Canon SX60

Yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful female (or young) Moose who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing her. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. She was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left her. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though. This morning, I have posted 10 photos from yesterday's drive - mainly just odds and ends. Still more that I want to upload, so that I can get back to dealing with photos from a number of other recent trips. Sorry to flood Flickr.

Yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful female Moose who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing her. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. She was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left her. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though. This morning, I have posted 10 photos from yesterday's drive - mainly just odds and ends. Still more that I want to upload, so that I can get back to dealing with photos from a number of other recent trips. Sorry to flood Flickr.

Yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful female Moose who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing her. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. She was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left her. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though. This morning, I have posted 10 photos from yesterday's drive - mainly just odds and ends. Still more that I want to upload, so that I can get back to dealing with photos from a number of other recent trips. Sorry to flood Flickr.

Yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful female (or young?) Moose who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing her. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. She was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left her. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though. This morning, I have posted 10 photos from yesterday's drive - mainly just odds and ends. Still more that I want to upload, so that I can get back to dealing with photos from a number of other recent trips. Sorry to flood Flickr.

The flowers of Northern Bedstraw are small (3 mm wide), white, fragrant, have 4 petals and are shaped like a cross. www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/northern-bedstraw The day before yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful Moose (probably a young one from last year) who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing it. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. It was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though.

This grass species is non-native and is an invasive weed, found in so many places, preventing native species from growing. I tend to forget that grass can have flowers, and I always find the Brome flowers quite fascinating. The day before yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful Moose (probably a young one from last year) who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing it. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. It was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though.

The day before yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful Moose (probably a young one from last year) who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing it. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. It was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though.

How wonderful it feels to have a cooler morning! A short while ago, it was just 11C, now 15C just before noon. Finally, I can get some cooler air inside my place. The last two days, I have had to go out in my car just to get the relief of air-conditioning. Yesterday, I more or less repeated my drive from the previous day, except that I called in at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to see if there was any sign of fungi growing. It is still not the peak of the fungi season, so I was not too hopeful. I barely entered the forest, as it still gives me the creeps, - Bears, Cougar and Moose are seen there, and I have been told so many times not to go by myself. So far, I have only seen a very large Moose. I did find a cluster of very tiny mushrooms ad several clumps of orange Coral Fungus in their usual location. Took a few wildflower shots, too, which I don't do very often these days, unlike a few years ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavarioid_fungi

How wonderful it feels to have a cooler morning! A short while ago, it was just 11C, now 15C just before noon. Finally, I can get some cooler air inside my place. The last two days, I have had to go out in my car just to get the relief of air-conditioning. Yesterday, I more or less repeated my drive from the previous day, except that I called in at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to see if there was any sign of fungi growing. It is still not the peak of the fungi season, so I was not too hopeful. I barely entered the forest, as it still gives me the creeps, - Bears, Cougar and Moose are seen there, and I have been told so many times not to go by myself. So far, I have only seen a very large Moose. I did find a cluster of very tiny mushrooms ad several clumps of orange Coral Fungus in their usual location. Took a few wildflower shots, too, which I don't do very often these days, unlike a few years ago. I always enjoy coming across Purple Avens, at any stage. This photo shows the flower in seed. The fruit is a dry seed with a 1-inch plume, often feathery on the upper half. "Geum rivale, the water avens, is a flowering plant of the family Rosaceae. Other names for the plant are nodding avens, drooping avens, cure-all, water flower and Indian chocolate.[1] It is native to much of Europe, with the exception of Mediterranean areas, as well as some parts of Central Asia and North America. In North America, it is known as purple avens. It grows in bogs and damp meadows, and produces nodding red flowers from May to September. The plant is a native perennial of slow-draining or wet soils and can tolerate mildly acidic to calcareous conditions in full sun or under partial shade. Habitats include stream sides, pond edges, damp deciduous woodland and hay meadows." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geum_rivale acrre.ualberta.ca/acrre/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2018/...