Interesting places in Fish Creek Provincial Park:

Spruce Meadows		Chaparral
Sundance		Community of Lake Bonavista
Hotel Super 8 Calgary/Shawnessy		Shawnessy
Shawnessy Mall		Evergreen
Midnapore Lake		Midnapore
Millrise		Shawnee Slopes
Shannon Terrace		Community of Queensland
Bebo Grove		Silverado
Fish Creek-Lacombe C-Train station		Sikome Lake
Deer Run		Sundance on the Green
Husky Station		McKenzie Meadows Golfclub
Bridlewood		Shawnessy C-Train station
Somerset-Bridlewood C-Train station

the Fish Creek Provincial Park is part of Calgary .

Location is derived from the great work of WikiMapia
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Top photos chosen by u all:

American Robin
Made by annkelliott
A colourful American Robin that happened to be perched on an eye-level branch, south of the Bow Valley Ranch, two days ago. A handful of these birds do overwinter here, but now they are back in larger numbers, which always feels good. This morning, I went for a walk with friends in Weaselhead - not a huge number of birds to be seen, though we did have a very distant Great Blue Heron fly overhead. Two Swans flew over, high up, when we were standing in the parking lot, and we saw about six Swans down in the open channel of water, viewed from North Glenmore Park. A few American Tree Sparrows plus the usual - Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker. Received an e-mail from one of my friends in England letting me know that 12 large boxes of belongings were collected from my brother's house today, ready to be shipped to Calgary. Not sure, but I think each box is about the size of a large fridge/freezer (30 cu ft)?! Can you believe that my friends have packed everything themselves (after going through everything that belonged not only to my brother, but to my parents, as well, and checking with me exactly which items I wanted to keep!)? It never went through my mind that they would do this. I had just assumed that a packing company would be brought in and would see to everything. One of my friends was with a packing/shipping company for 30+ years, so I was thinking that he would know exactly who to bring in. This means only one thing - I HAVE to get a move on and start sorting and clearing my basement. I have room for maybe one box at the moment, lol! Doing this sort of thing causes great pain in my body, so I know I can only do a certain amount at a time. Wish I could just keep at it until it's finished, but I have to spread it out. Also, very soon now, my brother's house will be up for sale, so I will have to deal with that, as well as all the arrangements and forms to be filled out in connection with Customs and the Bank. Soon, very soon, my amazing friends will be able to get back to their own lives - knowing that they have all done an unbelievably great job the last three and a half months. Their shiny halos will be dazzling! www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_robin/id Just checked out weather forecast before turning off my computer (12:15 a.m. midnight). OK, you can blame me - I washed my car today for the first time in months! Close to 10 cm of SNOW from Tuesday Overnight to Wednesday Overnight.


Translucence
Made by annkelliott
Found this beautiful little disintegrating mushroom down in Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on August 16th. I know it looks huge in my macro shot, but it was only small. There were several of them not far from the base of a tree. Love how the cap curls upwards and the sun can shine through the gills. It feels so nice and relaxing just sitting here at my computer for a short while this afternoon. My newish neighbour's dog isn't barking at this very moment (perhaps it wore itself out, barking till 2:40 a.m. this morning!). I hadn't had a chance to catch my neighbour, to bring up the subject of his unhappy dog driving me nuts - but then this morning, he came out of his place just as I arrived home from a walk all morning in Fish Creek Park. Apparently, he has two little dogs in there, one doesn't bark at all and the other he has been trying different things to stop her barking. Said he might just start using a sedative rather than have to give the dog away. Anyway, we had quite a long chat, so hopefully he can quieten his dog (well, he'd better, LOL!). I didn't get to sleep till around 4:00a.m., then overslept by an hour and a quarter and arrived late to meet friends for our walk. Before that, I had waited for part of Tuesday afternoon at a Walk-in Clinic just to see a doctor to get a prescription refill, followed in the evening by a whole fleet of fire engines (fire trucks) blaring their horns down my street and coming to a stop right outside my place (several came into our large parking area). This always scares me to death - if one condo goes up in flames, probably the whole building will be lost. Couldn't see what was going on as it was dark - all I could see were all the flashing lights. Then yesterday evening, after a very stressful (for all of us) volunteer afternoon shift, I found myself stuck in a traffic jam (thanks to an accident) that went part way across the city, and it took an hour and a half to inch my way to a talk at the University - arrived very late for that. So, it feels wonderful to just sit and quietly type - before I have to go out and take my dead vacuum cleaner to a repair store, collect my prescription (which they were out of on Tuesday) and hopefully see to another couple of errands. LOL, for some strange reason, all my overseas Christmas letters (which should have been mailed by now) haven't even been started : )


Made my day : )
Made by annkelliott
Yesterday late afternoon, I decided I would walk into Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park. When I eventually arrived, the heavens opened and I was soaked to the skin in just a few minutes. More rain today - to be expected, as this is our rainy season, but it's getting very monotonous and frustrating : ) Anyway, I was thirilled to come across at least part of the Great Horned Owl family there - Dad was sitting about head level and one of the two young ones was down on the bank of a flooded, steep ditch. I might post one shot of the fledgling, for my own record, but the quality is awful thanks to the torrential rain and very low light. Walking out of the park and back to my car, I couldn't believe my eyes when I noticed several Morel mushrooms at the edge of the very muddy area where huge trucks have been back and forth, working on the ponds. I suspect that the huge tires may have driven over some of these mushrooms, as several were broken off at the base of the stalk. I rescued this one and borrowed it till I go back to the area : ) Normally, this is something I would never do, but my camera had already got wetter than it should have been! Lol, I'm beginning to feel as though I'm the only person who has never eaten Morel mushrooms! I have several photo projects (requests) that I have just started working on - always very time-consuming, as many of you will know. One involves Save the Weaselhead, a group that is trying to prevent an enormous multi-lane road/bridge from being constructed right through the Weaselhead wildlife park. The city wants to build a western Ring Road and they think Weaselhead would be the way to go. This would be so devastating to both wildlife, flora and fauna, as well as to people. I've just started getting together photos of rare or uncommon/at risk species to be sent to Save the Weaselhead. I'm sure these photos won't mean anything to the City, but they might help encourage residents to fight even more to save this precious area that is enjoyed by so many people all year round. Unfortunately, I have three very long-day trips Friday (tomorrow), Saturday and Sunday, so won't be any good for anything for the next few days. Sounds like all three days will be raining : ( www.saveglenmorepark.com/index.php/situation


Two non-natives
Made by annkelliott
Have to love it when you happen to stumble upon a vibrant little Ladybug crawling on a neon-green Leafy Spurge plant. Sadly, both Leafy Spurge and the Seven-spotted Ladybug are non-native, invasive, doing so much damage to other species that are native to Alberta. Photographed at Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park. They do make a nice, bright photo, though : ) The Seven-spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) is probably our most familiar Lady Beetle, being found in gardens, parks and natural areas across the continent. It wasn't always this way though - this, large, attractive beetle was brought over in the 1950's from Europe to the eastern US to supplement the aphid-eating prowess of the native lady beetles. This hardy alien has since spread across the continent. There is concern that this alien lady beetle is causing a decline in some native lady beetle species, particularly of the once common Transverse Lady Beetle. Are the robust Seven-spots out-competing the natives, eating the eggs of the natives, spreading disease or hybridizing with natives? No one knows for sure, but it is another cautionary example of the dangers of introducing alien species. One thing that ecologically conscientious gardeners can do is to refrain from buying alien species as biological controls and purchase native ones instead. talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/index.php?s=1429 The Seven-spotted Ladybird Beetle was brought in from Europe in the hope that it would help control populations of pests like aphids. It is doubtful that it has made any real difference, but what has happened is some of our native species have suffered a decline in populations since the Seven-spotted was introduced, perhaps because the Seven-spotted outcompetes them. Two-spotted Ladybird Beetles are the ones that most often turn up in people's homes in winter. Perhaps the best solution to ensure the beetles survive is to take them to a greenhouse that uses biocontrol. www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/natural/insects/bugsfaq/ladybir... John Acorn's book, Ladybugs of Alberta, covers all 75 species of ladybugs found here in Alberta.


: )
Made by annkelliott
I dashed down to the park yesterday afternoon to try and get a few snowflake photos. Got an awful lot of blurry photos, but also maybe two or three that were just about sharp enough. This was the most complete snowflake that came out, but I wasn't sure about it on a black background. Not very Christmasy, so I'll keep a brighter shot of a slightly melted snowflake for a bit closer to Christmas. If you happen to think of it (you know, in between baking, cooking, shopping, wrapping, etc., etc., - yeah, right!), let me know which one you prefer. I just couldn't make up my mind which was my favourite of the two. It was slightly windy and, oh boy, does that make it harder to get anything that is so light and delicate in focus, LOL. I guess I should have taken my tiny, table-top tripod that I tend not to bother with any more. I loved it when I was trying to focus on a certain snowflake and another one with a completely different pattern, gently landed on it or nearby. What a magical world it was : ) I had such a lovely morning today - a Christmas get-together with a whole bunch of friends whom I hadn't seen for about a year and nine months!! My out-of-town botanizing trips are always on Fridays, so I've been unable to go these usual weekly get-togethers with friends. What a wonderfully warm, welcoming bunch of people they are - I'm very lucky to know these folks! I have to set my two alarm clocks and my kitchen timer for around 3:50 tomorrow morning - i.e. not all that much later than I normally get to bed! - as I have to be halfway across the city for 6:30 a.m., ready for travelling westwards with a few friends to do the Christmas Bird Count in Canmore (near Banff). Just hope I don't sleep through my alarms! I think it was three years ago that it was -30C on this Canmore Count and five hours of walking in it was not exactly fun : ) No bird photos, but I got some beautiful icicle shots, ha. The 2010 count is the National Audubon Society's 111th annual Christmas Bird Count! Sunday is the Calgary Christmas Bird Count, so it will be another early start.


Delicate on blue
Made by annkelliott
This is the second blurry photo I've uploaded today! I needed some vibrant colour today - we are still in our deep-freeze and according to the weather forecast, we have about four more days before temperatures become a bit more bearable. My camera must wonder what's going on and suffering feelings of rejection. I've been just too busy the last two weeks to go out, too sad, and when you see the windchill temperature is -31C (-24F), it just makes you want to stay home in the warmth with a steaming mug of coffee, anyway. Last night, I finally wrote the words I wish to be read at my Brother's funeral in England - not the easiest thing to do, of course, and this afternoon I have a rare-for-me, splitting headache that burns every time I cough. John's funeral should be sometime within the next ten days. This tiny snowflake, even though it's so blurry, soothes me a little today : ) Taken at Glennfield in Fish Creek Park on December 16th. I'm still hoping that we get this kind of fluffy snow again, but so thankful that I went down to the park that day. Later afternoon: just received an e-mail, saying: Three WHOOPING CRANES found Dead. Wildlife scientists at the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, have concluded through preliminary testing the cranes found dead near Albany, Georgia, on Dec. 30, 2010, sustained injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. The cranes were shot sometime before Dec. 30, 2010. They were discovered and reported by hunters. The three cranes, 20-10, 24-10, and 28-10, were part of a group of five 2010 Direct Autumn Release (DAR) cranes. According to Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership trackers, they had last been tracked in Hamilton County, Tennessee, where they roosted on December 10, 2010,with cranes 6-05, 6-09, and 38-09. How could anyone carry out such a despicable act - against any wildlife, but even more so against such a highly threatened species???


Into the West
Made by justpedalhard
View in LARGE Okay I have to admit I am photo addict now-call me crazy but I do. While everyone in the office left early yesterday for their Christmas break and some having their group lunch, I decided to be a little anti-social trip on my own and even worst gave up my 10K lunch run for this. The other day I was kicking myself not bring my camera, I just missed a phenomenal Chinook Arch formation on this area. And as I can see walking from my office to local YMCA for swim, I couldnt help wondering what its like on this spot. So yesterday I decided to go and dropped everything and drove for 5mins out here. Although I was bit disappointed not seing any Chinook Arch this time but luckily there is this thick clouds looming on the Rockies at Bragg Creek area. This time I tried an old technique I learned from John Shaw's Landscape book about Sunny f16. Althought I havent used it for years since my the days of SLR photography, I find this technique quite handy on a clear sunny day like this. Of course I have to do some little adjustment and at the end it didnt quite match the general rule of f16 @ 1/400. I think its because it's winter out here and the sun is always low on the horizon but it's still work. I think a part of me that draws to take road shots like this is A being cyclist. This stretch of highway is my playground during summer. We typically ride out here with my training buddy, Darryl, for our wednesday evening ride. This particular stretch you can easily whip it to more than 50Kph on aero bike on mild wind day! Although this shot looks pretty calm day but I tell you I wouldnt be excited on a bike on this stretch of road because of this 40K westerly gust! Canon Rebel XTi (400D) EF 50mm f1.4 - 2 Stitched Photo Panorama Artizen HDR Lock06\Photoreceptor Toned Photoshop HDRi Adjusted 22x West Calgary Alberta Canada


Master of stealth
Made by annkelliott
It has been such a long time since I took and posted a photo of a Coyote - when I am lucky enough to see them, they are always trotting across a distant field and I am in a fast-moving vehicle : ) However, yesterday, on a long morning walk in Fish Creek Park from Votier's Flats to the Marshall Springs area, we watched this beautiful Coyote. My friends walked ahead just a little way and missed a second one that appeared. I thought the Coyote in my photo was looking back down this path at a man walking his dog, and felt a little anxious, but I guess it was waiting for the other Coyote to catch up. I wonder if the person was even aware that he had just passed two very close Coyotes : ) I loved the trees in the background. Actually, this path leads straight uphill to a residential area off to the right. There are only two recorded fatalities in North America from coyote attacks. In 1981 in Glendale, California, a coyote attacked toddler Kelly Keen, who was rescued by her father, but died in surgery due to blood loss and a broken neck. In October 2009, Taylor Mitchell, a 19-year-old folk singer on tour, died from injuries sustained in an attack by a pair of coyotes while hiking in the Skyline Trail of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada. Recent studies have shown, however, that the large northeastern coyotes responsible for this attack may in fact be coyote-wolf hybrids (or coywolves) due to absorption of wolves when coyotes moved into eastern North America. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote To see a beautiful painting based on my image, please take a look at Randy's (neurandy on Flickr) artwork. Thanks so much for using one of my photos, Randy - you did a great job!


Coughing up a pellet
Made by annkelliott
A couple of evenings ago, when I was watching the Great Horned Owl family in Fish Creek Park, one of the owlets coughed up a pellet. However, instead of spitting it out, it swallowed it again, then coughed it up again, swallow, and so on, over and over again, LOL. I don't think I've ever captured a pellet being coughed up before. I also captured some funny expressions while it was doing this, with its face all screwed up, but it makes the face take on an almost human look, which was a little creepy. After a long morning walk at Carburn Park today, I called in to see my owls and then took just a short walk and found another pair of Great Horned Owls that I had been told about. Saw two adults but no sign of any young ones. Warning: this is a VERY heavily cropped image, so don't bother looking at large size, LOL. A pellet, in ornithology, is the mass of undigested parts of a bird's food that some bird species occasionally regurgitate. The contents of a bird's pellet depend on its diet, but can include the exoskeletons of insects, indigestible plant matter, bones, fur, feathers, bills, claws, and teeth .... Hawk and owl pellets are grey or brown, and range in shape from spherical to oblong or plug-shaped. In large birds, they are one to two inches long .... The hair, bones and other body parts (such as limbs, skin fragments, and even faeces) of rodents found in owl pellets may carry viable rodent viruses and bacteria. It is therefore advisable to sterilize pellets in a microwave oven before study. This is particularly important when using pellets at school. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellet_(ornithology)


Standing tall
Made by annkelliott
One of my favourite kinds of mushroom to photograph : ) They are so tiny (maybe three-quarters of an inch tall) and delicate and grow on leaf litter. This, and other similar ones, were found at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, on September 12th. Was out for a three hours+ walk from Votier's Flats to Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, this morning, to check for birds (and anything else, of course). We were thrilled to bits to see a tiny, pop-can sized Northern Pygmy Owl perched on the very top of a very tall Spruce tree! SO good to know that at least one of these little owls has returned to the same area. They have given us so much enjoyment the last three+ years. Two of us had a Northern Goshawk male fly right past us, not much above head height and very close. Such a magnificent bird of prey. It was one of those magical moments that you are so in awe of what is happening that you don't even think about trying to get a photo! Also watched a couple of Coyotes in the distance. The morning started off chilly, but the sun warmed us up later on and it felt so good to be out in this lovely October weather. I was walking in snow yesterday afternoon, west of the city, down Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66), LOL. It felt strange to be kneeling in snow to take photos of some little Split Gill fungi on a log, out at Maclean Pond. Much prefer the snow-free city paths, though snow is in our forecast in the coming week. I need to go and wash off all the mud from my vehicle in a short while, in case I do go ahead with arranging to get a remote car starter installed.


Mushroom wheel
Made by annkelliott
A little mushroom that I photographed in Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park on August 16th. It was growing from a small log on the ground. When I sat up, I discovered that I was being watched by a beautiful deer in the woods, standing maybe 12 feet away with her neck forward and her eyes watching every move I made. She must have wondered what on earth I was doing down on the ground, LOL! So cute. She hung around, feeding nearby, for several minutes, which was a really neat feeling. Have spent all day, leaving home about 5:50 a.m. and arriving home early evening, doing the Canmore Christmas Bird Count. Canmore is less than an hour's drive west of Calgary, near Banff, in the Rocky Mountains. A full day of walking, in the most amazing scenery and in temperatures around -21C, I think. I am absolutely worn out and it certainly didn't help that I left my glasses somewhere, either at a lady's house in Canmore or in someone's car. I need them for reading and the computer, so had to dash into Shopper's Drug Mart and grab a pair of non-prescription glasses. They seemed OK in the store, but I can't see that clearly now I'm at home and they are making me feel rather queasy. Oh, well, at least I can see better than without glasses. Not sure how on earth I'm going to get my glasses, but I'm really hoping I can get them before Christmas. So many people, so many pairs of winter boots and thick winter jackets, etc. that it's very easy to have something buried and missed. So annoying. Got the Calgary Christmas Bird Count tomorrow.


Hanging out with Mom
Made by annkelliott
This photo goes back to mid June of 2009. After all the time that has passed, I can't remember which owlet this was - the older one, or the youngest one that fell out of the nesting tree and remained down on the ground for maybe 8-10 days. I think it is perhaps the older of the two owlets. Mom's face looked so black - must have been from all the dried blood after feeding her two little ones. Though it looks like these owls were low down, they were in fact on quite a high branch. The light was not good, as you can tell : ) LOL, I'm paying the price for trying to cross a tiny creek yesterday morning. I just knew it was a tiny bit wider than I felt comfortable with. However, it was either jump or cross via several small rocks that could have been treacherously slippery. Either my jump was a bit too short or else the ice-grabbers on my winter boots caught the edge of the snowy bank, but I landed really heavily on my knees - which I always have problems with, so this was not a good thing! So, now I have two swollen, stiff and very painful knees - and I've been watching more TV than I ever normally do, avoiding having to climb upstairs to my computer : ) Later: it has been bothering me ever since I typed the above. So, I feel I must add that I am thankful for the pain in my knees after my fall, because it means that I HAVE two legs - something that so many people in Haiti can't say, after their devastating earthquake. My heart is with them.


Catching the light
Made by annkelliott
I'm posting my photos early today simply because I ended up staying up ALL night, working on my e-mail problem - and, after reading a really good article on Google, ended up fixing it myself!! 48 brand new e-mails flowed into my Inbox, some of which I needed to reply to straight away and others I must do today. I had considered going on a walk with friends this morning, but when I turned on my TV and saw that it was -22C, windchill - 28C, I decided that no bird was worth facing that, lol, especially after no sleep. I'd rather go for a short drive to get a break rather than three hours of being exposed to those temperatures : ) Yesterday, later afternoon, I did take a break - drove just a few of the back roads just south of Highway 22X, and took a few winter shots, including the other two images I've posted just now.. Wasn't out for long, but it was just what I needed. As it happened, the trees were covered in white and everywhere looked so pretty. I'd really overdone the mouse-clicking the last few days and my right hand was very painful - including when I tried to pick up a nectarine in Safeways - and couldn't : ) It was definitely time to tear myself away from my keyboard. Actually, I thought it was Thursday all day yesterday, not Wednesday, lol! Took this photo of a small mushroom at Shannon Terrace, the far west end of Fish Creek Park, on August 30th. Love it when the sunlight falls in just the right part of the forest : )


Thesium / Thesium arvense
Made by annkelliott
When you look up this plant's range in North America, you see a map showing that Thesium arvense (common name is Thesium) is found only in Montana and North Dakota. Somehow, the seeds of this tiny plant found their way (maybe in someone's pocket??) all the way to Fish Creek Park in Calgary : ) This seems to be the only record of this plant in Canada, which is pretty interesting. This tiny member of the Sandalwood family is a native of Eurasia. It had been a mystery plant to one of the main naturalists here, but, with a lot of research, I managed to track down the plant's ID. It is the tiniest plant, that you would never normally notice in amongst the grasses and other plants. I can barely see the individual flowers with my naked eye, but what tiny beauties they are when seen though a hand lens or macro lens. Both photos were taken at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, on July 4th. plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=THAR10 To help take my mind off all the other urgent things that are going on at the moment, my youngest daughter has just headed across the US to Savannah, Georgia, for a six-day break before starting a new job back here. The up-to-date weather forecast for Savannah: Hurricane Irene may affect the area Friday night! Sigh ....! I'm trying to forget that a huge interest she has had for most of her life is Disaster Planning, lol!!!


Lonesome guy
Made by annkelliott
Yay - I finally have Internet again!!! Was without it yesterday evening and night up till maybe 20 minutes ago (it's about 10:45 a.m. now). After my continuous computer problems the last 3+ weeks, I was beginning to think that this was yet another one, ha! I don't need any more stress!!! In the end, after trying the usual things, I phoned Shaw and found a recorded message saying that they were experiencing technical difficulties. I was so relieved - though it still made for a strange evening and night having no access to the Net. So, instead, I sat for hours and backed up more of my photo folders, really concerned and feeling more and more convinced that there was something deep-seatedly wrong with my computer - and now, this morning, I can barely lift my arms upwards. Looks like I will be living in my pjs and going with hair uncombed for the rest of the day ... sigh! Remember what life was like before the invention of computers, lol?? Does anyone have a spare day of relaxation that they would be willing to donate to a worthy cause (i.e. moi)? This fungus was growing on a rotting log at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, on August 30th. Thank goodness for archives : ) Today, our temperature is -22C (-8F), with a windchill of -34C (-29F). The windchill temperature seems to have stuck! Apparently, this has been an unusual winter. There have been more days of continuous snow cover than any on recent record.


Common Burdock / Arctium minus
Made by annkelliott
Yay - I finally have Internet again!!! Was without it yesterday evening and night up till maybe 20 minutes ago (it's about 10:45 a.m. now). After my continuous computer problems the last 3+ weeks, I was beginning to think that this was yet another one, ha! I don't need any more stress!!! In the end, after trying the usual things, I phoned Shaw and found a recorded message saying that they were experiencing technical difficulties. I was so relieved - though it still made for a strange evening and night having no access to the Net. So, instead, I sat for hours and backed up more of my photo folders, really concerned and feeling more and more convinced that there was something deep-seatedly wrong with my computer - and now, this morning, I can barely lift my arms upwards. Looks like I will be living in my pjs and going with hair uncombed for the rest of the day, ha! Remember what life was like before the invention of computers, lol?? Does anyone have a spare day of relaxation that they would be willing to donate to a worthy cause (i.e. moi)? Oh, and this is Common Burdock, photographed at Mallard Point, Fish Creek Park, on September 25th. Though it is an invasive weed, I find the plant quite attractive. The prickly heads of these plants (burrs) are noted for easily catching on to fur and clothing (being the inspiration for Velcro), thus providing an excellent mechanism for seed dispersal. From Wikipedia.


Bohemian Waxwing / Bombycilla garrulus
Made by annkelliott
These are such beautiful birds, usually looking very sleek. However, the windchill was something like -28C and when you sit still, you get cold, lol. At least, that's the way it works for humans. I finally made myself leave my computer yesterday morning and joined a handful of friends to go for a walk in Fish Creek Park. We met at Bow Valley Ranch and carpooled down the road to SIkome to search for the Great Horned Owls, which were nowhere to be found. Last year, after a devastating storm, many dozens of trees were destroyed in that area, and this unfortunately included the tree next to the owl's nesting tree. This means that there is no longer a close tree for when the owlets start learning to fly, so I have a feeling that they have moved. A pity, as last year's nesting tree was quite open (i.e. good for photographers). We then did a walk along the Bow River. By the Ranch, we saw 600+ of these gorgeous Bohemian Waxwings and I was lucky to manage to catch one sitting briefly on an open branch. The handful of shots I took of them in the Spruce trees came out very blurred and overexposed. No idea how I managed that, ha. Soon, the Bohemians will be gone and will be replaced by the Cedar Waxwings for the summer. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bohemian_Waxwing/lifehistory


Beaches
Made by Lemon Frosted
One of my first forays into portraiture, this is a photo from 2001. I can actually distinctly remember this day. For a little over a year following graduation photography was one of the few things keeping my life balanced. I fancied myself, at the time, a bit of an experimental photographer, preferring to play with angles, double exposures, long shutters, low light, and such. In retrospect I mostly just screwed around and took pictures of whatever i came across as I roamed town, so I have lots of photos of street signs, fire hydrants, manhole covers, and bus stops. This day, however, was one of the first days of the year that actually qualified as warm. The breeze still had a bit of a chill, but it was otherwise quite nice. Somewhere between getting up that morning and Brenda coming over to pick me up I decided that I wanted to take more pictures of people. As far as I was concerned at the time I'd mastered photos of fire hydrants, and there were only so many double exposures you could do, plus I had been reading The 35mm Handbook and was anxious to try out what I was learning. There happened to be a roll of Tri-X in the fridge that had been around for a while, so I abducted it for my own purposes. I can say I actually learned something from the results of that day. Kodak Tri-X Pentax MZ7 28-80mm kit zoom lens Lab processed


Bird's-nest Fungus
Made by annkelliott
I picked up one of the very small Bird's-nest Fungi to give an idea of its size, seen here against two of my fingertips. As you can see, two (or more?) of the spore-bearing eggs have not been dispersed (yet) by falling raindrops. Seen at Burnsmead a couple of days ago. Sorry, I'm behind with commenting - have been out so much, taking photos before the snow returns and stays. Should be safe from that happening for the next few days, thank goodness. Dashed over to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park this afternoon. Very muddy in the places I went and leaves are covering the ground now, making it almost impossible to see any small mushrooms that might still be around. It was a bit windy and the forest was full of creakings, scraping sounds, knocking sounds and rustlings. Sometimes, I later discover that it is a little squirrel making the noises, but it really creeped me out this afternoon, so I didn't go very far into the forest at all. Any day now, our extremely short fungi season will come to a complete end and I will suffer mushroom withdrawal symptoms for the next 10 MONTHS, LOL! Was out this evening at a talk on Butterflies. Will be out of the city all day tomorrow Friday), botanizing with a couple of friends, and then will be out all Saturday, too, with separate events in morning and afternoon.


Growing old gracefully
Made by annkelliott
An aging mushroom that I came across at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, on August 30th. Later: sorry, I'm not getting time to make more than a handful of comments. I've got a major problem with my E-mail again and have spent ALL my time copying and pasting hundreds and hundreds of very important e-mails, both Inbox and Sent, into Word Documents. Up till now, 3:15 A.M., I've been able to delete Sent e-mails after saving them, but I've just discovered that I can't delete any Inbox e-mails, which is a whole new problem. Still got way over 2,000 e-mails to deal with. Looks like I might have to get Shaw to fix this after all. The local Shaw technician was very helpful, but I'm stuck if I can't delete the Inbox e-mails myself, and I want to make sure I've got most things saved before I let someone do any remote deleting and fixing, ha.. Looks like I won't be doing much else for the next week (or 2?) or however long it takes me to cut and paste all the remaining messages. I'm not getting any new e-mails coming in, either, which is going to be a real problem, especially as far as communicating with my friends in England about my brother's belongings and, eventually, selling his house. These Error problems couldn't have come at a worse time .... sigh. Computers, lol!