A fine old barn
A splash of much-needed red
Little red barn on the prairie
Christmas remnants
A new find on a bitterly cold day
Fenced in
Painted Tongue / Salpiglosis
Modern charm
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Home of the Snowshoe Hare
The best colour to see in winter
Time for an old barn again
When the clouds roll in
Male beauty
Barn-shaped mailbox
A fine old barn
Poppy art
Just a splash of colour
The Famous Five from a distance
Farmyard scene on the prairie
Tropical - cultivar of Tillandsia ionantha?
Little red barn with green roof
Balsam Poplar male catkins
Balsam Poplar male catkins
Balsam Poplar catkins
Gaillardia on red
And then there were only THREE!
Bright and cheery in its old age
Old cabin on Gottlob Schmidt's (Schmitty's) land
Rural decay
Little red cabin
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Strawberries and Cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Autumn berries
Hiding between the rocks
Ice crystals on a mountain top
An endless feast for a Ladybug
Red beauty on a scree slope
Fall colour
A welcome splash of red
TV's "Heartland" series location
Red's the best in winter
A splash of colour on a snowy day
Snow turns something ordinary into beautiful
Mailbox or birdhouse?
Modern - but I like it
The peace of a prairie farm - my main photo today
The old-fashioned way
The Sickener / Russula emetica?
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Bananaquit / Coereba flaveola, Tobago
Ixora, Blue Waters Inn, Tobago
Splash of colour
Torch Ginger / Etlingera eliator, Trinidad
Torch Ginger / Etlingera elatior, Asa Wright Natur…
Hot Lips / Psychotria poeppigiana, Asa Wright Natu…
They were gone, but now 'they' are back
Splash of colour, Trinidad
Powder Puff flower / Calliandra, Trinidad
Torch Ginger, Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad
Aphelandra sinclairiana, Asa Wright Nature Centre,…
Splash of colour
A pot full of colour
Pine Grosbeaks adding colour to our winter
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Remnant of the old days
The rule of red
With a view of the mountains and the prairies
Old-aged matching colours
New roof and a fresh coat of paint
A clash of colour
A beautiful old Ford
Colour for a snowy morning
Christmas colours in July
White-winged Crossbill / Loxia leucoptera
A favourite old barn
White-winged Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill / Loxia leucoptera
Moving into fall
Cone paradise
Mountain Ash berries
CL Ranches, Alberta
Jamaican Poinsettia / Euphorbia punicea
All decked out
Coffee Bean tree / Coffea
Indian Clock Vine / Thunbergia mysorensis
One of these things is not like the others
A splash of red
One of my favourite barns
European Mountain Ash / Sorbus aucuparia
A change of subject
It's beginning to look a lot like autumn
Strawberry Blite / Chenopodium capitatum
Red Baneberry / Actaea rubra, red berries
Too hard to resist
Unusual purple Striped coralroot / Corallorhiza st…
Canoes at Cameron Lake, Waterton
Utah Honeysuckle / Lonicera utahensis
Diabolo Ninebark
Summer colour
Red Rock Canyon, Waterton Lakes National Park
Red Rock Canyon, Waterton Lakes National Park
Clouds and Dandelions
Spiny Rose Gall
A touch of England
The Famous Five
A splash of red
One of my favourite barns
Little red barn on Mother's Day
A welcome splash of red
Red wagon by Bow Valley Ranch
Balsam or Hybrid Poplar catkins
Red barn in a beautiful setting
Simple but bright
Red barn in a field of gold
There once was an owl
A red prairie barn
The Famous Five again
No two are the same
A barn to be proud of
Guarding his barn
Red barn on a sunny day
A fine rural relic
A prairie view
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So pretty against the snow
![So pretty against the snow So pretty against the snow](https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/00/66/40860066.40a81d1e.640.jpg?r2)
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I think these gorgeous Pine Grosbeaks were the highlight of the day for me, five days ago. We had been told about a farm family who had lots of these Grosbeaks at their feeders, and we are so glad that we called in. We also saw a Gray Jay there, to add to our species list. My small group of 4 friends and myself, travelling in two cars, did see 5 Golden Eagles, too, which was a real thrill, but they were way off in the distance and I couldn't get any close photos like this one : ) Much as I prefer to not have feeder shots, I was still happy to get the chance to photograph these birds up close.
Some years, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton is held late in December. Other years, it ends up being held early January, sometimes delayed because of really bad weather. The Count that took place on 3 January 2016, was part of the 2015 Bird Count.
As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us this day. What you can't see was that it was very cold for the first part of the day, then warming up to a more pleasant cold later on! I think it was -21C when we started. Two year's ago, on the trip in January (for the 2013 Count, but delayed), on the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! Again, this year, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. Also, the only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms.
We drove through such beautiful scenery when we were covering the SW quadrant of the Christmas Bird Count circle that centered on the town of Nanton, Alberta. A landscape over which the occasional Golden Eagle soars (my small group saw 5!) and in which some years - but definitely not on this day! - numerous Sharp-tailed Grouse wander on the ground or perch in trees. I absolutely love this area SW of Nanton! Some of these backroads are extremely steep and almost look vertical when seen from a distance. Some years, the whole area is white, covered in deep snow, so that you can't tell where the roadside ends and the ditch begins. This Count, it wasn't too bad, thank goodness, though I might have felt differently if I had been one of the two drivers for our group!
Around lunch time, we returned to the Truch family's place as we were very nearby, and ate our lunch in the warmth of their cosy home.
After driving (being driven, for me, which is always pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 3:30 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts, and perhaps the most favourite.
Just before leaving for Calgary at the end of the day, we were shown the family's Llamas, two Donkeys, Peacocks, and several tiny white Quail. I should have taken photos of these animals when it was daylight - but maybe I can do it next year.
Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony and Andrew, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! It was another well-organized Count, Mike, as usual - thanks. Can't wait for next Christmas!
List of species seen by our small group, from Andrew Hart:
Nanton general area
Jan 3, 2016
8:45 AM
Traveling
113.00 km
360 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: -14 to +1 deg C sunny. Nanton CBC area D
32 Sharp-tailed Grouse
5 Golden Eagle
1 Bald Eagle
12 Rough-legged Hawk
50 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2 Eurasian Collared-Dove
8 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)
3 Northern Shrike
4 Gray Jay
100 Black-billed Magpie
28 Common Raven
16 Black-capped Chickadee
4 European Starling
2 American Tree Sparrow
105 Pine Grosbeak -- First 60 In a yard with feeders. Balance seen elsewhere along route. Another 35 in a yard off Williams Coulee.
3 White-winged Crossbill
220 Common Redpoll
4 Hoary Redpoll
40 House Sparrow
Number of Species: 20
Some years, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton is held late in December. Other years, it ends up being held early January, sometimes delayed because of really bad weather. The Count that took place on 3 January 2016, was part of the 2015 Bird Count.
As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us this day. What you can't see was that it was very cold for the first part of the day, then warming up to a more pleasant cold later on! I think it was -21C when we started. Two year's ago, on the trip in January (for the 2013 Count, but delayed), on the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! Again, this year, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. Also, the only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms.
We drove through such beautiful scenery when we were covering the SW quadrant of the Christmas Bird Count circle that centered on the town of Nanton, Alberta. A landscape over which the occasional Golden Eagle soars (my small group saw 5!) and in which some years - but definitely not on this day! - numerous Sharp-tailed Grouse wander on the ground or perch in trees. I absolutely love this area SW of Nanton! Some of these backroads are extremely steep and almost look vertical when seen from a distance. Some years, the whole area is white, covered in deep snow, so that you can't tell where the roadside ends and the ditch begins. This Count, it wasn't too bad, thank goodness, though I might have felt differently if I had been one of the two drivers for our group!
Around lunch time, we returned to the Truch family's place as we were very nearby, and ate our lunch in the warmth of their cosy home.
After driving (being driven, for me, which is always pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 3:30 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts, and perhaps the most favourite.
Just before leaving for Calgary at the end of the day, we were shown the family's Llamas, two Donkeys, Peacocks, and several tiny white Quail. I should have taken photos of these animals when it was daylight - but maybe I can do it next year.
Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony and Andrew, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! It was another well-organized Count, Mike, as usual - thanks. Can't wait for next Christmas!
List of species seen by our small group, from Andrew Hart:
Nanton general area
Jan 3, 2016
8:45 AM
Traveling
113.00 km
360 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: -14 to +1 deg C sunny. Nanton CBC area D
32 Sharp-tailed Grouse
5 Golden Eagle
1 Bald Eagle
12 Rough-legged Hawk
50 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2 Eurasian Collared-Dove
8 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)
3 Northern Shrike
4 Gray Jay
100 Black-billed Magpie
28 Common Raven
16 Black-capped Chickadee
4 European Starling
2 American Tree Sparrow
105 Pine Grosbeak -- First 60 In a yard with feeders. Balance seen elsewhere along route. Another 35 in a yard off Williams Coulee.
3 White-winged Crossbill
220 Common Redpoll
4 Hoary Redpoll
40 House Sparrow
Number of Species: 20
Jan Klimczak has particularly liked this photo
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