Fancy plumage

This rather fancy chicken was with several other kinds of chicken and two or three Turkeys at the Saskatoon Farm yesterday, 22 May 2016. This is a great place to visit, roughly a 20-minute drive south of Calgary. They have a huge pen (cage) that contains these birds. They were constantly on the move, but I just managed to get a few photos through the wires.

"The Brahma is a gentle giant and another wonderfully sweet and broody breed. Quiet, calm and even-tempered, it’s exceptionally cold hardy and the hens are great winter layers. Because of its feathered legs and shanks, it’s best not to keep this breed in excessively wet or muddy regions, as moisture can cling to the feathers, leading to frostbite on the toes. Otherwise, the Brahma is a great addition to flocks, especially in northern regions. It handles confinement very well and isn’t as active as other breeds that prefer to forage; this makes them great for smaller spaces, too." From hobbyfarms.com

www.hobbyfarms.com/5-broody-chicken-breeds-great-for-hatc...

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 22 May 2016, when my daughter and I spent a great day together, as a slightly early treat for my birthday : ) Always my favourite way to spend a day!

We weren't quite sure what we would be doing, as it depended on how my daughter was feeling - so much pain, while waiting for surgery. We did know for sure that we were going straight to the Saskatoon Farm for a delicious meal, though. We took a look inside two of their greenhouses, full of colourful flowers. Not a day for walking outside, as it poured with rain the whole day. In fact, it has barely stopped at all the last couple of days, with the added surprise of a few minutes of falling snow early yesterday morning. If we could only send at least some of our rain up north to help with everyone fighting the devastating wildfire that continues to spread! That whole area has been getting some rain apparently, but not enough to put an end to the fire's destructive path. The whole province has been a tinder box, waiting to go up in flames, so we are very grateful for the rain that's falling. Just a shame that it is on our long weekend for Victoria Day. I haven't checked yet, but especially the mountain area was forecast to have a lot of snow, so I woud imagine a lot of campers will have returned to the city already. The temperature yesterday morning was 2C (windchill -2C) and it remained cold all day, just like the day before, when I was out with my camera all day.

After the Saskatoon Farm, we went westwards into Okotoks, so that we could visit the little rustic antique place, All through the House. From there, we drove various back roads, looking for any birds that might not be hiding from the cold and rain. I was so happy that we saw a couple of Snipe standing on fence posts, as they make such beautiful photos. We even saw several hawks - more than I usually see when I go for a drive. The one in the photo I posted this morning was one of a pair of Swainson's Hawks. Its mate was in a nearby tree. Very often, photos I take from inside the car tend to not come out properly and I get too many blurry shots. Thankfully, some did come out OK. In fact, I have been amazed at how some of my photos came out the last two days, despite the awful weather. Normally, I would have stayed at home on such wet, dreary days. Not sure how I ended up with lots of sharp images, but maybe I need to get out more, even when the weather is not encouraging at all.

Thanks so much, Rachel, for a much-enjoyed day and thank you for the (as always) carefuly chosen gifts and cards. Most of all, thank you for spending the day with me!