On golden pond
Curious, for a brief second
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Tree Swallow in April
Through the branches
Always love an owl
Just for the record
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Yesterday's treat
Sitting so pretty
Memories of last summer
Sora
Almost impossible to find
Tree Swallow
Tiny, bright-eyed Northern Pygmy-owl
Red-winged Blackbird displaying
The Poser - Spotted Sandiper
Love those legs
A different Great Horned Owl
A backwards glance
Safe with Mom
Dad on guard duty
"Two (owlets) out of three ain't bad"
Northern Pygmy-owl from 2011
Spotted Sandpiper with bokeh
Tired out Mom
How sweet is this?
The exotic White-faced Ibis
Time for nest building
A close look at a Coot
Preening her feathers
Deep inside a dark barn
American Coot
The art of building a nest
Button-eyes
Look, Mom, I can fly!
On golden pond
Black-necked Stilt
A good start to yesterday
Red-necked Grebe
Red-necked Grebe pair
Puffed up for warmth
Red-necked Grebe & reflection
Long-billed Curlew / Numenius americanus
The highlight of my day
Redhead beauty
A turn of the head
Tree Swallow on road sign
American Avocet
American Goldfinch
Franklins and the farmer
Eastern Kingbird
Love these little guys
Snack time for baby Coot
Collecting supper for her babies
A lovely splash of colour
American Goldfinch female with Sunflower seed
Eared Grebe / Podiceps nigricollis
Eastern Phoebe / Sayornis phoebe
A snack that is sure to tickle
Eared Grebe
Eastern Kingbird
Blue and banded
Me and my shadow
Quick march
Yesterday's treat
Adult and juvenile Three-toed Woodpeckers
Yellow-bellied Marmot gathering grasses
Time to relax
A touch of iridescence
I see a Sora
Cautious mother of twins
What big feet you have
The twins' Mom
The Wilson's Snipe - such a fine bird
Two of a kind!
Thankfully, not Mosquitoes
Gorgeous iridescent feathers
Mama Ruffed Grouse
Mating Spotted Asparagus Beetles
Some like wood, others like metal
Wilson's Snipe - what a beauty
Eared Grebe with young one
White-faced Ibis - very rare in Alberta
I saw a Sora
Thoughts of anything cold
A Snipe from last year
Throat-tickling supper
Black Tern on fence post
An over the shoulder look
Yes, yes, YES!
One less Grasshopper in the world
Great choice of fence post
Distant Lark Sparrow
A good poser
Blue-green iridescence
Eared Grebe
A two-legged Wilson's Snipe : )
Feeling blue
Sharing her catch
Time to catch supper
Coyote on the prowl
Wilson's Snipe
Eared Grebe
A highlight of our May Species Count
A different kind of perch
Little Bluebird on a snowy day
Dad, awake for a few minutes
Keeping an eye on those pesky Tree Swallows
Wind-ruffled feathers
A different kind of perch
A matching stripe
A cooperative Coot
A welcome sight
An element of trust
Mom at the nest
Building her nest
Beautiful catch
Growing older by the minute
Wood Duck pair
Peekaboo
Juicy snack for his babies
Snuggling up to Mom
Northern Shoveler / Anas clypeata
Mountain Bluebird from my archives
See also...
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Listening
The Yellow-bellied Marmot is classified as Secure in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report. Even so, I had never seen one, so this was a real treat to see several of these beautiful animals on the final day of a three-day trip down south. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, spent two days (26 and 27 August) in beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park, and on the third day (28 August), we drove eastwards for maybe a couple of hours, hoping to see these animals. Most of them were running backwards and forwards in the long grasses, so were not easy to photograph. Another couple of them were high up on the rocky hillside, and lower down was an adult with a young one, who was so cute : )
"Yellow-bellied marmots usually weigh from 1.6 to 5.2 kilograms (3.5 to 11.5 lb) when fully grown, though males typically weigh more than females. Adult males typically weigh between 3 to 5 kilograms (6.6 to 11.0 lb); females typically weigh between 1.6 to 4 kilograms (3.5 to 8.8 lb). They get fatter in the autumn just before hibernating.
Their territory is about 4 to 7 acres (2 to 3 ha) around a number of summer burrows. Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, coyotes, dogs and eagles.
Yellow-bellied marmots spend about 80% of their life in their burrow, 60% of which is spent hibernating. They often spend mid-day and night in a burrow as well. These burrows are usually constructed on a slope, such as a hill, mountain, or cliff. The hibernation burrows can be up to 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 ft) deep, but the burrows constructed for daily use are usually only 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. Their hibernation period varies on elevation, but it is typically from September to May.
Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal. The marmot is also an omnivore, eating grass, grains, leaves, flowers, legumes, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot
During our three days away, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton (where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon to the park, a few wildflowers, a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I was so happy to see these Marmots when we drove way east of the park and a bit later in the day, all three of us were so thrilled to find our very first two (possibly three) endangered Burrowing Owls. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently.
"Yellow-bellied marmots usually weigh from 1.6 to 5.2 kilograms (3.5 to 11.5 lb) when fully grown, though males typically weigh more than females. Adult males typically weigh between 3 to 5 kilograms (6.6 to 11.0 lb); females typically weigh between 1.6 to 4 kilograms (3.5 to 8.8 lb). They get fatter in the autumn just before hibernating.
Their territory is about 4 to 7 acres (2 to 3 ha) around a number of summer burrows. Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, coyotes, dogs and eagles.
Yellow-bellied marmots spend about 80% of their life in their burrow, 60% of which is spent hibernating. They often spend mid-day and night in a burrow as well. These burrows are usually constructed on a slope, such as a hill, mountain, or cliff. The hibernation burrows can be up to 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 ft) deep, but the burrows constructed for daily use are usually only 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. Their hibernation period varies on elevation, but it is typically from September to May.
Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal. The marmot is also an omnivore, eating grass, grains, leaves, flowers, legumes, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot
During our three days away, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton (where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon to the park, a few wildflowers, a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I was so happy to see these Marmots when we drove way east of the park and a bit later in the day, all three of us were so thrilled to find our very first two (possibly three) endangered Burrowing Owls. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently.
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