Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: BirdPerfect

I don't know if this little Great Gray Owlet had ever flown to the open area next to the forest before, but we found it sitting down on the ground, giving us a much better view. Its three siblings were still high up in the trees - all of them very cute, needless to say. So thankful for powerful zoom on occasions like this : ) It's hard to believe, after all the rain and cooler temperatures we've been having since then, but it was actually getting rather hot on that day and this little owlet was feeling the warmth, too. The day after I took this photo, I was invited to join Richard Chamberland, licenced owl bander, who came down from near Edmonton to band this family with several other banders. The weather while banding was fog and rain and the (2-hour) drive home was in the worst rainstorm I have ever experienced, ha. Literally driving "blind" - an adventure I hope never to repeat!

A little male Downy Woodpecker, seen at Carburn Park on January 28th. Yesterday, I experienced a step back into my distant past, when I watched two of a set of four DVDs that my amazing, life-long friend in England, Linda, sent me. She had carefully looked at all my father's old movies and set aside any family ones. She then found someone to transfer them to DVD and now I have such a precious reminder of the early days. It is such a feeling to be able to watch my parents in their younger days, camping and cycling and having great fun with various friends. Of course, my father was always the photographer, so there are only a few seconds of him on these movies, which is unfortunate - I guess I did exactly the same when my kids were growing up, so don't have all that many photos of myself (and I hate having my photo taken, anyway!) Also, footage of my brother when young, which was quite sad to watch in some ways. There are also some bits of myself and my oldest child (as a baby) - a treat to see. I've watched three of the DVDs, so there is one left. Can't wait to see what gems it holds : ) Thank you, Linda, for all this painstaking, time-consuming work you've done for us!!

One of the few photos that came out sharp enough from another visit to the new Penguin Plunge enxhibit at the Calgary Zoo. The Zoo has four species of Penguin - Gentoo, King, Humboldt, and Rockhopper. They are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums penguin species survival plan. The 46 penguins came from zoos in Quebec, Texas, New York and Washington states and Scotland. There are 8 King Penguins, 23 Gentoo Penguins, 10 Humboldt Penguins and 5 Rockhopper Penguins. The IUCN Red List states: King Penguins - Least Concern Humboldt Penguins - Vulnerable Gentoo Penguins - Near Threatened Rockhopper Penguins - Vulnerable "The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin at about 11 to 16 kg (24 to 35 lb), second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p. halli; patagonicus is found in the South Atlantic and halli elsewhere. King Penguins eat small fish, mainly lanternfish, and squid and rely less than most Southern Ocean predators on krill and other crustaceans. On foraging trips they repeatedly dive to over 100 metres (330 ft), often over 200 metres (660 ft). King Penguins breed on the subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, and other temperate islands of the region. The total population is estimated to be 2.23 million pairs and is increasing." storage.canoe.ca/v1/suns-prod-images/file/1297237247336_C... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Penguin Link to article about fossilised giant penguin bones which lived 27-24 million years ago: www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1138465--giant-penguin...

Decided I would post my photos late tonight - well, it's 1:00 a.m. - as I will be out at friend Doug's Memorial tomorrow and I know I won't feel like uploading photos afterwards. Took this photo of these adorable baby Coots on 21st June 2011, at a wetland down in the SW of the city.

This photo of a very fluffed-up, female Downy Woodpecker was taken on 19th January in Weaselhead. This past week has seen Calgary in a very frigid air mass, which was hard for us humans and must have been hard for the wildlife, too. Temperatures have risen since yesterday. It's only -5C (24F) this afternoon - balmy after temperatures and windchills down in the -35Cs and -40C.

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 was Snowy Owl number 3 that a friend and I saw east of the city on 23rd November. A handsome male, though not taken from a very good angle : ) Love those huge, feathered feet. I grabbed three photos rather quickly this evening and I'm posting a bit late. Had my afternoon volunteer shift today, which was totally, totally exhausting, especially as we are getting so close to Christmas. Managed to drive there despite still feeling a bit dizzy (mainly if I bend my head or turn my head to the side) - I avoided most shoulder checks, using the side mirrors instead! On my way home, I decided to call in at Swiss Chalet take-out for one of their Festive Meals - absolute luxury! I always feel very grateful that I can afford to do this, which too many people are unable to do.

I'm not seeing all that many birds recently, and those that I do see are very distant. So, the other morning, I photographed a Mallard : ) At least SHE came close enough, LOL. Thought she looked pretty in the sunlight and with her reflection. Seen down at Carburn Park.

Not as sharp as I would have liked, but I can see that getting back into bird photography will take a little time. At least wildflowers don't fly! I liked the background colours, though : ) These little White-breasted Nuthatches spend so much of their time upside down, and are always a delight to see.