gray, adult male Redheads light up the open water of lakes and coastlines. These sociable ducks molt, migrate, and winter in sometimes-huge flocks, particularly along the Gulf Coast, where winter numbers can reach the thousands. Summers find them nesting in reedy ponds of the Great Plains and West. Female and young Redheads are uniform brown, with the same black-tipped, blue-gray bill as the male." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Redhead/id