Colour for an overcast day
Bee on Tall Larkspur / Delphinium exaltatum
Purple/Water Avens / Geum rivale
False Solomon's Seal
Wild Licorice?
Sainfoin / Onobrychis
Sainfoin / Onobrychis
Mountain Death Camas / Zigadenus elegans
Yellow Mountain-avens / Dryas drummondii
Cystoderma cinnabarina
Cystoderma cinnabarina
Bolete
Gaillardia
Mushroom growing on top of a tall tree stump
Sunflower, against a pink barn
A summer memory
Garden flower
Ice and bokeh
Nature's artwork
Domesticated Helmeted Guineafowl / "Numida meleagr…
The sunflower droop
Bighorn Sheep female
Red-winged Blackbird male / Agelaius phoeniceus
Wilson's Snipe
Red-winged Blackbird displaying
American Goldfinch male / Spinus tristis
Bighorn Sheep / Ovis canadensis
Bighorn Sheep / Ovis canadensis
Wilson's Snipe, having a stretch
Wilson's Snipe
Mountain Bluebird with Red-winged Grasshopper
Mountain Bluebird with food for his babies
Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird male
Wilson's Snipe / Gallinago delicata
Eastern Kingbird / Tyrannus tyrannus
Tree Swallow / Tachycineta bicolor
Eastern Kingbird
Red-winged Blackbird male / Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Kingbird / Tyrannus tyrannus
Mountain Bluebird female / Sialia currucoides
Eastern Kingbird / Tyrannus tyrannus
Wilson's Snipe / Gallinago delicata
Black Tern / Chlidonias niger
Mountain Bluebird male / Sialia currucoides
American Goldfinch female / Spinus tristis
Yellow Warbler / Setophaga petechia
Mountain Bluebird male
Mountain Bluebird female
Mountain Bluebird male
Mountain Bluebird male / Sialia currucoides
Yellow-headed Blackbird / Xanthocephalus xanthocep…
Yellow-headed Blackbird / Xanthocephalus xanthocep…
Day 6, Great-tailed Grackle male / Quiscalus mexic…
Day 6, White-tipped Dove / Leptotila verreauxi
Day 6, Plain Chachalaca / Ortalis vetula
Day 6, Cardinal female / Cardinalis cardinalis
Day 6, Cardinal male, National Butterfly Centre, S…
Day 5, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, King Ranch, Nori…
Day 5, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, King Ranch
Day 5, Thistle, King Ranch, Norias Division, South…
Mountain Bluebird male / Sialia currucoides
Tree Swallow male / Tachycineta bicolor
Day 4, Silver argiope / Argiope argentata, Bishop…
Day 4, Aloe vera, Bishop City Park, South Texas
Day 2, Turkey Vulture / Cathartes aura
Day 1, Thistle / pink form of Cirsium horridulum,…
Day 1, Thistle / Cirsium horridulum, southern Texa…
Day 1, Thistle sp., southern Texas
Day 1, Thistle sp., southern Texas
Day 1, Thistle sp., southern Texas
Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus
Wilson's Snipe - from the archives
Great Gray Owl - from the archives
Great Gray Owl - from the archives
Northern Pygmy-owl - from the archives
A face only a mother could love
Short-eared Owl - from January
Helmeted Guineafowl
Eastern Kingbird, from my archives
Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus
Long-eared Owl / Asio otus
Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus
Day 11 FINISHED, catkins, Tadoussac
See also...
Trip to Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, 11 July 2019
Trip to Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, 11 July 2019
Keywords
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Swainson's Hawk, immature
"July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission." People are remembering this exciting, successful event this week. I was trying to remember where I was when this all took place, so I checked. In the week before, we flew from Seria, Brunei, Borneo, back to England for a short while. On the journey from Borneo, we spent 6th - 13th July in Hong Kong, then in Rome, Italy, from 14th - 18th July, arriving in Birmingham, England, at my parents' house on 18th July. We ended up in Holland in October 1969 and returned to Borneo about a week before Christmas 1969. So, I am guessing that we were with my parents when the Moon Landing took place. My parents never had a TV, and I can't remember if we watched it at any friend's house. So much packing, travelling and chaos : )
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On 11 July 2019, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Total distance driven was 461 km, leaving home at 8:45 am and arriving back home 12 hours later, at 8:45 pm. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, to make sure I don't lose the courage to do this.
Weather-wise, it was a beautiful, sunny day, with plenty of white clouds Unlike when I did this drive in August 2018, there was no smoke from any wildfires, thank goodness.
It was a good day for Hawks, seeing some on the way south and a few on the way home. I did spot one Ferruginous Hawk, but it was perched on a very distant fence post. I'm also wondering if one of the 'hawks' was actually an immature Golden Eagle - seen in photo #4 posted this morning. I saw it from a fair distance and I remember thinking what a large hawk it was. Stopping at an angle in the middle of the road, I managed to get one shot before it took off and a couple just as it was doing so.
A couple of Common Nighthawks also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally in 2017, I managed to find four of them. In 2018, I was able to find just one. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. Very strange looking birds, and always a thrill to see one.
"On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id
"North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."
www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...
My actual destination on 11 July 2019 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken.
This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too.
I love the changing scenery as one drives south, and my drive was timed perfectly to catch the golden Canola fields. Maybe half way, I pulled over to take a few photos of an old barn and there was a truck just pulling away. I thought the guy might have been taking photos, too. We got talking and one of the things we both said was that we had never seen a blue field of Flax Later in my drive, guess what I found : ) Looked beautiful, with blue on one side of the road and a field of yellow Canola on the opposite side.
This was definitely a rewarding day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On 11 July 2019, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Total distance driven was 461 km, leaving home at 8:45 am and arriving back home 12 hours later, at 8:45 pm. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, to make sure I don't lose the courage to do this.
Weather-wise, it was a beautiful, sunny day, with plenty of white clouds Unlike when I did this drive in August 2018, there was no smoke from any wildfires, thank goodness.
It was a good day for Hawks, seeing some on the way south and a few on the way home. I did spot one Ferruginous Hawk, but it was perched on a very distant fence post. I'm also wondering if one of the 'hawks' was actually an immature Golden Eagle - seen in photo #4 posted this morning. I saw it from a fair distance and I remember thinking what a large hawk it was. Stopping at an angle in the middle of the road, I managed to get one shot before it took off and a couple just as it was doing so.
A couple of Common Nighthawks also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally in 2017, I managed to find four of them. In 2018, I was able to find just one. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. Very strange looking birds, and always a thrill to see one.
"On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id
"North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."
www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...
My actual destination on 11 July 2019 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken.
This Centre is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too.
I love the changing scenery as one drives south, and my drive was timed perfectly to catch the golden Canola fields. Maybe half way, I pulled over to take a few photos of an old barn and there was a truck just pulling away. I thought the guy might have been taking photos, too. We got talking and one of the things we both said was that we had never seen a blue field of Flax Later in my drive, guess what I found : ) Looked beautiful, with blue on one side of the road and a field of yellow Canola on the opposite side.
This was definitely a rewarding day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day!
Janet Brien has particularly liked this photo
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