Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: aggressive

Argh! I overslept by almost an hour - will have to finish all my descriptions, etc., later today. A previously posted second photo can be seen in comment box below. 26 July 2015, 22 of us drove out to Marsland Basin, E of Calgary. Part of this beautiful wetland belongs to our friend, Lyn, and her partner - they have a house and yard that overlooks the wetland. This was the second time that I had visited the area, the first being on 28 June 2015. Each time, we have to sign a small guestbook. Also, everyone who can, is asked to please submit a list of species seen to eBird. The birds on the water are very distant, so you need binoculars (which I don't have) and even better, a spotting scope. Really, they are too far away for photos, though I can get a distant shot with my point-and-shoot camera set at 48x zoom and then cropped. Like last time, I took a long look over the lake and then wandered round Lyn's property, this time finding a mushroom or two, a beautiful moth, a Thistle or two, their two donkeys, a House Wren, an Eastern Kingbird, a Mourning Dove, and a family of Western Kingbirds (that were just about impossible to see as they flitted in amongst the high branches. The highlight of the visit for many of us was seeing a very, very distant family of American Badgers that were in a neighbour's field (so, private land), digging for prey (probably the nearby Richardson's Ground Squirrels). There are four family members, though some of us only saw three. I think I have only ever seen a Badger three times before in 37 years, the last one being on 11 June 2012, on one of Don Stiles' annual Mountain Bluebird outings. This photo was taken: Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm. The General Status of the American Badger in Alberta is Sensitive. More detailed Status is "Data Deficient" - not enough current information to determine its status. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_badger A report from 2002: esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/species-at-risk/species-at-... After our visit to the Marsland Basin, friends Dorothy and Stephen drove two of us back to Calgary again, travelling the roads slowly so that we could see a number of perched Swainson's Hawks, and a Meadowlark with mouth full of insects to feed to her babies. Thanks so much, Stephen, for the safe ride there and back. As always, hugely appreciated! I will add the list of 53 bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bob Lefebvre, mainly to jog my own memory. Thanks so much, Bob for arranging this visit for us! Canada Goose 29 Gadwall 11 American Wigeon 1 Mallard 25 Blue-winged Teal 60 Cinnamon Teal 6 Northern Shoveler 8 Northern Pintail 3 Green-winged Teal 2 Bufflehead 1 Common Goldeneye 1 Hooded Merganser 2 Ruddy Duck 2 Eared Grebe 3 Double-crested Cormorant 1 White-faced Ibis 16 Swainson's Hawk 4 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Black-necked Stilt 8 American Avocet 15 Killdeer 35 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Greater Yellowlegs 12 Willet 1 Lesser Yellowlegs 30 Marbled Godwit 1 Stilt Sandpiper 1 Least Sandpiper 5 Long-billed Dowitcher 80 Wilson's Phalarope 55 Bonaparte's Gull 40 Franklin's Gull 60 Ring-billed Gull 30 Forster's Tern 1 Mourning Dove 3 Northern Flicker 4 Western Kingbird 10 Eastern Kingbird 8 Black-billed Magpie 2 Tree Swallow 2 Barn Swallow 1 House Wren 5 American Robin 5 European Starling 40 Cedar Waxwing 1 Common Yellowthroat 3 One male feeding a recently fledged Brown-headed Cowbird. Yellow Warbler 1 Clay-colored Sparrow 1 Savannah Sparrow 6 Red-winged Blackbird 45 Yellow-headed Blackbird 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 2 Two juveniles. One being fed by a male Common Yellowthroat. House Sparrow 80 Muskrat -1 Richardson's Ground Squirrel - 100+ American Badger - 4 Coyote - 4 View this checklist online at ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24392576 Bob Lefebvre

Yesterday, 26 July 2015, 22 of us drove out to Marsland Basin, E of Calgary. Part of this beautiful wetland belongs to our friend, Lyn, and her partner - they have a house and yard that overlooks the wetland. This was the second time that I had visited the area, the first being on 28 June 2015. Each time, we have to sign a small guestbook. Also, everyone who can, is asked to please submit a list of species seen to eBird. The birds on the water are very distant, so you need binoculars (which I don't have) and even better, a spotting scope. Really, they are too far away for photos, though I can get a distant shot with my point-and-shoot camera set at 48x zoom and then cropped. Like last time, I took a long look over the lake and then wandered round Lyn's property, this time finding a mushroom or two, a beautiful moth, a Thistle or two, their two donkeys, a House Wren, an Eastern Kingbird, a Mourning Dove, and a family of Western Kingbirds (that were just about impossible to see as they flitted in amongst the high branches. The highlight of the visit for many of us was seeing a very, very distant family of American Badgers that were in a neighbour's field (so, private land), digging for prey (probably the nearby Richardson's Ground Squirrels). There are four family members, though some of us only saw three. I think I have only ever seen a Badger three times before in 37 years, the last one being on 11 June 2012, on one of Don Stiles' annual Mountain Bluebird outings. This photo was taken: Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm. The General Status of the American Badger in Alberta is Sensitive. More detailed Status is "Data Deficient" - not enough current information to determine its status. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_badger A report from 2002: esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/species-at-risk/species-at-... After our visit to the Marsland Basin, friends Dorothy and Stephen drove two of us back to Calgary again, travelling the roads slowly so that we could see a number of perched Swainson's Hawks, and a Meadowlark with mouth full of insects to feed to her babies. Thanks so much, Stephen, for the safe ride there and back. As always, hugely appreciated! I will add the list of 53 bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bob Lefebvre, mainly to jog my own memory. Thanks so much, Bob for arranging this visit for us! Canada Goose 29 Gadwall 11 American Wigeon 1 Mallard 25 Blue-winged Teal 60 Cinnamon Teal 6 Northern Shoveler 8 Northern Pintail 3 Green-winged Teal 2 Bufflehead 1 Common Goldeneye 1 Hooded Merganser 2 Ruddy Duck 2 Eared Grebe 3 Double-crested Cormorant 1 White-faced Ibis 16 Swainson's Hawk 4 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Black-necked Stilt 8 American Avocet 15 Killdeer 35 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Greater Yellowlegs 12 Willet 1 Lesser Yellowlegs 30 Marbled Godwit 1 Stilt Sandpiper 1 Least Sandpiper 5 Long-billed Dowitcher 80 Wilson's Phalarope 55 Bonaparte's Gull 40 Franklin's Gull 60 Ring-billed Gull 30 Forster's Tern 1 Mourning Dove 3 Northern Flicker 4 Western Kingbird 10 Eastern Kingbird 8 Black-billed Magpie 2 Tree Swallow 2 Barn Swallow 1 House Wren 5 American Robin 5 European Starling 40 Cedar Waxwing 1 Common Yellowthroat 3 One male feeding a recently fledged Brown-headed Cowbird. Yellow Warbler 1 Clay-colored Sparrow 1 Savannah Sparrow 6 Red-winged Blackbird 45 Yellow-headed Blackbird 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 2 Two juveniles. One being fed by a male Common Yellowthroat. House Sparrow 80 Muskrat -1 Richardson's Ground Squirrel - 100+ American Badger - 4 Coyote - 4 View this checklist online at ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24392576 Bob Lefebvre

Thought I would take a quick break from posting photos recently taken in Waterton Lakes National Park and, instead, add three photos taken yesterday, east of the city. (Adding for my own record - this Kingbird photo is my main photo today, i.e., the very last photo uploaded. If you see the wetland scenic shot as my main image, then Flickr is playing tricks again, as it has done several times recently!). Just had this reply on the Help Forum: "For Your contacts that look at Your photostream the order of the photos depends on which order they choose. If they choose "date taken" they will see the photos in this order and not in the order "date uploaded". I didn't know you could change the order view on someone's else's photos. "An eye-catching bird with ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage, the Western Kingbird is a familiar summertime sight in open habitats across western North America. This large flycatcher sallies out to capture flying insects from conspicuous perches on trees or utility lines, flashing a black tail with white edges. Western Kingbirds are aggressive and will scold and chase intruders (including Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels) with a snapping bill and flared crimson feathers they normally keep hidden under their gray crowns." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Kingbird/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_kingbird I remember seeing a very distant Western Kingbird quite a few years ago, but wasn't able to get a shot of it. Then, last July, I saw one in the Frank Lake area and managed to get a very poor photo. Yesterday, I was lucky to see a pair of these birds and this one sat for a second or two on an open branch. In and around Calgary, we get the Eastern Kingbird. A large group of us went east of Calgary to a friend's wonderful property out on the prairies. Down an embankment from her house and extensive yard lies a beautiful wetland, which is part of their property. The temperature yesterday was 32C (90F), but there was a very welcome, gentle breeze, which made it bearable. Much more pleasant than inside my house, which felt like an oven. We spent a few hours watching and photographing the distant birds, with some people making a very careful list of the birds seen at this location. An absolute little gem of a place, with 57 species of birds seen (as usual, there were many that I did not see, without binoculars). I will add the list compiled by our leader, Gus Yaki. 1. Canada Goose-7 2. Gadwall-150 3. Am. Wigeon-22 4. Mallard-7 5. Blue-winged Teal-150 6. Cinnamon Teal-30 7. Northern Shoveler-55 8. Northern Pintail-4 9. Green-winged Teal-5 10. Canvasback-1 11. Redhead-2 12. Lesser Scaup-24 13. Bufflehead-4 14. Ruddy Duck-1 f. 15. Am. White Pelican-1 16. Great Blue Heron-1 17. Black-crowned Night-Heron-1 18. White-faced Ibis-22 19. Swainson’s Hawk-3 20, Red-tailed Hawk-2 21. American Coot-1 22. Killdeer-26 23. Black-necked Stilt-25 24. American Avocet-85 25. Greater Yellowlegs-25, Southbound Autumn Migrants. 26. Lesser Yellowlegs-40, “ “ “ 27. Solitary Sandpiper-4, “ “ “ 28. Willet-8 29. Marbled Godwit-10 30. Baird’s? Sandpiper-1, “ “ “ 31. Wilson’s Phalarope-26 32. Franklin’s Gull-800 33. Ring-billed Gull-3 34. California Gull-1 35. Forster’s Tern-2 36. Black Tern-2 37. Mourning Dove-3 38. Northern Flicker-1 39. Least Flycatcher-2 40. Western Kingbird-2 41. Eastern Kingbird-1 42. Warbling Vireo-1 43. Black-billed Magpie-8 44. Tree Swallow-10 45. Bank Swallow-7 46. Barn Swallow-2 47. House Wren-2 48. American Robin-10 49. European Starling-40 50. Yellow Warbler-2 51. Clay-colored Sparrow-1 52. Red-winged Blackbird-40 53. Yellow-headed Blackbird-11 54. Common Grackle-12 55. Brown-headed Cowbird-3 56. Baltimore Oriole-2 57. House Sparrow-40 Many thanks, Lyn, for inviting us to come and see your beautiful property! What a treat. You certainly have an amazing variety of birds. Thanks, too, to the friends who gave me a ride - always greatly appreciated!

I remember seeing a very distant Western Kingbird quite a few years ago, but wasn’t able to get a shot of it. Today’s photo is still not a close shot, and not good quality, but I was happy to see and photograph this bird. Thanks, Greg, for your effort to find a new bird or two for me : ) Greatly appreciated – and I’m so glad you were successful in finding a Gray Partridge (seen many times before by you) for your extensive records. Two days ago, on 10 July 2014, I checked the weather forecast before dashing down to the Frank Lake area, SE of the city. Pretty much a spur of the moment thing. The temperature had gone down a few degrees from the unbearably hot day before, and the sun was shining. On the Weather Network, I discovered that there was a weather Alert in effect, possibly huge hailstones and also the possibility of a tornado. Thinking I might get a chance to see some interesting clouds, I decided that I would still go. My destination was Frank Lake and the surrounding area, where I bumped into friend, Greg Wagner, who is extremely knowledgeable about the area and its wildlife, and does an amazing job of recording all his sightings. I saw Eared Grebes with their young ones (quite big now), a few White-faced Ibis and Black-crowned Night Herons (no photos). Did manage to get a few shots of a Sora (thanks for telling me to watch out for them, Greg!). After I'd finished at the blind, Greg took me to various spots around the lake, pointing out places where he had seen interesting things, hoping that they might still be there for me to see. Thanks so much, Greg - I enjoyed this and really appreciated it! One of these was this Western Kingbird - our more common Kingbird is the Eastern, so I was very happy to see a Western. We also passed by a male Great Horned Owl (posted yesterday), who was perched on one of the huge pylons. He and his family seem to be doing well. Photo was quickly taken from inside the car, using 48x zoom and then cropped. Of course, more natural surroundings would have been nicer, but this family of owls likes to use this pylon : ) The clouds were building up as the hours went by (see next photo) and it did rain just a little when I was driving home. Fortunately, no hail or tornado! "An eye-catching bird with ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage, the Western Kingbird is a familiar summertime sight in open habitats across western North America. This large flycatcher sallies out to capture flying insects from conspicuous perches on trees or utility lines, flashing a black tail with white edges. Western Kingbirds are aggressive and will scold and chase intruders (including Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels) with a snapping bill and flared crimson feathers they normally keep hidden under their gray crowns." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Kingbird/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_kingbird