Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: friendly

This was more or less the only photo I ended up with after a long walk in South Glenmore Park yesterday afternoon, 18 February 2018. It was so cold and a slight wind made the windchill plunge. However, a handful of us braved the weather and managed to find at least several species of bird. This little Black-capped Chickadee was one of several, feeding on Sunflower seeds. These little Chickadees are just 24 hours away from death, and need to collect enough fat in order to survive. Such busy little birds. This is not my favourite walk, partly because it is so long, but I needed the exercise and I wanted to spend time with my friends. Some of us went for coffee afterwards - and a bowl of special Mac & Cheese was especially welcome after being out in the cold for so long. "The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand)." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id "The chickadee's unerring spatial memory is remarkable enough, says Colin Saldanha, assistant professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University and an anatomist who has studied songbirds for six years. But it is what happens inside the tiny songbird's brain that Saldanha finds amazing. In the fall, as the chickadee is gathering and storing seeds, Saldanha says, its hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial organization and memory in many vertebrates, expands in volume by approximately 30 percent by adding new nerve cells. In songbirds, the hippocampus is located on the dorsal surface of the forebrain right beneath the skull. In mammals, the hippocampus is located beneath the cortex. In the spring, when its feats of memory are needed less, the chickadee's hippocampus shrinks back to its normal size, Saldanha says." From article on ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030912072156.htm

This photo was taken yesterday morning, 20 January 2018, when I went on a walk in Carburn Park with birding friends. I always find that a walk along the Bow River gives very few photo opportunities, as the birds are too far away for photos, but it is a lovely park in which to spend time. They are also too far away for me to ID them, as I don't use binoculars. The always loyal Black-capped Chickadees flew in to see if anyone had any food. They were in luck, as this park, unlike Fish Creek Park, does not forbid the feeding of birds. Friend, Janet, was ready waiting, with a few seeds and nuts in her hand. As you can see, the sun was shining and actually it wasn't cold. Always good to spend time in great company, including going for coffee/lunch afterwards at the local Tim Horton's. Many thanks, Howard, for leading the group! "The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand)." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id "The chickadee's unerring spatial memory is remarkable enough, says Colin Saldanha, assistant professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University and an anatomist who has studied songbirds for six years. But it is what happens inside the tiny songbird's brain that Saldanha finds amazing. In the fall, as the chickadee is gathering and storing seeds, Saldanha says, its hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial organization and memory in many vertebrates, expands in volume by approximately 30 percent by adding new nerve cells. In songbirds, the hippocampus is located on the dorsal surface of the forebrain right beneath the skull. In mammals, the hippocampus is located beneath the cortex. In the spring, when its feats of memory are needed less, the chickadee's hippocampus shrinks back to its normal size, Saldanha says." From article on ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030912072156.htm

All three photos posted today were taken yesterday, 5 November 2017, when I joined a few birding friends for a walk in Carburn Park. Afternoons are usually not the best time of day to see birds so, as usual, we saw far fewer species than the morning groups - 19 species of bird. Though cold, it was a beautiful afternoon to be out in nature. It was cold enough for there to be a few clusters of small ice pillars along the edge of the Bow River - something I always enjoy seeing. Carburn Park is a very popular place for birding in the city, offering water and woodland species. According to eBird, a total of 211 species have been recorded within the park. In comparison, at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (the top Hot Spot in the city) 252 species have been recorded. In the Weaselhead Natural Area, 227 species have been seen. These little Chickadee are just 24 hours away from death, and need to collect enough fat in order to survive. Such busy little birds. There were about 10 of them yesterday, following us along some of the paths. Over the years, I have taken many photos of them, but I so rarely go for walks any more. From now on, I know it will be much harder to make myself put on all my winter layers, including struggling to get ice grippers on to my winter boots, and leave the comfort of my home. The main roads had been cleared, and were very reasonable to drive on yesterday. I do enjoy going for coffee and a chat after these walks. "The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand)." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/id "The chickadee's unerring spatial memory is remarkable enough, says Colin Saldanha, assistant professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University and an anatomist who has studied songbirds for six years. But it is what happens inside the tiny songbird's brain that Saldanha finds amazing. In the fall, as the chickadee is gathering and storing seeds, Saldanha says, its hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial organization and memory in many vertebrates, expands in volume by approximately 30 percent by adding new nerve cells. In songbirds, the hippocampus is located on the dorsal surface of the forebrain right beneath the skull. In mammals, the hippocampus is located beneath the cortex. In the spring, when its feats of memory are needed less, the chickadee's hippocampus shrinks back to its normal size, Saldanha says." From article on ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030912072156.htm

I never seem to get out to photograph birds any more, apart from the wonderful chances to see various species of owl earlier this year. However, I came across this photo of a little Black-capped Chickadee that I took on 9 March 2012, down in the Hull's Wood area of Fish Creek Park.

I really don't need any more Black-capped Chickadee photos in my photostream, but that never stops me, lol! This little guy/gal flew down to see one of my friends when we were on a walk at Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park, two days ago.

Just had to get out of the house for a short while yesterday afternoon, so drove a few of the backroads south of the city, south of Highway 22X. We had an amazing hoar frost yesterday and the day before, but the sky was so dull and so little light, which made taking photographs difficult. Came across two of these beautiful horses on my way home. A strange feeling - almost like looking at something that has used Colour Select : ) I soon discovered that the roads were becoming slippery. Also found out, after plunging up to my knees in the white stuff, that the snow in the ditches that had looked pretty solid was in fact still soft beneath the upper crust! So much for getting to the barbed wire fences to take a few close-ups : ) Today, the weather is even worse, and it is treacherous underfoot. Snowing quite heavily.