Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: held

Practically no activity on Flickr, so I decided to edit and post the rest of my photos from yesterday's great visit to the Tannas Farm, north of the city. Yesterday, 16 June 2019, a small group of us had an amazing visit with Eileen and Steven Tannas at their farm, north of Cochrane. One or two of us had been there several times previously, but to everyone else, this was a new experience. This very enthusiastic couple work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. They do a lot of research in connection with doing things naturally. On our last visit, Steven was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly hair! His pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - last visit, three of them were Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one was a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). One female had piglets a few weeks ago - so cute, and you can see the curls just beginning to start. They have already lost their stripes. They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, thanks to Save-On Foods, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious fruits. What an excellent way to not waste expired food at the same time as donating a wonderful source of fruit and vegetables to feed healthy animals. They also receive left-over bread from a baker. "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia. modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica We also enjoyed seeing their chickens/roosters, and what fine looking birds they are - and I suspect they know it, judging by the way they stride around. They have to be kept in an enclosure, to keep foxes, etc. away from them. I never knew that chickens will eat mice! Another project is raising Flemish Giant Rabbits, only for feeding their own family. These are large, beautiful rabbits. One female had had babies just three weeks ago, and we had the chance to hold one of these tiny creatures. Their fur is so silky. Since our last visit, so many new projects have been started. So much information from this extremely knowledgeable couple - what a great team they make! I will add what I wrote under an older photo, but there will be new links and info available on their websites, Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html www.tannasenvironmental.com/ www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm Thank you so much, Eileen and Steven, for spending an afternoon with us, taking us to all parts of your most impressive farm and explaining in great detail all the research you are doing. What a pleasure it is to see your three little children living such a healthy life and learning so much. Thank you, Anne, for giving two of us a ride there and back! Greatly appreciated. Without your willingness to do this, I suspect there may have been no trip yesterday.

Yesterday, 16 June 2019, a small group of us had an amazing visit with Eileen and Steven Tannas at their farm, north of Cochrane. One or two of us had been there several times previously, but to everyone else, this was a new experience. This very enthusiastic couple work so hard in the area of native species, growing various species in their greenhouses. They do a lot of research in connection with doing things naturally. On our last visit, Steven was excited to show us some of his new additions - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly hair! His pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - last visit, three of them were Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one was a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). One female had piglets a few weeks ago - so cute, and you can see the curls just beginning to start. They have already lost their stripes. They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, thanks to Save-On Foods, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious fruits. What an excellent way to not waste expired food at the same time as donating a wonderful source of fruit and vegetables to feed healthy animals. They also receive left-over bread from a baker. "The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia. modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica We also enjoyed seeing their chickens/roosters, and what fine looking birds they are - and I suspect they know it, judging by the way they stride around. They have to be kept in an enclosure, to keep foxes, etc. away from them. I never knew that chickens will eat mice! Another project is raising Flemish Giant Rabbits, only for feeding their own family. These are large, beautiful rabbits. One female had had babies just three weeks ago, and we had the chance to hold one of these tiny creatures. Their fur is so silky. Since our last visit, so many new projects have been started. So much information from this extremely knowledgeable couple - what a great team they make! I will add what I wrote under an older photo, but there will be new links and info available on their websites, Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves: www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html www.tannasenvironmental.com/ www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm Thank you so much, Eileen and Steven, for spending an afternoon with us, taking us to all parts of your most impressive farm and explaining in great detail all the research you are doing. What a pleasure it is to see your three little children living such a healthy life and learning so much. Thank you, Anne, for giving two of us a ride there and back! Greatly appreciated. Without your willingness to do this, I suspect there may have been no trip yesterday.

The day before yesterday, 20 December 2016, was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of High River, roughly 40 minutes' drive south of Calgary. This is one of my favourite Counts and I'm so glad that I managed to take part. I wasn't sure if I would feel well enough to go, thanks to the dizziness/light-headedness that I've had the last nine days. Had a doctor's appointment yesterday and was told that the problem was the tiny "rocks" that a person has in the inner ear. Apparently, it's a very common problem and hopefully it will either right itself or will be helped by exercises. Anyway, I didn't have to drive for the Count and there was not much walking - just around the various farms we called in at on our route. I don't know where all the farm cats were on this day, but I think the one in my photo plus another at the same farm were the only ones we saw. This beautiful cat was very active and, in the end, the only way I finally managed to get a photo was when Lorrie picked it up. The Count started at 8:00 am and my small group (seven of us in two cars) started at Frank Lake. I think we finished somewhere around 4:00 pm, and then met up with everyone else who had different routes at the meeting place to hand in the lists of species seen. The Potluck supper was delicious! Thank you so much to the ladies of High River who had prepared this for us. Many thanks to Greg Wagner, too, for organizing yet another great Count. Thanks, Lorrie and John for driving the car I was in! I will add our leader's list of species that my small group saw, in a comment box below. For me, the six Great Horned Owls (3 pairs) were the highlight of the day. The saddest thing we found was a dead Great Horned Owl that was in one of the huge Spruce trees in someone's yard. We couldn't tell the cause of death.

On 3 September 2016, we had a fungi morning, which was quite rewarding and definitely fun. Our leader and friend, Karel, is very knowledgeable about fungi and he took 14 of us (plus Karel's two beautiful Beagles) on a foray to West Bragg Creek, maybe an hour's drive west of the city. We had been here a few times over the years, either looking for fungi or on botany outings. Photographing our findings usually means that I am way at the back of the group or have fallen back with a friend or two. Consequently, the mushrooms have often already been plucked/cut by the time we catch up to the rest of the participants. I also miss a lot of what is being said about IDs and details. It would take far too long to write down the name of each find - each photo taken would have to be carefully numbered so that the right name could be attached and this would be such a hassle when out with a group. Since this outing, Karel has sent an email containing several photos along with IDs. The rest of my photos will have to be just nameless 'pretty pictures' : ) I must add here that any IDs that I give are always tentative. Another thing to add is that I never, ever pick and eat wild mushrooms!! Too many look similar, some edible, others poisonous. If you are not a fungi expert, never take the risk of eating any of them. I met up with friend, Sandy, at 8:15 am and she drove us out to the meeting place. Our morning walk started off by going across the small bridge not far from the parking lot, then part way up the hill and then bush-whacking our way through the forest. This walk, which ended around lunch time, was the main one, but we did stop at a small, gravel parking area a few minutes along the main road, to do a second walk to check for any different mushrooms. This extra walk has yielded a few beauties in past years. Perhaps the most interesting find was a very small twig that had several tiny, turquoise coloured fungi cups on it. The colour looks so out of place in a natural area. My photos of them did not turn out very well, but I did post one of them recently, just for the very unusual colour. From here, a few of us stopped at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek for lunch. Always a most enjoyable way to finish any outing. Before we climbed into the car for our return drive to Calgary, Sandy and I wandered into the beautiful Art Gallery nearby, owned and run by Bob and Candy Cook. Named Branded Visuals Inc.(Printing Services/Wildlife Gallery), this small store is overflowing with Bob's absolutely amazing photographic works of art. Thanks so much, Bob and Candy, for remembering our chance meeting a number of years ago, down in Fish Creek Park, and for your overly generous words about my own photography. www.brandedvisuals.com/index.html Thanks so much, Karel, for giving us a great morning! We really appreciate your passing on your knowledge to us. The same thanks go to Suzanne, the mushroom specialist in Calgary. Sandy, really appreciate the ride there and back!

Friend, Karel, calls himself a Herper. “Herpetology (from Greek "herpien" meaning "to creep") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and reptiles (includingsnakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras).” From Wikipedia. Unfortunately, in Alberta, we have only one species of lizard and about four or five kinds of snake, so Karel has turned his attention to wildflowers, fungi, etc. He leads one of our botany outings each week (though I have missed most of them this season) and, if we are lucky enough to have had enough rain for enough mushrooms to grow, may lead a fungi walk or two. This photo of Karel was taken yesterday, 3 June 2016, when a few regulars were invited to visit the Square Butte Ranch, SW of Calgary, to do a Bio-blitz. Karel is holding a little Wood Frog; always a fun find on any trip. The day started very early for us, having to be at the meeting place for 7:00 am, so my alarms were set for 4:30 am. The sun was shining all day and the temperature was around 24C or 25C. Our leader creates a highly detailed list of all the plants, birds, insects, fungi, lichen, mosses that were seen during the few hours we were there. Can’t forget to include wildlife seen – one Red Squirrel : ) This list is also sent to the person who invited us there as well as to the participants. This was a new place for us to explore, though over the years, we had been to several other acreages not too far away. We strolled over grassy meadows with ponds, and through forest covered in deep, soft mosses. Everywhere was a carpet of Dandelions in bloom and in seed. For me, the highlight of the day was when a Morel mushroom was spotted! I so rarely see these and I have been hoping recently that someone would find one somewhere. A few bird species were seen, including a Belted Kingfisher which landed at the top of a very tall coniferous tree, looking rather out of place so high up. “In the 1990’s, developers started transforming 480 acres of rangeland in the Foothills of the Rockies into a recreational ranch property operated as a bare land condominium. Architectural guidelines ensured that all buildings were designed in a rustic, western style featuring log and timber structures with large front porches, wrap around decks and hitching posts. The vision was one of owners being able to enjoy the fun and excitement of a western ranch living without the headaches.” www.squarebutteranches.com/

Happy 4th July to all Americans, everywhere! On 3 July 2015, four of us were lucky enough to visit and botanize the farm belonging to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farm, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre, NW of Calgary. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a little help from family and friends. Meghan walked with us to show us the different parts of the acreage - forest and grassland. Everything seen was listed, including plants, birds, fungi, insects, animals and so on. This list will then be given to Meghan and Kwesi, along with any photos taken while we were there for the day. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. There are several wooden buildings on their property, including this large, fine barn which I had been longing to see. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, though still much too hot for me. Having been out on several outdoor trips recently in very hot weather, as well as being home in a place that felt like an oven, I really was not feeling all that great yesterday and perhaps did a bit too much walking. I do have to also mention that we had the company of their three gorgeous dogs and one cat. As for the cat, she followed us when we were walking around one of the ponds near the house, obviously hunting for "something". At one point, she disappeared a short way up one of the trees, only to come flying out of it a few seconds later. Judging by her behaviour afterwards, I suspected she had been stung in the eye by one of the bees and, sure enough, that's what had happened, poor thing. We were treated royally when we sat down outside to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a delicious lunch of different salads and goodies - and cold lemonade that was more than welcome! Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's mother, Maurita, for all the work you put into preparing this feast for us - most generous! We all wish you the very best with your endeavours. With such hard work and obvious enthusiasm, I'm sure you will do well. On the way back to Calgary, we stopped and walked down to the Elkton Bog. I had been there before, maybe a couple of times. We wanted to see how wet or dry the area was, at the same time seeing a few plants including carnivorous Sundew and Cotton Grass. I knew I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone and the others had seen Sundew. This little toad was seen - I think it's a Western Toad. This walk on extremely uneven ground (and very wet in many places) finished me off for the day - I was utterly, totally, completely exhausted!!

The tentative ID for this large mushroom is Suillus tomentosus. The leader of our Fungi Foray on 24 August 2013 collects and cooks wild mushrooms. I never eat any - a dangerous thing to do unless you are an expert in mycology! I just take the pretty pictures, and preferably not picked : )

Macro shot of what I seem to remember was a Ball Cactus fruit. Two friends and I joined a group of people from Medicine Hat College on 21 September 2013, to go and monitor some Yucca plants in SE Alberta. On the walk into the area at Pinhorn Grazing Lease, someone showed us this very small Ball Cactus fruit and told us it was edible. I got the chance to eat it - and it was delicious.

.... as Engelbert Humperdinck sang in 1985 (but not my kind of music!). We saw about three of these little Wood Frogs at Elkton/Cremona Bog on July 30th last year, all of them very dark, so presumably they are Dark Phase/Dark Morph species? This little one allowed one of us (not me!) to hold him gently so that a few photos could be taken, to add to our botanizing day records. I'd never seen a Dark Morph before - didn't even know there was such a thing. Wood Frogs are only 30 to 60 millimetres (about one to two inches) in length. Thanks, little guy, for helping us learn new things : ) "Coloration varies from pink-tan, gray, olive-green, various shades of brown, to almost black; whitish jaw stripe contrasts with a dark eye mask that extends from the nostril over the eye and just behind the ear; light dorsal stripe is frequently present" From fanweb.ca/resources-services/alberta-natural-history/amph... The following link goes to a short, fascinating video on YouTube, about how Wood Frogs freeze solid in the winter. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjr3A_kfspM

Oops, I was hoping that this photo might look a bit sharper on Fickr, but I guess I just missed focussing on the Lacewing. Steve, a Professor down in the States, who is working at the University of Calgary's Barrier Lake Centre for the summer, took us on a butterfly walk on Sunday. This was one of the tiny insects we saw during this walk at the Open House.

... and I'll turn into a handsome prince : ) Isn't he cute? Of course, it could be a female, who knows? We saw about three of these little Wood Frogs in Cremona Bog yesterday, all of them very dark, so presumably they are Dark Phase/Dark Morph species? This little one allowed one of us (not me!) to hold him so that a few photos could be taken. I'd never seen a Dark Morph before - didn't even know there was such a thing. I'll try to remember to post a side shot of him eventually, to show the dark colour on his back. Wood Frogs are only 30 to 60 millimetres (about one to two inches) in length. Thanks, little guy, for helping us learn new things : ) "Coloration varies from pink-tan, gray, olive-green, various shades of brown, to almost black; whitish jaw stripe contrasts with a dark eye mask that extends from the nostril over the eye and just behind the ear; light dorsal stripe is frequently present" From fanweb.ca/resources-services/alberta-natural-history/amph... Today was the third day in a row of all-day botanizing out of town (four all together this week). In other words, three long days of slow hiking, finding and recording every single plant, bird, insect, animal that we find. This means setting my alarms for 5:00 a.m. or 5:30 a.m., and getting home somewhere around maybe 6:00 p.m.. So much fresh air and exercise, plus constantly getting down on my knees to photograph something totally knocks me out - even more so, if it happens to be a hot day. Today was very pleasant, not too hot, thank goodness. It was spent on Plateau Mountain, south of the city and south of Highway 40, turning south when you reach Highwood House. A long drive to get there, but what a magnificent place. Tons of beautiful wildflowers on the grassy slopes. The following link goes to a short, fascinating video on YouTube, about how Wood Frogs freeze solid in the winter. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjr3A_kfspM

Another shot of one of the three little Wood Frogs we saw on a botanizing trip to Elkton Bog, north west of the city, near Cremona, on 30th July. I would never be able to hold one of these little froggies myself, but my ID capabilities when it comes to human hands fails me today. Sorry, I can't remember who the kind soul was who willingly held this cute little creature! The Wood Frogs we saw there that day were very dark coloured on their backs, unlike frogs we've seen elsewhere.

Friend Doug found this fungus for us yesterday, on a day hike to Marston Creek, Kananaskis. At first, it was thought it might be an old mushroom, but a closer look at it on the hike down the hillside revealed that it might not be. Thanks to Doug for identifying this as a Brain Mushroom, Gyromitra esculenta, a "spring morel look-alike" which is poisonous. Later: thanks to ressaure for the correct ID! The weather was beautiful - we felt maybe half a dozen raindrops as the day wore on, that's all. The trees were such an amazing, brilliant green. One word about the "Creek" here - when we did this hike a year ago, the creek was just a little trickle. Yesterday, it was a fast-flowing stream that we had to cross somehow. People crossed at a couple of different places - I ended up crossing at what was described as the "best" place to cross, i.e. inching my feet across a slippery log from bank to bank, holding on to a long, sturdy stick that I pressed into the water, and grabbing so tightly to my backpack that a very helpful friend was carrying across for me, LOL. Thanks SO much, Arnold, for all your help! Would not have made it on my own, that's for sure! And thanks, David, for carrying my camera safely across for me - it would have been a sad thing if I had fallen in along with my camera! A great source of information at Tom Volk's website: botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2002.html

Friend, Sue, very kindly invited me to go along with her a few days ago when she did her Mountain Bluebird route just west of the city. The majority of the boxes had Tree Swallows nesting in them, but some were occupied by Bluebirds. A few boxes were completely empty, some had a nest, some had a nest with eggs, some had a nest with a tight little pile of babies, and a couple had an adult Tree Swallow along with the eggs. And one box contained a nest of House Sparrow eggs, which are cream, white, gray or greenish, with irregular brown speckles. This one was being held by Kristin. It takes quite a bit of time to check and record all these boxes, and I respect all those who volunteer to have a route of their own. The House Sparrow nest was removed from the box as Mountain Bluebirds need as much human help as possible in order to protect their numbers.

I'd never seen these regular, very tiny Cladonia growing on soil on a dry, open hillside before (photo is macro, of course. Most people would never notice them). I always thought they were to be found in the forest. Fascinating little things - Shrek Ears, Golf Tees, Pixie Cups ..... LOL. (This sample was being collected to be examined further at home by one of our botany members.) Found on a botanizing trip yesterday to the Western Sky Land Trust's Wheatland #1, formerly Jack Nodwell’s Property, 59 acres of land near Carseland, Alberta.

Took this almost a month ago, in Bragg Creek natural Area, west of the city. A far cry from yesterday's snow and cold temperature! Today has been grey, too, though the sun has just this moment come out.

A Red-sided Garter Snake being held so that it could be measured, marked and recorded. These really are attractive snakes - and those are words coming from someone with a fear of snakes, LOL! The Wandering Garter Snakes are a different matter - I just cannot get comfortable with those AT ALL, especially the larger, fat females - ugh! We saw about 57 snakes yesterday, a mixture of both species of Garter Snake. For anyone who has never tried to photograph a snake, you (or at least I) have to take lots of shots in the hope of getting one half decent image. These reptiles do not like being held and they writhe and twist. Every once in a while, one will be a bit calmer, thank goodness.

This little bird had flown into someone's window and needed to recover. A few days later, it was banded and then released, but not before I was able to take a few photographs.