Two of a kind!

Here, today is Heritage Day, which is celebrated in Alberta on the first Monday of August each year. Although it is not a statutory holiday, many Canadians in Alberta use this day as an optional holiday to turn the weekend into a long weekend. Happy Heritage Day, everyone! Just checked for new photos from My Contacts (on Flickr) - a total of nine, that's all!

I love seeing and photographing Wilson Snipes, especially when they are perched on a fence post rather than on the ground. This time, it took me by surprise to see TWO of these gorgeous birds, when I went for a drive along the backroads SW of the city on 28 June 2014. These Snipes were not any of my usual ones, which made a nice change. As tends to happen, I left Calgary in sunshine and blue sky and ended up in rain, as you can see in my photo.

"These plump, long-billed birds are among the most widespread shorebirds in North America. They can be tough to see thanks to their cryptic brown and buff coloration and secretive nature. But in summer they often stand on fence posts or take to the sky with a fast, zigzagging flight and an unusual “winnowing” sound made with the tail." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wilsons_snipe/id

"Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a small, stocky shorebird. This species was considered to be a subspecies of the Common Snipe (G. gallinago) until 2003 when it was given its own species status. Wilson's Snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of the typical seven of the Common Snipe. Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson's_snipe

According to Fisher and Acorn's book, "Birds of Alberta", "the common Snipe is both secretive and well camouflaged, so few people notice it until it flushes suddenly from a nearby grassy tussock. As soon as the Snipe takes to the air, it performs a series of quick zigzags - an evasive maneuver designed to confuse predators. Because of this habit, Snipes were among the most difficult birds to shoot (in the days when shorebirds were hunted for sport), and skilled sportsmen were known as "snipers" - a term later adopted by the military."

youtu.be/Z16CUdX2g5Q