Bobolink male / Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Yesterday evening, 27 June 2019, I was out at a birding meeting. As well as being a chance to get together with friends, it was also a surprise celebration for the 90th birthday of the wife of our main Naturalist. Everyone loves Aileen - a very smart lady who knows so much about birding and botany and all sorts of other things. She is always the same, every time you see her, so welcoming and sweet, yet a very strong person. We are all in awe that she is still able to occasionally join us for a walk or even a trip - if she is not too busy with something else! Her husband, our Naturalist, at the age of 87, can still out-walk many of us (me definitely included!). No one knows how he manages to organize so many birding walks, botany walks, out-of-town day or half-day trips, and endless other activities such as caring for their double-lot garden in which they grow a lot of vegetables (and, of course, flowers, including so many native plants).

As well as celebrating Aileen's birthday, we also watched an excellent, beautifully-filmed and produced video titled "Birding and Botany on the Southern Alberta Walk with Gus Yaki” by Marshall Netherwood, who accompanied Gus and others on a cross-Alberta "walk" a while ago. This video held one's attention every second. It was also announced last night that Gus has just been awarded some special award for all the volunteering he does, and has done for so many years.

Oh, boy, what weather we had yesterday! I got caught in a heavy rainstorm on the drive home from the meeting. Little did I know that other roads around me were badly flooded! Only today did I see photos and videos of the roads that had turned into rivers. There is flooding in the city and in lots of places in Alberta. Much as we need moisture, especially the farmers, we definitely do not need serious flooding.

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Sorry for flooding my photostream with photos of Wilson's Snipe and Mountain Bluebirds. Decided to keep them more or less together, rather than posting them here and there. I still have a few images from a couple of very recent short walks, but I also have several walks and trips that are coming up soon. I suspect my Texas photos are not going to get done for some time yet! Also, I have just bought a slide/negative scanner for a big project that I have been asked to do. Hope it doesn't take me forever to learn how to use it : )

The extra 12 photos posted this afternoon are photos taken on 23 June 2019 in my "usual" area, on my way home from the annual Ghost Watershed Alliance botany walk and BBQ. After a birdless day, I knew I would be able to find a few birds closer to home. I hadn't really expected to find a Bobolink, so this was an extra treat.

"Perched on a grass stem or displaying in flight over a field, breeding male Bobolinks are striking. No other North American bird has a white back and black underparts (some have described this look as wearing a tuxedo backwards).

Added to this are the male’s rich, straw-colored patch on the head and his bubbling, virtuosic song. As summer ends he molts into a buff and brown female-like plumage. Though they’re still fairly common in grasslands, Bobolink numbers are declining." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bobolink/id

"The Bobolink inhabits Canada's grassland and agricultural areas from the interior of British Columbia to the east coast. Relative to 1970 levels, this species has shown a large decrease across most of its range, with the exception of the Prairie Potholes Bird Conservation Region where populations have changed little. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada assessed the Bobolink as Threatened in 2010 (COSEWIC 2010d). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada."

www.ec.gc.ca/soc-sbc/oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2014&sL=...

That day, 23 June, was a fun day, despite the fact that it was raining a good part of the time. It was the annual Ghost Watershed Alliance walk, which ends with a delicious fundraiser BBQ at noon. This botany walk, through the forest and along the top of the cliff by the Ghost River, is led by our main Naturalist, Gus Yaki, and hosted by Erik Butters. I can't remember how many of these events I have been to over the years, but certainly a few.

I like to drive myself out there, as I then have the choice to drive somewhere else when all is finished, if I have any energy left. Exactly what I did, enjoying myself photographing Mountain Bluebirds, a Wilson's Snipe, and the Bobolink which was unfortunately perched on a high wire. Better than nothing, though.

It was a very early start to that day, as I wanted to allow about two hours' travel time. There has been some flooding in certain areas and I wasn't sure if there might be a road or two blocked off. As it turned out, I reached the meeting place in plenty of time, so drove a bit further to see what I could find. Just an attractive, old wagon that I have seen before, and some adorable, new calves in one of the fields.