Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: 000 views

Calgary is under a Winter Storm Warning (27 April 2019). "Hazardous winter conditions are expected. Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow." The snow hasn't arrived here yet - all we have had (so far?) has been a few minutes of sleet. Early evening, wow, we have such a snowstorm - almost total white-out, with blowing snow! I don't know how anyone can see to drive. Day 4 is finished - sigh of relief. The 17 photos I have just posted this afternoon are the remaining photos taken at Bishop City Park, on our way to Kingsville. Next, I will be able to start on Day 5, which was a day trip to the enormous King Ranch. One of the highlights of that day was seeing a pair of Ferruginous Pygmy Owls at the end of our private tour of the Ranch, as well as some new birds for us, such as the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and the Vermilion Flycatcher. Perhaps the highlight for me was when I caught sight of a little Texas horned lizard near my feet, something I had longed to see for a few years. As far as animals go, two nice sightings were a Javelina/Collared Peccary and six exotic Nilgai antelope from India that had been imported to the King Ranch in 1930. We only got a fleeting glimpse of their rear ends as they raced away through the trees. Day 4, 22 March, of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas, 19-31 March 2019, was a day of birding and also driving from Rockport, where we had stayed for three nights, to Kingsville. Earlier in the day, we had spent time at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Centre/the Port Aransas Nature Preserve. We loved this great Birding Centre, getting great views of the various bird species, looking down from the new boardwalk that has been built after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the previous one in 2017. Lots of birds; even a huge Alligator. We spent some time on the beach at Mustang Island State Park, watching and listening to the Laughing Gulls. They are such fun to watch and to photograph. The Royal Terns are so beautiful, always looking quite regal in their posture. At one point, a man started feeding the Gulls down the beach, and they swarmed over and around him. Managed to get a couple of distant shots. After our short walk along this beach, we continued our drive towards Kingville, where we were going to spend two nights at the Hampton Inn. We had time to stop at Bishop City Park before we reached Kingsville. We saw several Aloe vera plants growing when we walked around the large duck pond. I think the first time I saw these succulents was at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago in 2017. Quite spectacular. We did see a Northern Rough-winged Swallow there and a Couch's Kingbird. "Bishop’s City Park is located just west of the U.S. Highway 77 Bypass on South Birch Avenue and features a community center, two baseball fields for little league and high school baseball, a covered basketball court and a large lot for recreational activities. In addition, the City Park also offers visitors a 0.6 mile hiking trail and a 9.1 acre lake in which waterfowl are frequent visitors. Several families of ducks and geese have also made their home under the park’s two observation decks built out over the lake." www.bishoptx.com/our-community/parks/#prettyPhoto

This morning, 25 November 2018, I actually went on a walk with five birding friends, from Votier's Flats towards Bebo Grove, for two and a quarter hours. I believe it has been just over a month since my last walk, so is the first walk I have done since having the cortisone injections in both knees. Can't say they seem to have made any difference. It was a beautiful day today, sunny and not too cold. Not a whole lot of birds - 15 birds species, including a Pileated Woodpecker and a RIng-necked Pheasant, and 2 Coyotes and 3 Deer. As usual, my camera lens turned to other things for a few quick captures. Nothing too inspirational, so I've uploaded them tonight, just as a record of this enjoyable walk.

Talk about a lucky weekend for Great Gray Owls - just what the doctor ordered! One individual seen on Saturday and then two different individuals seen on Sunday, 11 March 2018. The owl in this photo was taken on the Saturday, when a Great Gray Owl was sitting in a bare tree, giving a chance for several shots before it flew off and landed in a more distant area of woodland. And there it sat, and sat, and sat, partly hidden by a tangle of too many tiny branches. If only they would choose trees with no branches that get in the way, lol! On the Sunday, I decided to go with a group of friends for the first part of their day's outing. The rest of their day was going to be a walk in an area that is treacherous in winter, as well as being a long hike. The very last thing I need at the moment is to break an arm or a leg - or anything. I am so glad I got up early and started the day with them, as we ended up seeing two separate Great Gray Owls. The first owl was perched in a group of trees and then flew to a tree that was somewhat closer to us. It is always amazing to see such a large owl perched on a very thin branch/twig, showing that most of the bird is a mass of light-weight feathers. The second owl, seen in the third photo I have posted today, was at first perched in a tree that had beautiful dead leaves, adding a welcome splash of colour. The light was challenging, but at least it wasn't snowing. A few minutes later, it flew off and landed on the top of a far-away evergreen tree. Again, the light was a challenge. After parting from my friends, I had to drive past this location again and was happy to see the owl still in the same distant tree. I waited a little while, hoping it might fly and land closer, but it seemed perfectly happy staying exactly where it was. I was just in time to get back to the city and join a different group of friends for a walk at Mallard Point in Fish Creek. Park. The birds we saw were too far away for any decent photos - but I didn't need any, after such an amazing owl morning. After the walk, we headed for Tim Horton's for late afternoon coffee and snack. Just being outdoors on such a lovely, sunny, comparatively mild day felt good.

Good news from the Ipernity Members Association (IMA) yesterday, 15 July 2017, for those Flickr members who are also on the ipernity website! I added it to yesterday's posts, but later in the day, after people had commented. "Dear members, We are absolutely delighted to share with you that the legal basis of our IMA goal to take the Ipernity platform over is achieved: Ipernity S.A. (represented by Christophe Ruelle) and IMA (represented by Eric Desjours) signed the contract regarding the transfer of the Ipernity platform, the underlying intellectual property and associated rights from Ipernity S.A. to IMA. We can share in short the following details of the contract and next steps: The price for the transfer is 1 €. IMA will cover 12,000€ of costs that had been incurred by hosting and maintaining the Ipernity platform during the negotiations. Codes and passwords are being handed over as we speak. IMA has a 15 days withdrawal right. Ipernity S.A. will then start the transfer of the accounts of Amazon, Paypal, Google, etc. Other necessary legal processes will follow. The transfer process will be finished end of July. We will keep you informed! Best regards, William and Eric" www.ipernity.com/group/2260604/discuss/187672 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm not 100% sure, but is this Bittersweet Nightshade? I remember seeing someone's photo of these flowers recently and it was labelled as Shooting stars. I knew that was not correct and I had tried to find the correct ID, but had no luck. This morning, I did another Google search, and I came up with Bittersweet Nightshade. "Solanum dulcamara, also known as bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, Amara Dulcis, climbing nightshade, fellenwort, felonwood, poisonberry, poisonflower, scarlet berry, snakeberry, trailing bittersweet, trailing nightshade, violet bloom, or woody nightshade, is a species of vine in the potato genus Solanum, family Solanaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere, including North America, where it is an invasive problem weed. The berry is poisonous to humans and livestock,[citation needed] and the berry's attractive and familiar look make it dangerous for children." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_dulcamara Two days ago, on 14 July 2017, it was a hot day, but our bio-blitz of the Rusty Bucket Ranch, west of Calgary, started at 8:00 am, to catch the coolest part of the day. This was the first time we had been there and we had such a great morning. What a beautiful place and area! Thirteen of us gathered to explore part of the land belonging to Liz and Alan Breakey - 160 acres, mostly wooded, with many streams feeding into Bragg Creek. The gorgeous garden itself was full of bright, healthy plants, including these Bittersweet Nightshade flowers. Once we were in the forest, we came across all sorts of wildflower species and even a few fungi, including the one with guttation droplets that I posted yesterday morning. We all met the challenges of small, hidden logs along the trail, lying in wait to trip anyone who was not paying careful attention. One of the last areas was a bog, where the small, partly hidden pools of water were difficult or impossible to avoid - I nearly lost a shoe in there, lol! On the final stretch back to the house, we caught sight of a distant buck with its new growth of antlers; also, a few of the sheep that the Breakeys raise. A really fun walk for us all, with all sorts of things of interest. Many thanks to Liz and Alan for inviting us to the Rusty Bucket Ranch to explore and list all species seen! Thank you, too, for the very warm welcome you gave us, and for the muffins, delicious lemon drink, and coffee! After the morning's hike, we all returned to the city and thoroughly enjoyed a BBQ lunch put on by our botany/birding friends, Dorothy and Stephen. I hadn't had a burger in years - and this one was so good! Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for all the time and effort you put into this. What a lovely way to spend the afternoon, chatting with friends and eating all sorts of 'goodies'. Happy to see the tiny Hummingbird that has been visiting your garden, and lovely to see the bright yellow American Goldfinch. It was quite windy, too, which felt wonderful on a hot day.

One very lucky sighting, to say the least! This beautiful Black-crowned Night-heron just happened to be sitting on a wooden post fairly near the road when my daughter and I reached this wetland. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it, as the closest one I had ever seen was a juvenile that was in Fish Creek Park last year, October 2015. On 18 July 2016, I had a wonderful day out NE of the city with my daughter. The last time I actually drove eastwards was about six months ago, when I was shooting Short-eared Owls near the end of January. The last time (also the first time) I had ever driven out as far as Drumheller was on 29 September 2014. A few times, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my daughter and I had a great time exploring the roads between Calgary and Drumheller. There were a handful of things or places we wanted to check out, but many things were total surprises. We knew we wanted to see fields, yellow fields full of canola as far as the eye could see. No disappointment there as we took in the gorgeous colour and the perhaps not so pleasant smell of this crop. When we were driving through regular, green landscapes, it all seemed so 'ordinary' after being treated to vibrant gold. As well as canola fields, we also knew of a particular grain elevator and nearby old barn that we were keen to see. There was also an old, two-storey house in a hilly setting that we knew would have to be photographed from a great distance, but we were curious about it. There was also a small wetland that I wanted to drive by, just in case there was something to see. How glad we were that we went, as this Black-crowned Night-heron was posing nicely on a post out in the open. This was the first time I had ever seen one close, so it made my day. At least, an adult - in October 2015, I had seen a gorgeous juvenile in Fish Creek Park. Continuing on our way, we stopped to take a couple of quick shots of an Eastern Kingbird and then my daughter spotted a dark patch just above ground level, hidden in the bushes. It turned out to be an Eastern Kingbird's nest, with what looked like three large babies in it. No idea how she caught sight of this, but it was a treat to see. Soon after this, we stopped to photograph a beautiful red barn and then stopped again to photograph a Western Kingbird. This is not a bird I normally see, so i was very happy to catch sight of this one. A short drive further, we spotted a shorebird standing on a fence post - and then a second one a few posts away. At first, we thought maybe they were Wilson's Snipe, but then realized that they were something different - two beautiful Upland Sandpipers. I had seen one a number of years ago, but it was too far away for a photo. These are uncommon in Alberta. It was a pretty good day for hawks, too - so much so, that I got a gentle reminder form my daughter that I didn't need to photograph EVERY hawk we saw, lol. We had other places and other things that we wanted to get to. As well as birds and beautiful scenery, we saw several old barns, including a special small shed/granary. Each year, the farmer allows the graduating class from the local high school to decorate this old building in any way they wish. A fun idea and it certainly adds a splash of colour. I was absolutely fascinated to read a little bit of history from someone who was a contact of mine on Flickr two or three years ago. Her Grandmother was apparently born in this house/shed. It was later converted to a granary and now, of course, has become the canvas for local students. One of our main goals was to visit the old grain elevator at Sharples. I had wanted to visit there for quite a while and finally, we made it. Unfortunately, the elevator and nearby barn were in shadow, but it was great to see both old structures. We also passed another old elevator when we were driving along the road north of the river, on the way to Drumheller. This, needless to say, meant another stop for photos. A great day of fun, seeing and photographing such a variety of things. Beautiful weather and, best of all, a day spent with my daughter. Thanks so much, Rachel - glad you felt up to a day out, but sorry you got so many mosquito bites!

After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March 2016, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city again to see if I could see an owl. Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience ..... While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring! "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl

Winter of 2015/2016 has been unusually mild, apart from a few really cold patches and snow. I haven't plugged in my car a single time all winter, and only had to scrape snow and ice off my car a handful of times, which has been wonderful. If only every winter could be this beautifully mild! On 22 January 2016, I was fortunate enough to get a place on a bus trip to Lake Louise and the annual Ice Sculpture display, Banff National Park, in the Rocky Mountains. It is a two-hour drive west of Calgary. Of course, any time a bus trip is organized way ahead of the day, you have no idea what the weather is going to be like. The weather was grim all day, with snow all day long, turning to really heavy, wet snow when we stood in the parking lot at the end of the day. No sign of the sun, which made photography a real challenge. There were so many people visiting the area that it was almost impossible to get photos without at least a few people included. Even the mountains had mostly disappeared. Our bus driver, Tim, did a wonderful job of getting us to the lake and all the way back to Calgary. I was just so thankful that I wasn't driving! Some of the group chose to snowshoe, others to walk/hike, and others to join Anne Belton's group for birding. I was expecting a stroll along the lake shore and around the Chateau grounds, lol, but instead, we did a hike along the creek all the way to Lake Louise Village, roughly 4.2 km! The trail though the forest was very narrow - wide enough for heavy winter boots and icers plus maybe a couple of inches on either side. If you were unlucky enough to walk an inch further, you would have one leg plunge into snow up to your knee or higher. I was so thankful that this didn't happen to me, but it did mean that my eyes were looking downwards all the time instead of soaking up the glorious, snow-covered forest. The snow was so thick on the trees and when it became just too heavy for a branch to support, you stood the risk of being snow-bombed from high above. A lot of the trail was downhill - not fun in such conditions, but we all took it very slowly, though there were several tumbles or someone would end up travelling on their rear end. Not the easiset hike, but the surroundings couldn't have been more beautiful. Thankfully, the bus driver had arranged to drive down to the Village ready to pick us up and take us back uphill to the Lake. As for the birds, well, they obviously didn't particularly like the grey, snowy day and stayed in hiding, other than several Common Ravens, a couple of Magpies, one or two Clark's Nutcrackers and two House Sparrows. Back at the Chateau, two of the birders did see a very distant Stellar's Jay - always a lovely bird to see, but it was too far for them to get photos. We had time to wander round the Ice Scuptures area, in front of the Chateau. Some amazing work created by sculptors from various parts of the world. "Winter comes alive in iconic Lake Louise, Alberta. Ice Magic Festival, January 15 - 24, 2016 is a world class event with over 20 years under its belt. Talented ice artists from around the world delicately balance grueling physical labour with precision artistry in a 34 hour International Ice Carving Competition. Jaw-dropping scenery sets the stage as ice carving teams of 2 create sculptures illustrating their interpretations of our chosen theme for 2016: Earth, Wind, Fire & Water - Elements of Life." Taken from link below. I love that the prize money for this competition is only a comparatively small amount, which I think shows that the carvers do what they do for love of the art, not for the money : ) Team Ice Carving Competition 1st Place: $2,500 2nd Place: $1,500 3rd Place: $750 Carver's Choice: $750 People's Choice: $500 One Carver, One Hour, One Block 1st Place: $1,000 2nd Place: $300 3rd Place: $200 People's Choice: $250 www.banfflakelouise.com/Area-Events/Festivals/Winter/Snow... So, a wonderful day trip for us all in breathtaking surroundings. I am especially appreciative, as I don't drive to the mountains, so rarely get to see them. Many thanks to FLC for doing such a great job of organizing this most enjoyable day for us. Thanks to Anne Belton for taking some of us on a beautiful, though not easy, hike through the forest. Definitely a day to remember.

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 28 December 2015, during the annual Audubon Cochrane Wildlife Reserve Christmas Bird Count. The area that my small group of seven people, in two cars, covered was N of Cochrane and E of Highway 22. Though the word 'Reserve' is in the name, this count was like most others, driving all the country backroads and calling in at several farms. The weather was bad, with poor light and gently falling snow pretty well all day long. Thanks so much, Stephen, for driving the four of us safely! This big dog is such a beautiful creature and I was delighted that he was still at one of the farms we called in at, when seven of us covered a section of the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve (north of the city). He followed us around, but kept his distance from us. He keeps away from people unless he knows them. This year, they have added another large dog to their family. Their beautiful ginger cat was still around, too. This farm, owned by Steven Tannas, is one of my favourite ones to call in at. We are always allowed to wander freely, in our search for birds, which we really appreciate. I couldn't remember if it was at this location that I photographed a gorgeous, large red barn in 2012. When I asked Steven if the barn was on his property, he said it was over on his neighbour's land. Our next stop was at this neighbour's and, sure enough, there was the barn (plus another, smaller one). 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 I will add our leader's report for this day's count below. Not a huge number of species, with a Pileated Woodpecker being the highlight plus so many Snow Buntings. "The day was overcast, light snow most of day, calm, -09°C. 20 cm snow on ground. Most streams frozen over. Total Party kms by Car - 84; Total Party kms by foot – 2km. Total Party hours by Car – 3; Total Party hours by foot -2 hrs Total Party hours feeder watching – 1:40 min. Rough-legged Hawk-1 Rock Pigeon-4 Downy Woodpecker-10. Hairy Woodpecker-3 PILEATED WOODPECKER-1 Black-billed Magpie- 19 Common Raven- 18 Black-capped Chickadee- 41 Red-breasted Nuthatch- 3 White-breasted Nuthatch-1 American Tree Sparrow-7 Dark-eyed Junco-1 Snow Bunting-3550 Pine Grosbeak-25 White-winged Crossbill-15 Common Redpoll-1811 House Sparrow-106 Red Squirrel-2"

A photo from 7 July 2015, taken at a wetland area in SW Calgary, when I called in for just an hour after a doctor's appointment. Baby Coots are such ugly little things that they are cute, ha. Love the way they flap those tiny wings when they are being fed. I don't know if this is Mom or Dad, but s/he was doing a great job of collecting water plants to feed to the babies. "The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. But they’re closer relatives of the gangly Sandhill Crane and the nearly invisible rails than of Mallards or teal." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Coot/id

This photo was taken two days ago, on 8 September 2015. In the morning, I joined a group of friends for a three-hour stroll at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 38 bird species were seen, though I didn't manage to see any of the tiny, fast-moving Warblers. It was good to see 28 Wood Ducks, but they were far, far away, in an area that is still closed due to devastating flood damage. The Sanctuary had been closed for about two years for this reason and only very recently re-opened just a part of the area. The Calgary Zoo is very close to the Sanctuary, so after our morning walk, I decided to call in at the Zoo. I hadn't been for about a year and I really missed going there. Of course, many of the garden flowers were past their prime, but I did find a few that were fit to photograph. I love photographing the Water Lilies. They always seem to glow, as if they had a light inside. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae I knew I wouldn't be able to walk far, having already been walking all morning, but I really wanted to get to the ENMAX Conservatory to see what was going on. I had been longing all summer to see the tropical butterflies and plants. The butterfly season is coming to an end for these tropical beauties, but there were still plenty of them to be seen. Also, this month, the parking lot that I use will close for the winter and I don't like the drive back home from the north parking area, using Deerfoot Trail, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. There was so much activity going on at the Zoo two days ago. People everywhere, carrying large animals wrapped in white, protective coverings, preparing for the upcoming ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival. Each animal is an individual lantern and there are so many of them. I noticed that several of the real animals in their enclosures were watching all the unaccustomed activity, which made me smile. A good day, despite the overcast sky, and plenty of photo opportunities. Recently, I have been finding far fewer things to photograph, with fall on its way, so a day like this was more than welcome.

My daughter took a few similar photos of this old barn that we passed on the way east from Calgary to the Badlands area around Drumheller. When she was looking at her photos at home, she wondered if the object in the top upper left window was a Great Horned Owl. It's pretty much impossible to tell for sure, but it could well have been. Five days ago, on 29 September 2014, I finally drove out to an area that lies NE of Calgary, that I had longed to go to for so many years. It must have been 30+ years ago that I first saw one particular area of the Badlands of Alberta. A few times since then, I had been fairly close when I went on several botany trips out that way, but when you are carpooling, you can't just go wherever you want. So, my youngest daughter and I decided that we both wanted to make this trip, All summer, we had been waiting for a day on which she didn't have to work and where the weather forecast was for no rain on the day or there had been no rain the previous day. The Bentonite Clay in the area becomes treacherously slippery when wet. The forecast for this day was for a mainly sunny day - at last, we were going! I think this was the longest day of driving I had ever done, especially to, and in, an area that I'd never driven to before. For anyone who doesn't know me, I have battled a driving phobia for decades, plus I have barely any sense of direction, lol! Thankfully, my daughter has an amazing sense of direction, so I knew we wouldn't be stuck out on the prairies in the middle of nowhere. A typical question at too many intersections went as follows: me - "Do we go left?"; my daughter - "No, we go right", lol! I met my daughter at 8:00 am. and I got home shortly before 9:00 pm. Much of that time was spent driving; the rest was spent wandering round three main areas - The Hoodoo Trail, Dorothy and Rowley, in different directions from Drumheller (known for its remarkable dinosaur findings). The forecast was far from accurate on our drive out to the Badlands and I began to wonder if we'd made a mistake going on this trip on that particular day. However, knowing that snow would be returning very soon ("returning" because we had two snowstorms on 9 and 10 September), I was beginning to feel rather desperate and really didn't want to risk not getting out there this year. The afternoon was less cloudy and we did have some sun. So, the first of our destinations was The Hoodoo Trail, a small area of protected, spectacular hoodoos (rock pillars capped with harder rock), and then we went further, to the almost-ghost-town of Dorothy. I had longed, for a long time, to see the two small, old churches that are to be found in Dorothy, as well as the old grain elevator. After that, we drove over 11 bridges and called in at the tiny hamlet of Wayne. We had passed the old Atlas Coal Mine near the main highway, but, much as we would have liked to visit the mine, we knew that we just didn't have time. From Wayne, we continued to Rowley to see the three old grain elevators, and to wander round this very small, historical place. There are actually three elevators, with two being right next to each other and the other one a little further from them. Dorothy felt and looked almost deserted, whereas Rowley was beautifully kept. From Rowley, we made our way back across the prairies to Calgary. I had planned on getting back before it got dark as I no longer like night driving and very rarely do it, but we didn't quite make it. On the return drive, the last sighting was a Great Horned Owl that was perched part way up a power pole. Well done, Rachel, spotting this welcome bird! Not easy to see in the dark. By the time I got home, I was so tired and my arms were so painful from driving, but, what a great day we had!!

We were so happy to come across several Prickly Pear Cacti in bloom on Sunday, 22 June 2014. They tend to be surrounded by grasses that make the cacti rather difficult to photograph. They are beautiful flowers - the petals have a delicate look about them, in contrast to the long, very sharp spines. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia www.desertusa.com/cactus/prickly-pear-cactus.html Two days ago (22 June 2014), I was up at 4:00 a.m., to get ready for a long day trip east of Calgary, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat. 46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public. I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo. Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us through some spectacular scenery. This photo was taken at one of the stops we made. We had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping. I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynne, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit by me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you! Video (4.25 minutes in length) about Dinosaur Provincial Park, by Alberta Parks: youtu.be/lww6Y4hlQR4 "Dinosaur Provincial Park is world famous for its dinosaur fossil finds. So much so that UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979. A mind-boggling number of species have been found here - 40 and counting - but what really puts it over the top is that the bonebeds have yielded more than 300 specimens, which grace museums around the world. The park has also been designated a Natural Preserve to protect the extensive fossil fields and the valley’s fragile environment, an complicated mix of badlands and cottonwood river habitat." travelalberta.com/Places%20to%20Go/Parks/Dinosaur%20Provi...

I was out all evening on Monday, 7 July 2014, on Don Stiles' annual Bluebird Route trip. Don has been a Bluebird Monitor for about 30 years, so has great experience with Bluebirds - also with Tree Swallows and an occasional Wren that also use the wooden nest boxes! His route is along some of the backroads SW of the city. This time, we didn't see any baby Bluebirds, as all the young ones had already fledged and none of the pairs had a second clutch. We did see nest boxes with tiny Tree Swallow eggs in the nest, and also several nest boxes that had baby Tree Swallows in, around 12 days old. One box had 12 babies in - obviously belonging to two adult females! Can't imagine how they will all cope inside the box when they get bigger. Nice to see a very distant Baltimore Oriole - my first for this year - and various other birds, too. Near the beginning of the trip, this Swainson's Hawk flew and landed at the top of a tree, way down the road from us, but still within camera reach. Another great evening, Don - thanks so much for taking a few of us out with you! "Swainson’s Hawks soar on narrow wings or perch on fence posts and irrigation spouts. These elegant gray, white, and brown hawks hunt rodents in flight, wings held in a shallow V, or even run after insects on the ground. In fall, they take off for Argentine wintering grounds—one of the longest migrations of any American raptor—forming flocks of hundreds or thousands as they travel." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/swainsons_hawk/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swainson's_hawk According to the weather forecast, it looks like we are in for more very hot weather - love the sunshine, but can't cope with the high temperatures.

Well, 100,089 to be exact, LOL! Through My Stats, I see that there have been 763,398 views altogether on my photos, photostream and sets. Way over three-quarters of a million total views sounds a little ridiculous, I must say, LOL! Of course, I would still be at zero if it wasn't for each and every one of you who has so kindly taken the time to stop by and take a look at my images. I appreciate every single visit, and your comments really keep me going! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Can't thank you all enough for all the many, many times you've taken a look at my photos, added a very welcome comment, made a Fave or left a kind invite. Just knowing that you give me a chance to share the amazing things in nature that I find locally or just outside my city makes it all seem so much more worthwhile. I know I'm always learning new things from your postings - hopefully, you see a few photos here of something you've never seen before or haven't seen for a long time : ) I wish I was able to keep up with comments and visits - sorry to all those of you whom I don't manage to get back to, for physical reasons and time limit reasons. And this "getting old" really sucks!! Oh, and I just have to chuckle when I see 1,665,823 total views in My Stats - so ridiculous, but totally overwhelming, too, and quite humbling. THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO much!!! Please, no need to comment -oops, looks like I was a bit too late to add that!

Well, 100,089 to be exact, LOL! Through My Stats, I see that there have been 763,398 views altogether on my photos, photostream and sets. Way over three-quarters of a million total views sounds a little ridiculous, I must say, LOL! Of course, I would still be at zero if it wasn't for each and every one of you who has so kindly taken the time to stop by and take a look at my images. I appreciate every single visit, and your comments really keep me going! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Wow - amazing when I think just how many 50,000 really is! Thank you all so much for visiting my photostream and letting me share some of the many beautiful things I come across in my little corner of the world!

This is a gorgeous white Peony from the Calgary Zoo, to thank each and every one of you who has taken the time to stop and look at my photos. It makes taking photos so much more fun if, at the end of the day, one can share them with others.