Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: nest box

Wow, I believe I missed posting any photos the last three days! I was out on 7th, 8th and 11th July, and the trip on 11th was a long, 12-hour day that was totally exhausting! That day, I made myself drive south, almost to the US/Canada border, to visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. This is one of the long drives I make myself do each year now, to make sure I don't lose the courage to do the drive. It took me almost 6 hours to get there, as I kept stopping to take photos : ) In fact, I wasn't sure I was going to make it as far as my destination, or if I did, I might end up driving the last part of my drive home in the dark, which I definitely had to avoid. It was such a great day, though my poor old body was in so much pain the next day or two. A very hot day, too, but beautiful weather. I haven't even started going through my photos from that trip. Thank you so much, Shirley, for inviting us all out to visit you yesterday, 13 July 2019, while you were out again at your summer trailer at Eagle Lake for the weekend! The five photos posted this morning were taken while sitting on your deck or walking around the edge of the campground. Last year, on our visit, we saw fewer birds than in June 2017. This year, there seemed to be fewer birds than in August last year, but still plenty to keep us happy. With all the rain that we have been having the last few weeks, we were so lucky with the weather yesterday - it was perfect. It was such a pleasure to see some of "your" birds that you enjoy so much. We had an extra treat of seeing baby Northern Flickers in their cavity and watching a pair of House Sparrows busily feeding their babies right near the deck. Talk about cute! A few kinds of shorebirds were down along the edge of the lake, as usual, including an elegant Black-necked Stilt. I didn't notice any soapsud "icebergs" on the lake this year, but there were a few patches of soapsud foam at the water's edge. The small Hutterite food stand was in the trailer campground again this year. A delightfully friendly lady showed us what she was selling and some of us bought a jar of her strawberry/rhubarb jam. After chatting for quite a while, it was a huge surprise when she insisted on giving us one of her fruit pies to share back at the trailer - delicious, too, I should add. Great to see everyone who went, and we all enjoyed an array of salads and desserts, along with Shirley's Chili, that left me feeling full till the early evening. Many thanks, Anne B, for driving the four of us east across the prairies. Hugely appreciated, as always!

Actually, these gorgeous Mountain Bluebirds have been back for a while already. Each spring, it is such a joy to see the very first splash of blue after a long, cold winter. This photo was taken on 20 April 2018, SW of the city. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... On 20 April 2018, I had no choice but to go out somewhere to test a Nikon Coolpix B700. So, I took my usual short drive SW of the city to find some things that I could photograph. Not a whole lot to be found, but a group of three competing American Robins made my first stop. Later, three distant Mountain Bluebirds were in fighting mode and two of them were down on the ground in quite a vicious attack. Too far away for more than snapshots. I also stopped to watch three distant Hawks that were competing. You know what they say : "Two's company, three's a crowd". A very cooperative American Kestrel gave me a good chance to try out the camera at different zoom distances. Cars were a different thing - and I was not on the best road for stopping, so I ended up driving the same stretch of road several times. These birds are so beautiful. I knew that this one caught something to eat, but it was timed just when another car came down the road and I needed to move on. Of course, an old barn is always a bonus, too. The sun was shining for most of my drive, with cloud moving in towards the time I needed to leave. A stop to pick up some delicious chili was the final stop of the afternoon.

Two days ago, on 13 June 2016, I went for a drive SW of the city, along my "usual" backroads. I had been watching a pair of Mountain Bluebirds and, while watching the parents bring insects to feed them, I suddenly noticed two little beaks push through the hole in the nesting box. A few seconds later, this baby Bluebird poked its head through the hole and took a look at the big, big world beyond its cozy little nest. Such a cute little thing! I suspect I will miss the last chance to see them, as I have been without my vehicle since yesterday afternoon. Hoping it will be serviced and repaired in time for me to pick it up late this afternoon. I have only ever once seen baby Bluebirds that have fledged and that was a number of years ago, when I happened to spot them down on the ground, in the grasses. Usually, they are in the nest box one day and then gone the next and I don't see them again till the next year.

It was the annual May Species Count on 28 and 29 May 2016, so I had no time for anything else over the weekend. My group's Saturday Count was down in Fish Creek Provincial Park, at Votier's Flats and Shaw's Meadow. On Sunday, our usual small group (six of us in two cars) covered an area SW of the city - which happens to be one of my favourite and most visited areas. We had a great day, stopping at a few wetlands and calling in at Barb Castell's acreage where she usually has amazing birds to show us. Several special species were missing, but we were delighted to watch a teeny Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We were also happy to see seven Rose-breasted Grosbeaks during the day, and a male American Kestrel that caught a frog for supper. No owls to be found anywhere, but I did go back the following evening and saw two separate Great Gray Owls in our Count area. We stopped at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park and ate our picnic lunches and then did a short walk to look for Calypso Orchids. I took too long to try and get a sharp photo of a little group of fungi, that I missed the orchids, but that's OK, as I have seen them several times before. After the Count came to an end, I drove a few of the back roads again, taking a few more shots of the Wilson's Snipe - a favourite of mine. I also pulled over to get a few shots of this little House Wren, standing on top of its (?) wooden nest box. "A plain brown bird with an effervescent voice, the House Wren is a common backyard bird over nearly the entire Western Hemisphere. Listen for its rush-and-jumble song in summer and you’ll find this species zipping through shrubs and low tree branches, snatching at insects. House Wrens will gladly use nestboxes, or you may find their twig-filled nests in old cans, boots, or boxes lying around in your garage." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Wren/id "The count goes May 28-29: Calgary birders have been out in force every May since 1979, contributing to a broad census of the constantly changing patterns of bird distributions in North America. Last year (2015) we found 212 species. The count circle is the same as previous years, extending from Olds to Nanton, and from Exshaw to Standard, and includes a variety of environments." From NatureCalgary. I will add the final list from our leader, Gus Y - 70 bird species seen, wow! "May species count, Terr. #22, Priddis Area: Plummers Rd, from Hwy 22 to #762, SW of Calgary, 0730-1530, Sun. 29May2016. 58 km. Mostly sunny, becoming overcast at noon, S wind, becoming gusty, 10 -20 kph. 13-18°C. Canada Goose-45 Gadwall-2 American Wigeon-6 Mallard-29. Blue-winged Teal-16 Cinnamon Teal-8 Northern Shoveler-3 Green-winged Teal-4 Redhead-6 Ring-necked Duck-12 Lesser Scaup-29 Bufflehead-5 Hooded Merganser-1 f. Ruddy Duck-11 Ring-necked Pheasant-3 Great Blue Heron-1 Swainson’s Hawk-2 Red-tailed Hawk-6 American Kestrel-2 Sora-6 American Coot-10 Killdeer-5 Spotted Sandpiper-8 Wilson’s Snipe-10 Wilson’s Phalarope-4 Black Tern-22 Mourning Dove-1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird-1 Red-naped Sapsucker-1 Black-backed Woodpecker-2 Northern Flicker-3 Western Wood-Pewee-5 Least Flycatcher-6 Easterm Phoebe-1 Easterm Kingbird-1 Gray Jay-2 Clark’s Nutcracker-1 Black-billed Magpie-6 American Crow-4 Common Raven-5 Tree Swallow-86 Cliff Swallow-6 Barn Swallow-2 Black-capped Chickadee-3 Mountain Chickadee-1 Boreal Chickadee-2 Red-breasted Nuthatch-2 House Wren-9 Mountain Bluebird-29 American Robin-13 Gray Catbird-2 European Starling-8 Tennessee Warbler-11 Yellow Warbler-6 Cape May Warbler-1 Chipping Sparrow-8 Clay-coloured Sparrow-13 Savannah Sparrow-4 Song Sparrow-1 Lincoln’s Sparrow-4 White-throated Sparrow-1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak-7 Black-headed Grosbeak-1, or hybrid. Red-winged Blackbird-178 Western Meadowlark-2 Yellow-headed Blackbird-2 Brewer’s Blackbird-7 Brown-headed Cowbird-6 Baltimore Oriole-4 American Goldfinch-5 Richardson’s Ground Squirrel-11 Muskrat-1 Mule Deer-1 White-tailed Deer-4 Boreal Chorus Frog-10+ Green Comma Butterfly-2 Western White-1 Tiger Swallowtail-2 Gus Yaki"

Yay, finally a fix for the uploading problem this morning! Posting my daily three right before 1:00 p.m., after a few hours of waiting. This makes me smile, as this Mountain Bluebird male is standing on a wooden nest box that matches his colours perfectly. Actually, I believe it is the female that makes the final choice for which box they will use, so she chose well. This photo was taken six days ago, on 24 May 2016, when I went for just a short drive SW of the city. After a couple of days of rain, the sun came out and I reckoned I had better make the most of it. On the way, I called in at a wetland in SW Calgary and was glad to see the Red-necked Grebe. Just drove my usual back roads, seeing some of the usual birds - Mountain Bluebirds, Wilson's Snipe, Red-winged Blackbirds. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

I finally went for a short drive SW of the city early evening on 7 May 2016. I was hoping to see Mountain Bluebirds, but my 'usual' pair don't seem to be at their old nesting box. At least, there was no sign of them yesterday, and Tree Swallows were circling around this box and the one just a few feet away. I did find a different pair, being harassed by Tree Swallows, and was able to get several distant, quick shots, including this one of the female. I should add here that I love Tree Swallows, too, and always hope that they are successful in finding a nest box. They are beautiful birds to see and photograph. See the information that gatescd29 has added in a comment box below. I had to rush out early this morning and ran out of time to add any more to my description, so am adding it this evening. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... I had also hoped to see a Wilson's Snipe at the usual place and I was lucky to find one standing on a fence post. Usually, these birds will stay for a while, but this one let me get a couple of photos and off it flew. It was SO good to see one again - they are one of my favourite birds to photograph. Other species seen included a Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, a Coot, various distant ducks and an extremely distant pair of Red-necked Grebes.

Two days ago, on 9 June 2015, I went for a drive SW of the city, along my "usual" backroads. I had been watching a pair of Mountain Bluebirds and, while waiting for them to make an appearance again, I suddenly noticed two little beaks push through the hole in the nesting box. A few seconds later, this baby Bluebird poked its head through the hole and took a look at the big, big world beyond its cozy little nest. Such a cute little thing! I have only ever once seen baby Bluebirds that have fledged and that was a number of years ago, when I happened to spot them down on the ground, in the grasses. Usually, they are there one day and then gone the next and I don't see them again till the next year. Yesterday, I did the drive again and was happy to see that the little family had not yet left. Maybe today will be the day, which means that I know I will do the drive again : ) As usual, I noticed flashes of blue near quite a few nest boxes. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

A very grainy photo, taken deep in the woods where the light was not good, but I did want to add it to my Sets. Not every day that we see a tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl! I had been invited (and could bring a couple of friends) to go and see a family of tiny Northern Saw-whet Owls (with 6 owlets) and a family of Barred Owls (2 owlets) up near Edmonton. Both families of owls had nested in wooden nest boxes. It's a three-hour drive from Calgary north to Edmonton, and then the owls were a further half-hour drive. (We had just a very short drive between the two owl familes, that were on private property). Worth every minute of it to see these two species of beautiful owls! Thanks so much, Rob, for driving Phil and I up there - I appreciate it SO much! Good to have the company of you guys - made the journey seem shorter : ) The owls were a little younger than they might have been, but still so precious to see! Richard's paid work (his endless work with owls and other raptors is all voluntary) gets busier from now on, plus his summer weekends will be spent with his family (good for him!), so we were lucky to get this chance. Richard showed us two of the six Saw-whet babies (and banded the older one of these that he hadn't banded the other day and that was now old enough to be banded), and both the Barred Owlets. One of the Saw-whets was only about a week old and the other was about three weeks old. I think the Barred Owlets were about three weeks old. The female adults of both families were high in fairly near, tall trees while this was going on, so we were very lucky to get photos of them, too. My photo above shows the adult female Saw-whet before she left the nest box that Richard had built and placed on the property of someone who had volunteered to have a nest box. Trying to remember - I think I've only ever seen two Saw-whet owls in the wild, and this was the very first time I'd ever had the chance to see a Barred Owl in the wild : ))))))) At long, long last - and it felt so good! I also got the chance to meet several people from Flickr, including Don Delaney and part of his "gang". Lovely to meet you, Don, and the rest of you! Richard - we can't thank you enough for what you do (as a licenced Raptor Bander) and for sharing your love and knowledge of wildlife with others. Your young daughter (5 years old) is so lucky to be brought up with so many incredible opportunities and such a love of nature. What a keen eye she has, finding all sorts of interesting things for us to see, including a little Wood Frog. Wonderful to see such caring, gentleness and joy for all flora and fauna from such a young child, not to mention her knowledge about all these things! I was so impressed : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl/id NO WILD BIRD OR ANIMAL SHOULD EVER BE TAKEN HOME AS A PET!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just one of the many beautiful Tree Swallows I saw yesterday, south of the city. This one flew to the bright blue nesting box with peeling paint and stayed in that position long enough for me to take several shots. Does anyone know if this is a female?