Eastern Kingbird

What a SAD, SAD day it was yesterday, 8 June 2018! If you are familiar with Anthony Bourdain, chef, traveller, explorer, story-teller, a man who got on well with anyone, anywhere, no matter who they were, or where they come from, this was a very sad day, hearing of his death. I have watched his TV shows for a long time, enjoying seeing him interact with local people in all sorts of exotic or unusual places, that most people would never dream of visiting. A real people person. I have always loved the way he reminds us, with such ease, that people are the same everywhere on this planet., yet celebrating each person's uniqueness. I remember last year, two of his shows covered Trinidad & Tobago (which I had just visited) and Oman (where I had lived for 6 years). He had overcome so many struggles through his life and had become very successful in what he loved to do. Unfortunately, deep demons had obviously not left him completely, as, at the age of 61, he committed suicide while filming in France. So sad for the world to lose such a unique, kind man, and unbearably sad for his young daughter and his family and friends.

www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/us/anthony-bourdain-obit/index.html

www.eater.com/2017/6/11/15771544/anthony-bourdain-oman-pa...

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Today, I am posting three photos from our trip to Pt Pelee, Ontario, and the photo above that was taken SW of Calgary on 7 June. All the Pelee photos are from the afternoon of our very first day at Pt Pelee - a few more photos and I will have finished our first day there, leaving just 12 more days' worth of images left to edit and post, lol. I am trying to post more or less in the order that the photos were taken, and unfortunately, there are so many odds and ends that I want to keep just for the record. I promise that, later on, I will have photos of some very different things - thank goodness. I did not have much success with seeing and photographing all the tiny, very fast-moving Warblers at Pt Pelee, so I wanted to post the poor photos that I did get, at night, when most people are off Flickr. If anyone does happen to see them, please do let me know if I have given a wrong ID for any bird or plant.

A friend had invited me to go with her the day before yesterday, 7 June 2018, to have lunch at the Delta Hotel in Kananaskis Village, and it felt good to breathe the mountain air. Of course, when I do go on a rare trip to the mountains, I go in search of birds, wildflowers, scenery - anything beautiful - so this outing was different and something I would never do myself. We both had to admit afterwards that the food was not good at all and the price was way beyond what was deserved. While typing these words, I suddenly remembered that I had read several reviews online before we went and they had said exactly the same thing. The staff were very pleasant and helpful, I should add.

On the way home, I decided to drive back via my 'usual' area, to see if any of the Mountain Bluebirds and other species were out and about. Most did not disappoint. Usually, when I saw an Eastern Kingbird, it keeps flying from one fence post to the next, to the next, and so on, making it almost impossible to photograph. This was one lucky shot!

"With dark gray upperparts and a neat white tip to the tail, the Eastern Kingbird looks like it’s wearing a business suit. And this big-headed, broad-shouldered bird does mean business—just watch one harassing crows, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Blue Herons, and other birds that pass over its territory. Eastern Kingbirds often perch on wires in open areas and either sally out for flying insects or flutter slowly over the tops of grasses. They spend winters in South American forests, where they eat mainly fruit." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/eastern_kingbird/id