Ken Dies' favorite photos

C'est la "feuille morte du peuplier". Lepidoptera - Lasiocampidae.

Yesterday, I slept right through an hour of very loud music and then woke up nearly five hours later (around 11:30 a.m.)! As a result, I missed a trip with friends to a great place SW of the city, Brown-Lowery Provincial Park - one that I don't like going to on my own. Knowing that there would be other people in the area, I decided to still go, but not go very far into the forest on my own. Hopefully, the others would scare any Bears and Cougars out of the forest and not in my direction! To say that I could kick myself is to put it mildly! So much for hoping that other people would scare off any bears. When I arrived at the not particularly well-known natural forest, I signed the "guest book" as I often do. Before I turned the page to sign on a nice fresh page, I happened to read a comment that someone had written - a Black Bear had been seen that day, on the very trail I wanted to go on! I put the can of Bear Spray into my fanny-pack (can't use a backpack because of the rotator cuff inflammation in both my shoulders), but after a few steps, knew it felt just too heavy. Put it back in the car and instead, attached my bear bell to my camera strap and clutched a small air-horn in one hand. I only spent about an hour in the forest, but did not enjoy a single step of it, lol! I was determined to at least go a very tiny way in, having driven all the way there. Very thankfully, there was no sign of the bear - but also no sign of any mushrooms other than one tiny cluster of Pholiotas at the base of a tree stump. Absolutely nothing, despite recent rain. Maybe it's still too early, especially after such a late spring? Saw very little on the drive home - a couple of Hawks (one on a hay bale), a few Ravens and a few Crows, one Cedar Waxwing, and several very distant ducks. No sign of any Red-winged or Yellow-headed Blackbirds and no Wilson's Snipe. The Raven in this photo was not a local one, but one that friends Cathy and Terry, and I, saw on a 2-day trip to the mountains on 14 and 15 May 2014. I took so many photos of this bird - but nearly every time I clicked the shutter, it would turn its head away. Managed to get a handful of OK shots, though. These birds are always so fascinating to watch, especially knowing that they are very smart. This one was, of course, hoping for food - which it didn't get, I should add! When I see Ravens within the city, they are usually flying overhead or perched near the top of a very tall tree. Out in the mountains, they have, unfortunately, learned to follow people and like to hang out at stopping points. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_raven www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/id?utm_source=Co...

It was a sunny and warm day and the frogs in the pond were croaking. I cropped this picture because I couldn´t get closer without wet feet. Furthermore I put a texture on the picture and a frame, but the reflected clouds in the frogs eye are real. BEAUTIFUL LIFE!

We are seeing so few birds and so few species at the moment, when we go on our birding walks. There are no cones on many of the coniferous trees, meaning that there will be no food for birds such as Crossbills this winter, and birds such as Redpolls will be either non-existant or very low in numbers. It's not expected to be a good winter for Snowy Owls, either. That's why I say "Thank heavens for Chickadees"!! They are there to greet us, no matter what! Such tough little guys, though they are always only 24 hours away from death if they can't get enough fat stored into their body to last overnight. This was a lucky shot, taken through the snow-laden trees somewhere between Bebo Grove and Shannon Terrace in Fish Creek Park, on 29 October 2013. It makes you wonder what kind of numbers will be recorded for each species during the upcoming Christmas Bird Counts, within the city, but especially in surrounding areas such as High River, Drumheller and Cochrane. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Chickadee www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-Capped_Chickadee/id www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/10611446056

2 more pictures in notes above! :) About a week ago, I discovered some special mushrooms growing down by the road where I saw them last year. Because I know that these ones live for weeks, I didn't rush to take pictures, and instead waited for the right time. Well, today was the day! Steve had the camera on a photo shoot until this afternoon, which meant the sun was in the perfect placement for these mushrooms. In the morning the area is in deep shadow and only when the sun begins to dip towards the horizon does the light look just right for this area of the property. I took Moosie and Zoe with me and as I approached the spot, I noticed that there were other mushrooms too! Taking one look at the large, gorgeous mushrooms, I immediately plopped down and groomed the area for taking pictures while Moosie and Zoe had fun nosing around and exploring nearby. When I got home, I was very happy to find that there were many nice images to choose between, but in the end, I ended up merging two pictures: one with an aperture of 2.8 for a soft background, and one with an aperture of 16 for deep focus on this mushroom, which was about 6" tall! I used a Topaz filter called ReMask to get a clean mask around the mushroom and then placed it into the image with the 2.8 aperture. A bit of massaging to remove bits of the original mushroom, a bit more massaging to work the crisp mushroom into place, and voila! Picture of the Day! :) (If you are interested, Topaz Labs has a 30 day free trial for all of their products, including ReMask: www.topazlabs.com/downloads Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. Wikipedia: Rachel Carson Explored on October 20, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

Sometimes, the underside of a mushroom or a polypore is even more beautiful than the topside. This one has a coarse structure. Seen on August 13th either at the Bearberry Prairie Natural Area or adjoining Sundre Natural Area. Added on 13th December 2010: many thanks to Harvey Medland who suggested Polyporus Alveolaris for the ID. Actually, I've just noticed botany friend, Doug, who took photos of the same specimen, had given a similar ID - Polyporus Alveolaris s. lato. Thanks to both of you : )

This beautifully coloured fungus (a very coarse polypore) was growing on a branch at the Bearberry Prairie Natural Area or the adjoining Sundre Natural Area, on 13th August. Added on 13th December 2010: many thanks to Harvey Medland who suggested Polyporus Alveolaris for the ID. Actually, I've just noticed botany friend, Doug, who took photos of the same specimen, had given a similar ID - Polyporus Alveolaris s. lato. Thanks to both of you : )

Taken on 15 July 2013, when six of us spent a few hours botanizing the land belonging to Sarah Leete, NW of Cochrane (which is NW of Calgary). I thought this was a pretty little bell, standing alone and not overcrowded by others.