Following the fenceline
Beautiful farm cat
Posing nicely
Beginning to burst
Ever watchful
White-winged Crossbills
Poor quality, but of interest
A touch of blue
Female Mountain Bluebird with lunch for her babies
Northern Hawk Owl from 2016
Northern Hawk Owl
Meadow Vole for a tasty snack
Summer colour
Atop a utility pole
Red-winged Blackbird female or juvenile
Goat's-beard with visitor
Decorating the base of a tree
Seedhead wisps
Great Gray Owl, focused
Showing off its gills
Pinedrops
One of my favourite views
Unidentified fungus
A distant shot from my archives
Balancing act
When the world turns white
Great Gray Owl - from the archives
Great Gray Owl - from my archives
Winter on the farm
Joy for a deep-freeze day
Shooting in the rain
The barn cat gang
Longhorn cattle
Peekaboo - whooo are yooo?
Pine Grosbeaks
Old barn at the Ellis Bird Farm
Showy Milkweed with bee
Wild Lily-of-the-valley
First day of fledging
Colour for a snowy day
Black-necked Stilt
Narcissus
A bewildering world for a fallen owlet
Bees, bees, and more bees
Pretty Mama cat
Under a stormy sky
Standing in sunshine
Waiting for me
A mountain Bluebird with 'bling'
When storms blow in
A gleam in the eye
Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
01 Red-winged Blackbird - female or juvenile
An endless feast for a Ladybug
The poser - Wilson's Snipe
Swainson's Hawk
A few of the bird houses at Ellis Bird Farm
Chipping Sparrow / Spizella passerina
Leisurely swim
Bluebird memories
Hen and rooster at the Saskatoon Farm
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The one-legged stance
Lovage / Levisticum officinale
Predator with prey
Mustard White butterfly / Pieris oleracea
Handsome male Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
House Wren at the Ellis Bird Farm
Sharp-tailed Grouse / Tympanuchus phasianellus
Nest-building Dad
Loved by Monarch butterflies
Reaching those faraway feathers
Mossleigh grain elevators
Goat's-beard
Eastern Kingbird
Storm clouds over Canola
A favourite bird to photograph
Great Gray Owl on a rainy day
Collecting food for her babies
At Mossleigh grain elevators
Longhorn
Weathered and patched
They can't see me
Bold and beautiful
Time to feed the kids
American Coot interactive display
Ladybug larva on Showy Milkweed
Layers
Barn Swallow
Love those Canola fields
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129 visits
Pine Grosbeak in winter sunshine
Some years, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton is held late in December. Other years, it ends up being held early January. The Count on 3 January 2016 was part of the 2015 Bird Count.
I think these gorgeous Pine Grosbeaks were the highlight of the day for me. We had been told about a farm family who had lots of these Grosbeaks at their feeders, and we are so glad that we arranged to call in. We also saw a Gray Jay there, to add to our species list. My small group of 4 friends and myself, travelling in two cars, did see 5 Golden Eagles, too, which was a thrill, but they were way off in the distance and I couldn't get any close photos like this one of Grosbeaks : )
"One of the larger members of its family, the Pine Grosbeak is a bird of the boreal forests, found across northern Eurasia and North America, and south into the mountains of western Canada and the United States. A large, unwary finch, it makes periodic winter irruptions into southern Canada and northern United States. It is the largest and rarest of the "winter finches." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Grosbeak/id
As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us this day. What you can't see is that it was very cold for the first part of the day, then warming up to a pleasant cold later on! I think it was -21C when we started. Two years ago, on the trip in January (for the 2013 Count), on the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! Again, this year, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. Also, the only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms/acreages.
We drove through such beautiful scenery when we were covering the SW quadrant of the Christmas Bird Count circle that centered on the town of Nanton, Alberta. A landscape over which the occasional Golden Eagle soars and in which some years - but definitely not on this day! - numerous Sharp-tailed Grouse wander on the ground or perch in trees. Unlike some years, we saw only a handful of very distant Grouse, perched on a group of hay bales.
I absolutely love this area SW of Nanton! Some of the backroads are extremely steep and almost look vertical when seen from a distance. Some years, the whole area is white, covered in deep snow, so that you can't tell where the roadside ends and the ditch begins. This Count, it wasn't too bad, thank goodness, though I might have felt differently if I had been one of the two drivers for our group!
Around lunch time, we returned to the Truch family's home as we were nearby, and ate our lunch in the warmth of their cosy home.
After driving (being driven, for me, which is always pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 3:30 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts, and perhaps the most favourite.
Just before leaving for Calgary at the end of the day, we were shown the family's Llamas, two Donkeys, Peacocks, and several tiny white Quail. I should have taken photos of these animals when it was daylight - but maybe I can do it next year.
Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony and Andrew, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! It was another well-organized Count, Mike, as usual - thanks. Can't wait for the next Count, in about two and a half weeks' time!
I will add the list of species seen, in a comment box below.
I think these gorgeous Pine Grosbeaks were the highlight of the day for me. We had been told about a farm family who had lots of these Grosbeaks at their feeders, and we are so glad that we arranged to call in. We also saw a Gray Jay there, to add to our species list. My small group of 4 friends and myself, travelling in two cars, did see 5 Golden Eagles, too, which was a thrill, but they were way off in the distance and I couldn't get any close photos like this one of Grosbeaks : )
"One of the larger members of its family, the Pine Grosbeak is a bird of the boreal forests, found across northern Eurasia and North America, and south into the mountains of western Canada and the United States. A large, unwary finch, it makes periodic winter irruptions into southern Canada and northern United States. It is the largest and rarest of the "winter finches." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Grosbeak/id
As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us this day. What you can't see is that it was very cold for the first part of the day, then warming up to a pleasant cold later on! I think it was -21C when we started. Two years ago, on the trip in January (for the 2013 Count), on the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! Again, this year, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. Also, the only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms/acreages.
We drove through such beautiful scenery when we were covering the SW quadrant of the Christmas Bird Count circle that centered on the town of Nanton, Alberta. A landscape over which the occasional Golden Eagle soars and in which some years - but definitely not on this day! - numerous Sharp-tailed Grouse wander on the ground or perch in trees. Unlike some years, we saw only a handful of very distant Grouse, perched on a group of hay bales.
I absolutely love this area SW of Nanton! Some of the backroads are extremely steep and almost look vertical when seen from a distance. Some years, the whole area is white, covered in deep snow, so that you can't tell where the roadside ends and the ditch begins. This Count, it wasn't too bad, thank goodness, though I might have felt differently if I had been one of the two drivers for our group!
Around lunch time, we returned to the Truch family's home as we were nearby, and ate our lunch in the warmth of their cosy home.
After driving (being driven, for me, which is always pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 3:30 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts, and perhaps the most favourite.
Just before leaving for Calgary at the end of the day, we were shown the family's Llamas, two Donkeys, Peacocks, and several tiny white Quail. I should have taken photos of these animals when it was daylight - but maybe I can do it next year.
Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony and Andrew, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! It was another well-organized Count, Mike, as usual - thanks. Can't wait for the next Count, in about two and a half weeks' time!
I will add the list of species seen, in a comment box below.
ROL/Photo, Yves Saulnier have particularly liked this photo
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