Pumpkin season, kid-style
Fine old truck
Domestic duck, unidentified
Beauty in old age
Tundra Swans in flight
Clouds over Chain Lakes
American Dipper / Cinclus mexicanus
Looking into the sun
American Dipper / Cinclus mexicanus
Two of my favourite things
American Dipper dipping
Old farm wagon
Barn with ducks, chickens and rabbit
Weathered door
The picture of contentment
Bringing the straw bales
Unidentified domestic Duck
One of these things is not like the others ...
Peeling paint patterns
Unknown duck species (domestic)
The Straw Barn
Friendly horse
Birdhouse with a difference
Time to feed
Old farm wagon wheel
Mama Turkey (domestic)
For the birds
Tundra Swans
Clouds over Chain Lakes
American Dipper dipping
Into the sun at Pine Coulee Reservoir
American Dipper
Rural decay down south
On the way to Chain Lakes
A view from Chain Lakes
Yes, it's the American Dipper again
Gobble gobble time for Americans
Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans!
Harlequin Duck / Histrionicus histrionicus
Berries in the sunshine
Rural Alberta
Swans in the sunlight
Old and weathered
Old barn in early fall
Baneberry, red berries
Baneberry, white berries
Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow
Hummingbird at feeder
Rufous Hummingbird
A favourite view, Waterton Lakes National Park
Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton
Cinnamon Black Bear, Waterton Lakes National Park,…
The fun times are over
Black farm cat
A beauty of a barn
Pine Coulee Reservoir, Alberta
Disappearing Skunk - just for the record
Pine Coulee Reservoir, Alberta
Eurasian Collared-Dove / Streptopelia decaocto
Mid-morning sun at Pine Coulee Reservoir
Waterton Lake from the townsite - before the fire
Our precious Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta…
Pinedrops
Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
"Alan, Alan, Alan ...Steve, Steve!"
A different view from Maskinonge lookout, Waterton
Marbled Cobweb Spider / Enoplognatha marmorataon o…
Upper Waterton Lake, seen from the town
Gaillardia
Common Raven in the sun
Maskinonge Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
Red Baneberry, Waterton Lakes National Park
Two of the Nanton grain elevators
One of Nanton's grain elevators
Beyond the fence
One of my favourite views
Pinedrops
Farm cat
A mix of textures
Dreaming of spring
Winter textures
Winter in the Nanton, Alberta, area
Non-wild horses in a wild landscape
Two of a family of three
The beautiful mountains of Alberta
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse - not my main photo!
Sleeping in the sunshine
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Northern Shrike / Lanius excubitor
Afternoon light on the foothills
Nanton Christmas Bird Count
A well looked after barn
Open wide - big yawn
Sunrise colour over the mountain peaks
A welcome sight on a Christmas Bird Count
This was the only way
Christmas star
Beautiful farm cat
Following the fenceline
Christmas stars
Pine Grosbeak in winter sunshine
Winter on the farm
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Harlequin Duck / Histrionicus histrionicus
HAPPY snowy CANADIAN THANKSGIVING!
Last night, I came across this photo in one of my photo folders and discovered that I never posted it on flickr. I remember being taken aback when I first saw the image after downloading it to my computer, as I had never expected it to look quite like this. Of course, the background does make it more difficult to see the beautiful Harlequin Duck, but that's OK. We were so lucky to see this striking bird and so close.
"The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (French Arlequin, Italian Arlecchino), a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", "actor". In North America it is also known as lords and ladies. Other names include painted duck, totem pole duck, rock duck, glacier duck, mountain duck, white-eyed diver, squeaker and blue streak.
These birds feed by swimming under water or diving. They also dabble. They eat molluscs, crustaceans and insects. Harlequins have smooth, densely packed feathers that trap a lot of air within them. This is vital for insulating such small bodies against the chilly waters they ply. It also makes them exceptionally buoyant, making them bounce like corks after dives." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_duck
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/harlequin_duck/id
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went on 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made our way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening.
As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton again, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.
Supper on Monday was at Zum's restaurant - an interesting place with walls covered with old vehicle licence plates. Apparently, people send them to the restaurant from so many places, near and far. The food was good and, next morning, after a short drive to see what we could find, we returned there for a good breakfast.
Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. The temperature got up to 20C on our way home.
Last night, I came across this photo in one of my photo folders and discovered that I never posted it on flickr. I remember being taken aback when I first saw the image after downloading it to my computer, as I had never expected it to look quite like this. Of course, the background does make it more difficult to see the beautiful Harlequin Duck, but that's OK. We were so lucky to see this striking bird and so close.
"The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (French Arlequin, Italian Arlecchino), a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", "actor". In North America it is also known as lords and ladies. Other names include painted duck, totem pole duck, rock duck, glacier duck, mountain duck, white-eyed diver, squeaker and blue streak.
These birds feed by swimming under water or diving. They also dabble. They eat molluscs, crustaceans and insects. Harlequins have smooth, densely packed feathers that trap a lot of air within them. This is vital for insulating such small bodies against the chilly waters they ply. It also makes them exceptionally buoyant, making them bounce like corks after dives." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_duck
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/harlequin_duck/id
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went on 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made our way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening.
As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton again, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.
Supper on Monday was at Zum's restaurant - an interesting place with walls covered with old vehicle licence plates. Apparently, people send them to the restaurant from so many places, near and far. The food was good and, next morning, after a short drive to see what we could find, we returned there for a good breakfast.
Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. The temperature got up to 20C on our way home.
Jeff Farley, Narvik 08 have particularly liked this photo
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Love the narrative and the crispness of the shot,
Anne Elliott club has replied to Jeff FarleySign-in to write a comment.