Swainson's Hawk
Western Kingbird
Collecting food for her babies
Great Gray Owl on a rainy day
Shakin' all over
A favourite bird to photograph
Alsike Clover / Trifolium hybridum
Eastern Kingbird
Splash of colour on a rainy day
Scabious growing in the wild
Goat's-beard
Happiness is .....
Reaching those faraway feathers
Nest-building Dad
Paintbrush - green flowers, red bracts
Gaillardia with little visitor
Unexpected closeness
Bighorn Sheep - she's a beauty
A bright splash of blue in August
Northern Willowherb / Epilobium ciliatum
Handsome male Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Pinedrops / Pterospora - rare
The one-legged stance
A garden in the forest
Fine 'threads' of a mushroom veil
Picked for demonstration purposes - Honey Mushroom…
Sainfoin / Onobrychis viciifolia
Texture
An odd colour in nature
Turkey Vulture
Comb/Branched Hericium / Hericium ramosum
A splash of sunshine
Bluebird memories
Lichen at Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area
Barn Owl / Tyto alba
The colours of fall
Three insect species on a single flower
Autumn berries
False Dandelion / Agoseris glauca
Brightness on a cloudy day
Larch in fall colour
As fall colours come to an end
Astilbe
Sunflower going to seed
Katydid on Common Tansy
Always good for a splash of colour
Swainson's Hawk
The poser - Wilson's Snipe
Up close and personal with a Turkey Vulture
Aging beauties
An endless feast for a Ladybug
Colours and textures
01 Red-winged Blackbird - female or juvenile
Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Snake's head fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris
A mountain Bluebird with 'bling'
A birder's first time
Standing in sunshine
Simplicity
Lest we forget
A visit to George's hand
Narcissus
Colour for a snowy day
Roadside wild sunflowers
Bear Grass / Xerophyllum tenax
They can't see me
Bold and beautiful
Time to feed the kids
Upland Sandpiper / Bartramia longicauda
Sticky Purple Geranium / Geranium viscosissimum
Mountain Bluebird fledgling
Blue Lettuce / Lactuca tatarica
Paintbush, with a visiting Crab Spider
Stately Bear Grass
Pinedrops / Pterospora - rare, Listed S2
Barn Swallow
Ram's Horn Snail shell
Savannah Sparrow
Hope he's one of the lucky ones
Fleabane
Bobolink male
Egyptian Walking Onion
Mountain Death Camas / Zigadenus elegans
Gaillardia
I like the post as much as the bird
False Dandelion / Hypochaeris radicata
Great Gray Owl in late-morning sun
A second's rest, together
Forest refractions on a wet Dandelion : )
Just a little stretch
My first Bald Eagle on a fence post
Brown-headed Cowbird / Molothrus ater
Tattered and torn - and still beautiful
Beautiful wings of a female Mountain Bluebird
Ornamental Spurge / Euphorbia polychroma (Cushion…
Red-winged Blackbird female with bokeh
Female Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Couldn't have chosen a better perch myself : )
Red-edged petals
Such good parents
There WAS a fence between us
Everyday beauty
I think he caught a beautiful Tiger Moth : )
Eastern Kingbird
Way down the fence line
Hollyhock buds
Such cute little hands and feet
American Robin in the countryside
Female Mountain Bluebird / Sialia currucoides
Time to preen
White-crowned Sparrow / Zonotrichia leucophrys
Made my day : )
Lots of 'bling'
Herper friend with Wood Frog (and fly)
The purity of white
Flowers of spring
American Robin male
Great Gray Owl in a field of Dandelions
Baby fluff
One of yesterday's two Great Gray Owls
A house to match
Showing off for the females
Snake's head fritillary / Fritillaria meleagris
Red Baneberry
Canada Goose
See also...
Calgary to Drumheller with my daughter, 18 July 2016
Calgary to Drumheller with my daughter, 18 July 2016
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228 visits
Upland Sandpiper
26 July 2016: BEAR WARNING issued for all of Kananaskis Country, Alberta, for heightened bear activity.
calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/bear-warning-issued-for...
youtu.be/rdTDwRnvTd4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 some of 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 a magnificent 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 two beautiful red barns 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 distant 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. So, another very lucky find.
"An adult is roughly 30 cm (12 in) long with a 66 cm (26 in) wingspan. The average weight is 170 g (6 oz). This odd bird has a small dove-like head on a long neck. It is heavily marbled black and brown on the back and wings. The neck is streaked with dark brown which continues down to the breast and on to the flanks. The belly and undertail coverts are white. The tail is quite long for a sandpiper. The upland also sports a white eye-ring and long yellow legs..... Upland sandpipers forage in fields, picking up food by sight. They are frequently sighted on fence posts and even telephone poles. When an "uppy" alights, it holds its wings up for a few seconds. They are constantly scanning the horizon for intruders. The upland sandpiper's diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, weevils, beetles, moths, ants, flies, bugs, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, snails and earthworms. It also eats some grains and seeds." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upland_sandpiper
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Upland_Sandpiper/id
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!
Total driving distance, round-trip: approximately 397 km, 247 miles.
calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/bear-warning-issued-for...
youtu.be/rdTDwRnvTd4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 some of 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 a magnificent 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 two beautiful red barns 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 distant 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. So, another very lucky find.
"An adult is roughly 30 cm (12 in) long with a 66 cm (26 in) wingspan. The average weight is 170 g (6 oz). This odd bird has a small dove-like head on a long neck. It is heavily marbled black and brown on the back and wings. The neck is streaked with dark brown which continues down to the breast and on to the flanks. The belly and undertail coverts are white. The tail is quite long for a sandpiper. The upland also sports a white eye-ring and long yellow legs..... Upland sandpipers forage in fields, picking up food by sight. They are frequently sighted on fence posts and even telephone poles. When an "uppy" alights, it holds its wings up for a few seconds. They are constantly scanning the horizon for intruders. The upland sandpiper's diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, weevils, beetles, moths, ants, flies, bugs, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, snails and earthworms. It also eats some grains and seeds." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upland_sandpiper
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Upland_Sandpiper/id
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!
Total driving distance, round-trip: approximately 397 km, 247 miles.
Pam J has particularly liked this photo
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