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
Oak leaf and insect gall
The upside-down bird
Small fungi growing among the mosses
Black-capped Chickadee
Shooting in the rain
Joy for a deep-freeze day
Backside beauty
Ever watchful
Barn Owl
Poor quality, but of interest
Mountain Chickadee on Donna's hand
Downy Woodpecker and bokeh
A change from a Black-capped Chickadee
A touch of blue
Turkey Vulture preening
Cheery sunflower
The size of a popcan
Female Mountain Bluebird with lunch for her babies
Northern Hawk Owl
Summer colour
A bright splash of blue in August
Bighorn Sheep - she's a beauty
Unexpected closeness
Gaillardia with little visitor
Paintbrush - green flowers, red bracts
Nest-building Dad
Reaching those faraway feathers
Happiness is .....
Goat's-beard
Scabious growing in the wild
Splash of colour on a rainy day
Eastern Kingbird
Alsike Clover / Trifolium hybridum
A favourite bird to photograph
Shakin' all over
Great Gray Owl on a rainy day
Collecting food for her babies
Western Kingbird
Swainson's Hawk
Upland Sandpiper
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
See also...
Keywords
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151 visits
Northern Willowherb / Epilobium ciliatum
Epilobium is a genus in the family Onagraceae, containing about 160-200 species of flowering plants with a worldwide distribution. I'm hoping I have the correct ID for this one. Epilobiums have many herbal uses. This plant was found at Buller's Pond in Kananaskis.
On 20 August 2016, I went with friend, Pam, for a long day out in Kananaskis (the mountain area of the Rocky Mountains that is closest to Calgary). What a great day we had, seeing so many different things in such beautiful scenery.
We met up in the city at 7:00 am and drove southwards through Millarville and took the back way from Turner Valley to Highway 40. This is exactly the route that I had planned to go when I was all set to take my daughter on 4 August. Then my car's muffler and catalytic converter died and I haven't been able to go on any long drives at all. Nothing further than maybe five or ten minutes from home, with a vehicle that sounds dreadful with its loud, broken muffler noise and the loudest rattle that sounds as if the bottom of my car is about to fall off. Today (25 August) is day 17 since I ordered a new vehicle.
Before we left the town of Turner Valley (on Highway 22), we called in for a few minutes at friend Jackie's garden to see if there were any interesting birds at all her feeders. We only saw Pine Siskins, but no doubt all sorts of other species would arrive for her during the day. The first thing we saw after Jackie's was a Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence, with a beautiful view of the distant mountains.
Our first stop along Highway 40, which is the highway that goes right through Kananaskis, giving spectacular scenic views every inch of the way, was at Highwood House. This small store/gas station, at such a convenient location, is known for its Hummingbird feeders. We were lucky enough to see either one or maybe two of these teeny birds, and I did manage to get one partly blurry shot, just for the record. I thought they would all have left by now, fairly late August.
Continuing on our way north, we eventually came to Rock Glacier where we happily watched one or two little Pikas darting all over the massive scree (talus) slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months, as they don't hibernate.
Our next destination, after bumping into friend Kerri who was photographing the PIkas, was Buller's Pond, near Spray Lakes along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien road. I don't remember ever stopping there before and we were so glad we called in. Just before we got there, we took a drive up the mountainside road to Mt. Shark and gazed at the mountain scene before our eyes when we reached the highest parking lot. I have been up there maybe two or three times before, but in winter time.
Soon, we arrived at Buller Pond, which is a lovely pond/lake, where we saw masses of small, green, jelly-like 'blobs' floating near the edge of the water. I finally found out what I think is the correct ID for them - Ophrydium versatile.
""These blobs are made by a colonial microscopic single-celled protozoan called Ophrydium versatile. They can be found all over the world in fresh water. The individual cells line up side by side in the “blob” and attach themselves to a jelly-like substance they secrete. They are symbiotic with microscopic Chlorella algae which live inside the Ophrydium cells and give the blob its green color. " Fro the link below;
askanaturalist.com/what-are-these-green-jelly-blobs/
It was here that, while walking through the trees near the edge of the pond, I suddenly gasped and couldn't believe my eyes. There was a beautiful Spruce Grouse perched on a log, with a second one lying near it on the ground. Such a beautiful sight! I quietly called Pam to come and see what I had just found and we spent some time watching them. These two birds, with their gorgeous feathers, showed no sign of moving, allowing us plenty of time to take photos. Eventually, I saw yet another one of them moving around on the ground nearby, and then a fourth one. So, it seems that it was a mother and her three young ones. What an absolute treat to come across these spectacular birds and to be given time to really enjoy them.
Once back on Highway 40, we started driving south, heading for home. We just couldn't resist calling in again at Rock Glacier, where I was able to get closer and somewhat better photos of one of the Pikas. Then, fifteen minutes later, we saw several cars pulled over at the sides of the highway. Could it finally be a bear? Unfortunately, no, it wasn't, but instead we saw a group of five Bighorn Sheep, four at the edge of the road and a fifth standing in the road as if to let us know that she owned the road and had right of way. One of the Sheep started walking along the edge of the road in the direction of our vehicle. She walked with determination and I was taken off guard when she came level with my window and I got a quick shot or two. Her focus, however, was on a photographer who was out of his car and had walked towards her, then crouched down to photograph her as she got closer and closer to him. She stopped just a matter of maybe six feet from him - we drove off now that the road was clear, so I've no idea if anything happened between the Sheep and the photographer, but he was doing everything that a photographer (or anyone) should not be doing.
Thank you so much, Pam, for enabling me to get out to the mountains! It was such a fun, enjoyable day, in beautiful weather, spectacular scenery, and much-enjoyed company!
On 20 August 2016, I went with friend, Pam, for a long day out in Kananaskis (the mountain area of the Rocky Mountains that is closest to Calgary). What a great day we had, seeing so many different things in such beautiful scenery.
We met up in the city at 7:00 am and drove southwards through Millarville and took the back way from Turner Valley to Highway 40. This is exactly the route that I had planned to go when I was all set to take my daughter on 4 August. Then my car's muffler and catalytic converter died and I haven't been able to go on any long drives at all. Nothing further than maybe five or ten minutes from home, with a vehicle that sounds dreadful with its loud, broken muffler noise and the loudest rattle that sounds as if the bottom of my car is about to fall off. Today (25 August) is day 17 since I ordered a new vehicle.
Before we left the town of Turner Valley (on Highway 22), we called in for a few minutes at friend Jackie's garden to see if there were any interesting birds at all her feeders. We only saw Pine Siskins, but no doubt all sorts of other species would arrive for her during the day. The first thing we saw after Jackie's was a Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence, with a beautiful view of the distant mountains.
Our first stop along Highway 40, which is the highway that goes right through Kananaskis, giving spectacular scenic views every inch of the way, was at Highwood House. This small store/gas station, at such a convenient location, is known for its Hummingbird feeders. We were lucky enough to see either one or maybe two of these teeny birds, and I did manage to get one partly blurry shot, just for the record. I thought they would all have left by now, fairly late August.
Continuing on our way north, we eventually came to Rock Glacier where we happily watched one or two little Pikas darting all over the massive scree (talus) slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months, as they don't hibernate.
Our next destination, after bumping into friend Kerri who was photographing the PIkas, was Buller's Pond, near Spray Lakes along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien road. I don't remember ever stopping there before and we were so glad we called in. Just before we got there, we took a drive up the mountainside road to Mt. Shark and gazed at the mountain scene before our eyes when we reached the highest parking lot. I have been up there maybe two or three times before, but in winter time.
Soon, we arrived at Buller Pond, which is a lovely pond/lake, where we saw masses of small, green, jelly-like 'blobs' floating near the edge of the water. I finally found out what I think is the correct ID for them - Ophrydium versatile.
""These blobs are made by a colonial microscopic single-celled protozoan called Ophrydium versatile. They can be found all over the world in fresh water. The individual cells line up side by side in the “blob” and attach themselves to a jelly-like substance they secrete. They are symbiotic with microscopic Chlorella algae which live inside the Ophrydium cells and give the blob its green color. " Fro the link below;
askanaturalist.com/what-are-these-green-jelly-blobs/
It was here that, while walking through the trees near the edge of the pond, I suddenly gasped and couldn't believe my eyes. There was a beautiful Spruce Grouse perched on a log, with a second one lying near it on the ground. Such a beautiful sight! I quietly called Pam to come and see what I had just found and we spent some time watching them. These two birds, with their gorgeous feathers, showed no sign of moving, allowing us plenty of time to take photos. Eventually, I saw yet another one of them moving around on the ground nearby, and then a fourth one. So, it seems that it was a mother and her three young ones. What an absolute treat to come across these spectacular birds and to be given time to really enjoy them.
Once back on Highway 40, we started driving south, heading for home. We just couldn't resist calling in again at Rock Glacier, where I was able to get closer and somewhat better photos of one of the Pikas. Then, fifteen minutes later, we saw several cars pulled over at the sides of the highway. Could it finally be a bear? Unfortunately, no, it wasn't, but instead we saw a group of five Bighorn Sheep, four at the edge of the road and a fifth standing in the road as if to let us know that she owned the road and had right of way. One of the Sheep started walking along the edge of the road in the direction of our vehicle. She walked with determination and I was taken off guard when she came level with my window and I got a quick shot or two. Her focus, however, was on a photographer who was out of his car and had walked towards her, then crouched down to photograph her as she got closer and closer to him. She stopped just a matter of maybe six feet from him - we drove off now that the road was clear, so I've no idea if anything happened between the Sheep and the photographer, but he was doing everything that a photographer (or anyone) should not be doing.
Thank you so much, Pam, for enabling me to get out to the mountains! It was such a fun, enjoyable day, in beautiful weather, spectacular scenery, and much-enjoyed company!
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