Day 8, Lapland Longspur, Quebec
Day 8, Snow Goose
Day 8, Snow Goose / Anser caerulescens
Day 10, American Goldfinch male
Day 10, White-throated Sparrow
Prairie Falcon - Status: SENSITIVE, Species of Spe…
Day 10, White-crowned Sparrow
Day 12, Snow Geese, Cap Tourmente National Wildlif…
Day 12, migrating Snow Geese, Cap Tourmente
Snowy Owl 1st year male, Snowy Owl Prowl 2019
Long-eared Owl / Asio otus
Long-eared Owl / Asio otus
Juvenile Swainson's Hawk / Buteo swainsoni
Great Gray Owl - from the archives
Wilson's Snipe - from the archives
Burrowing Owl, ENDANGERED - from the archives
Great Gray Owl - from my archives
Day 7, Brown Anole (?) extending dewlap, southern…
Day 6, Green Jay / Cyanocorax yncas, southern Texa…
Day 6, Northern Cardinal male, southern Texas
Day 2, Savannah Sparrow, South Texas
Day 2, young White Ibis, Connie Hagar Cottage Sanc…
Day 4, Sedge Wren, Aransas Park
Day 4, Common Gallinule, Leonabelle Turnbull Birdi…
Day 4, Common Gallinule, Leonabelle Turnbull Birdi…
Day 4, Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Day 4, Royal Tern / Thalasseus maximus, Mustang Is…
Day 4, Royal Terns, Mustang Island, Texas
Day 4, Laughing Gulls, Mustang Island, Texas
Day 4, Royal Terns / Thalasseus maximus, Mustang I…
Day 5, Harris's Hawk, King Ranch, Norias Division
Day 5, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, King Ranch
Day 5, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, King Ranch, Nori…
Day 6, Cardinal male, National Butterfly Centre, S…
Day 6, Plain Chachalaca / Ortalis vetula
Day 6, White-tipped Dove / Leptotila verreauxi
Day 6, Plain Chachalaca / Ortalis vetula
Day 6, Great-tailed Grackle male / Quiscalus mexic…
Day 7, Northern Cardinal male
Eared Grebe / Podiceps nigricollis
Yellow-headed Blackbird / Xanthocephalus xanthocep…
Yellow-headed Blackbird / Xanthocephalus xanthocep…
Common Grackle after a bath
Lesser Scaup male / Aythya affinis
Mountain Bluebird female
Baltimore Oriole / Icterus galbula
Baltimore Oriole / Icterus galbula
Mountain Bluebird male / Sialia currucoides
Mountain Bluebird female / Sialia currucoides
Red-winged Blackbird male / Agelaius phoeniceus
Cedar Waxwing / Bombycilla cedrorum
Rare Thirteen-lined Groundsquirrel / Ictidomys tri…
Cedar Waxwing
Mountain Bluebird with Red-winged Grasshopper
Wilson's Snipe
Osprey with fish
Osprey with fish
Osprey with fish
Osprey with fish
Columbian Ground Squirrel / Urocitellus columbianu…
Eared Grebe / Podiceps nigricollis
Barn Swallow / Hirundo rustica
Coot juvenile
Llama
Llama in winter
Evening Grosbeak male, Priddis Count
Farm cat, High River Christmas Bird Count
Day 7, American Robin, Tadoussac
Day 9, White-crowned Sparrow, Tadoussac
Day 6, Swainson's Thrush, Tadoussac Golf Course
Day 6, White-crowned Sparrow, Tadoussac
Day 10, American Goldfinch female, Tadoussac
Day 10, American Goldfinch male, Tadoussac
Day 4, Baltimore Oriole, The Tip, Point Pelee
Day 4, Prothonotary Warbler, Point Pelee - ENDANGE…
Yes, it's the American Dipper again
Great Horned Owl
American Dipper
Time to feed
Friendly horse
Unknown duck species (domestic)
Unidentified domestic Duck
American Dipper / Cinclus mexicanus
American Dipper / Cinclus mexicanus
Domestic duck, unidentified
Day 2, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Rondeau PP Visitor'…
Day 2, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Rondeau Provincial…
Day 2, Tree Swallow, Rondeau PP
Yellowlegs - Lesser or Greater?
Snow Leopard / Panthera uncia
Rufous Hummingbird male / Selasphorus rufus
Black-necked Stilt (juvenile?)
Swainson's Hawk watching for its next snack
Wood Duck male / Aix sponsa
Wood Duck male / Aix sponsa
Spooked by a barking dog
Black-necked Stilt (juvenile?) / Himantopus mexica…
Me and my dad
Common Nighthawk / Chordeiles minor - threatened s…
Osprey number 2 / Pandion haliaetus
Thirsty Bighorn Sheep
Pine Siskin
Pine Siskin taking a bath
Pine Siskin
American Coot
Common Wood-Nymph / Cercyonis pegala
Mountain Bluebird with food for his babies
Ruddy Duck male
Chameleon
Black Bear seen from the bus
American Goldfinch male
Cedar Waxwing / Bombycilla cedrorum
Purple Martin, Ellis Bird Farm, Alberta
The start of a great day
Swainson's Hawk take-off
Clark's Nutcracker / Nucifraga columbiana
American Wigeon
Hummingbird at feeder
Cinnamon Black Bear, Waterton Lakes National Park,…
Red-winged Blackbird male
Yellow Warbler / Setophaga petechia
Calliope Hummingbird / Selasphorus calliope
American Robin, Pt Pelee, Ontario
Wilson's Snipe
That's quite the nest, at Pt Pelee, Ontario
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211 visits
Overload of Llamas : )
I am adding these eight photos late tonight. All of the photos were taken on 29 December 2018, when four of us (using just one car) took part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Cochrane Wildlife Reserve area. I'm not sure why it's called Wildlife Reserve, as it consists of regular back roads and farms just like on our other Counts. The area our group covered was right on the east edge of the count circle.
One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. Some farms have one or more donkeys/llamas, as they are good for keeping coyotes away.
"Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.
Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped.
"The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.
modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica
Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves:
www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html
www.tannasenvironmental.com/
www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm
A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )
The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C.
A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated,
Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.
One of my absolute favourite things to photograph on this annual Count are the Llamas at one of the farms. This farmer has seven of these large, amusing animals, and they are always one of the highlights of this Count for me. Most of these animals were given to him by other farmers who no longer wanted them. Some farms have one or more donkeys/llamas, as they are good for keeping coyotes away.
"Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America and Asia about 3 million years ago. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago) camelids were extinct in North America. As of 2007, there were over 7 million llamas and alpacas in South America and, due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 100,000 llamas and 6,500–7,000 alpacas in the US and Canada." From Wikipedia.
Another of my favourite (very welcoming) farms to stop at had a beautiful, old dog named Fang, who sadly died this year. They have a "newer" dog who had just had leg surgery. Apparently, this Anatolian Shepherd is an amazing dog with the owner's young children. Three cats are also at the farm, but I didn't see any of them on this trip. The enthusiastic landowners work so hard in the area of native plants, growing various species in their greenhouses. Steven Tannas was excited to show us some of his new additions, too - pigs. I love pigs, but was totally unprepared to see large pigs that were covered in curly fur! His four pigs are called Mangalitsa pigs (also called Mangalica or Mangalitza) - I think three of them are Swallow-bellied Mangalica (black and blonde) and one is a Red Mangalica (reddish-brown). They are being fed left-over, expired grocery store vegetables, so were busily munching on a variety of nutritious squash. Apparently, babies are striped.
"The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa or Mangalitza) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. It was developed in the mid-19th century by crossbreeding Hungarian breeds from Szalonta and Bakony with the European wild boar and the Serbian Šumadija breed. The Mangalica pig grows a thick, woolly coat similar to that of a sheep. The only other pig breed noted for having a long coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England." From Wikipedia.
modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica
Steven runs Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.. One of their projects is the rough fescue (native grass) restoration project, which has been very successful over the past 7+ years. Check the links below to discover all the other things that Steven's work involves:
www.tannasenvironmental.com/about-us/our-history.html
www.tannasenvironmental.com/
www.nativeplantproducer-esrs.com/About-Us.htm
A nearby farm, which is also included in our area, has two beautiful old, red barns and I was longing to see these again. Unfortunately, no one was home, but I did get the chance to take four or five shots as we drove past them. I always wish we could find someone home, so that I could ask permission to get out of the car and take a few photos. Have to remember that this IS a bird count, not a barn count, so I feel very lucky to get any photos of any barns : )
The weather was so beautiful, with the temperature starting off at 0C and later getting up to about PLUS 8C. It was heavily overcast till noon and then brightened up and turned into a glorious afternoon. The Count last year (December 2017) was just the opposite, with a bitterly cold temperature of -23C.
A huge thank-you to the various landowners who were kind enough to allow us to wander round their farmyards. These visits make our day so much more interesting and rewarding! So many delightful people. One of our stops is especially welcoming each year - with coffee and cookies ready waiting, not to mention the use of a washroom, which is always greatly appreciated,
Thank you, Dave, for being willing to drive the four of us all day. Without drivers, these counts just would not be able to take place, so it is appreciated so much.
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