Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Hirundinidae

I'm never sure exactly what these poles, with an orange "can" on top, are used for, but they can be seen along so many backroads. I wonder what the diameter of the holes is (the other is directly opposite the small hole you can see) and if it was deliberately decided on for certain birds to be able to use as nest "boxes". Lots of Tree Swallows, like this pair, seem to like them. At the last minute, I decided I would have to get out of the house on 5 July 2014. I just couldn't take being in an "oven" any more. Not complaining about the hot, sunny weather we are having at the moment, but my house turns into an oven and then tends to stay that way for many days or weeks afterwards. I had planned on leaving the house earlier than I did (10;00 a.m.) and drove NW of the city and NW of Cochrane. Hadn't been that way for a long time and wanted to see if I could find an owl of some sort, especially a Great Gray Owl. No luck, and in fact it seemed like all wildlife was in hiding, except for four Deer. My morning's finds included a patch of beautiful Indian Paintbrush flowers (deep pink, yellow, green and peach colours) Also a noisy little Wren that I saw when I pulled over to take a look down a hillside to see if I could see the Red Fox that had just run across the road ahead of me - no luck. The next sightings were a lone Deer - forgot to check its tail, but judging by the enormous size of its ears, maybe it was a Mule Deer - and this pair of Tree Swallow that was perched on a bright orange nesting "box". I wonder who chose the colour of the box this year; he or his mate, lol. Nearby, there were several Swallowtail butterflies down in the mud along the edge of the road. Before I could get there, a car came along in the opposite direction and off flew every single one. By the time I had photographed a few wildflowers, one butterfly did return, so I was able to get a few shots. Deciding to return to Highway 1a the same way as I came, I passed a couple of horses that always seem to be in the same place. I'm never sure about the health of these two, and they never seem "happy" animals, though maybe they are just getting very old. When I reached the road I wanted to check out (including for a possible owl), I found that it had just been oiled ready for a new surface to be laid, so that plan went out the window. Wanting to stay away from my unpleasantly hot house for as long as possible, I came home via Bragg Creek and some of the backroads that I love, SW of the city. Brown-Lowery Provincial Park was my first stop - and it has the wonderful, added benefit of washrooms in the parking lot - the first ones I'd seen all day! I checked out the area near the parking lot and then went maybe a hundred feet into the forest. After checking for any fungi (none), I heard a very loud cracking of branches and eventually spotted a huge, very dark shape through the trees. From that angle, it looked horribly like a Bear, but when it lifted its head from feeding, I was so relieved to see that it was "only" a Moose! A young couple were coming along the trail towards me and I said they must have seen it even closer. My voice was heard by the animal and unfortunately it moved quickly away. I like to think that a Bear or Cougar would react in the same way, lol! From Brown-Lowery, I passed my favourite little wetland and found the Snipe standing, as usual, on a fence post. Sorry, everyone, you might just get fed up of Snipe photos - if you aren't already! Got home around 6;00 p.m., feeling content that, even though the morning had been pretty disappointing, the day was a a good one. Would love to get in my car and go out again today, but I have things to get done and I don't want to overdo the driving, in case I make my shoulders any worse.

Came across this little fluffed-up Tree Swallow perched on a fence post along one of the backroads SW of the city. Taken late afternoon on Monday, 16 June 2014. I had a late afternoon physiotherapy session (shoulder and back), and had already decided that I would go for a short drive straight afterwards, no matter what the weather. Well, dark clouds filled the sky and part way there, the rain started. Normally, I never go out with my camera when it's raining, but I did manage to get several shots that were worth keeping. It has rained the last few days and more rain is expected for today. Almost one year ago to the day of southern Alberta's devastating Flood of the Century in June 2013, people are getting anxious about the amount of rain that has been falling and continues to fall. Most of the flooding concerns seem to be from just south of Calgary, especially in the SW corner of Alberta in places like Pincher Creek. I guess we will all be finding out in the next while. A change in the weather is expected to take place this evening and onwards, with no rain and with higher temperatures. "Improving weather conditions in southern Alberta are helping to ease fears of a repeat of last year's devastating floods. After several communities were put on evacuation alert Wednesday, officials say things are looking much better. According to Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman, the river flow forecast has improved. Still residents are being urged to exercise caution and remain a safe distance from flooded areas. In Claresholm, overland flooding damaged about 40 homes and prompted voluntary evacuations in the area. An evacuation centre that had been set up in Claresholm however, was closed by Wednesday evening thanks to improving conditions. 'Storm water systems and sewer systems are starting to catch up. If current conditions continue, the Town hopes to have the situation well in hand in short order,' said the town in their 4:30 pm update Wednesday, and by 6 pm the reception centre located at the arena was closed. Areas in extreme SW Alberta will likely see a further 10-20 mm of rain this morning before the precipitation begins to taper off this afternoon. Upwards of 100 mm of rain has already been recorded in some areas. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible and residents are being urged to watch for possible washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts. The timing of this significant rainfall event is eerie as it was this same time last year when 32 states of emergency were declared across the province as the flows of three major rivers rose to almost 10 times their normal rates. It is considered the costliest disaster in Canadian history with an estimated $5 billion in damage, sparking concerns that this would be a similar event." From the Weather Network on Thursday, 19 June 2014.

Saw this Tree Swallow south west of the city, when I went looking for Mountain Bluebirds a week ago. I always love seeing these Tree Swallows with their gorgeous colour and iridescence. Shouldn't really be posting this evening, as I am totally, totally exhausted after a long, long day in the heat, botanizing Purple Spring Sand Dunes, down near Taber, southern Alberta. Left home at 5:15 a.m. and arrived back a short while ago, at 8:00 p.m.. A three-hour drive there and three hours back home, plus the driving we did when we were down that way, and of course the walking we did. Much too hot for me! The area doesn't really live up to its beautiful name - basically, it just looks like prairie grassland, but we did see some good plants, including at least one new one. On the way home, we also called in at a park in Lethbridge to see what birds (and plants) we could find. One of our highlights was seeing a Prairie Garter Snake - a new species, certainly for some of us, as we don't get these up in Calgary.