Mountain Bluebird
My first sighting of the season
Raindrops on the back of a Canada Goose
Sweet equine faces
Siberian Squill
Balsam Poplar catkins
Showing off his fine feathers
Food for his babies
Delicate Iris
Pileated Woodpecker female
Pink Hellebore
Candy-striped Tulip
Physoclaina orientalis
An over-the-shoulder glance
Hoverfly on European Pasque Flower
Art of nature
Beauty of spring
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse female
Green caterpillar on Balsamroot
Elephant Ears / Bergenia cordifolia
Hellebore beauty
Backlit beauties
Purple Rain
Indian Breadroot
After the rain
Hepatica
Sharp-tailed Grouse in the early morning sun
Early Cinquefoil
Snake's Head Fritillary / Fritillaria meleagris
Nuttall's Sunflower / Helianthus nuttallii
A bird of many colours
Colour
Periwinkle / Vinca minor
The joy of spring
Fancy plumage
Canada Goose
Red Baneberry
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Finely iridescent
Snake's head fritillary / Fritillaria meleagris
A little fungi family
Striped Coralroot / Corallorhiza striata
Flowers of spring
The purity of white
Herper friend with Wood Frog (and fly)
Made my day : )
Gaillardia on red
Dame's rocket
Camouflaged Wood Frog
Hollyhock buds
Needed a change of colour
Spotted Coralroot / Corallorhiza maculata
Red-edged petals
Tattered and torn - and still beautiful
Iris at Olds College Botanical Gardens and Wetland…
Wild Rose in the rain
A forest find
False Dandelion / Hypochaeris radicata
Yellow lady's-slipper
Gaillardia
Mountain Death Camas / Zigadenus elegans
Egyptian Walking Onion
Bright and cheery
Hadada Ibis / Bostrychia hagedash
Petunia
Fine feathers of a female Mallard
Catkins - a sure sign of spring
Ring-necked Pheasant hoping to attract a mate
Hanging on to the old
Camouflaged House Sparrow at cavity
Yesterday's lucky encounter
Hepatica
A serious pose
Colours made for each other
Pink Monkeyflower / Mimulus lewisii
Mountain Bluebirds have no blue pigment
Spider on Strawflower
Beauty lasts
Tree Swallow from the archives
Tangled
A bird in the hand is worth many in the bush
Delicate Damselfly
Great Gray Owl - breathtaking
Floral beauty
Passing the time
Built with love
Popular with the Aphids
Remembering a winter day
'Hiding' in the grass
Himalayan Blue Poppy
Siberian Squill
Datura flower?
Blink .... and spring will be here
Rough-Fruited Fairybells / Prosartes trachycarpa
Tall Lungwort / Mertensia paniculata
Springtime colour
A few little wrigglers
Smiling in the snow
Poppy art
Downy Woodpecker
Common Redpoll / Carduelis flammea
Dianthus sp.
Embracing the sun
European Pasque Flower / Pulsatilla vulgaris
One day closer to spring
Primula denticulata / Drumstick Primula
Vole brains for her afternoon snack
Vibrant
Busy little bee
Persian Cornflower / Centaurea dealbata?
Painted Tongue / Salpiglosis
A sweet face
Carnivorous Sundew
Remembering the warmth of summer
Red-sided Garter Snake scales
Shoo Fly / Nicandra physalodes
Pine Grosbeak in pretty light
Get well, Rachel
Hoping for food
Another day closer to spring
Keeper of the farmyard
A toothy smile
Ready to trap an unwary insect
The Story of Life, Tyrrell Museum
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Why did the Pheasant cross the road?
![Why did the Pheasant cross the road? Why did the Pheasant cross the road?](https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/70/41590770.e3ec9d38.640.jpg?r2)
![](https://s.ipernity.com/T/L/z.gif)
You all know the answer to that, lol!
On 7 April 2016, the weather was beautiful and I finally got out for a walk in Fish Creek Park with birding friends. We started off at the Boat Launch, checking the Bow River for any waterfowl, then walked to the first storm water pond. From there, we walked down the path by the river, where, among other things, we spotted a little male Tree Swallow working at his nest cavity. Also a Black-capped Chickadee doing exactly the same thing. At one point, we heard a rustling in the dead leaves on the ground and then caught sight of a Meadow Vole. We even heard one little squeak : )
The last stop on our walk was to check on the pair of Great Horned Owls. Dad was sleeping in a tree not far from the nest tree and Mom was on the nest. We couldn't see any young ones yesterday morning.
The Balsam Poplar trees were full of bright red (male) catkins - they always look so beautiful, especially when seen against a blue sky. We saw one flower on our walk - yellow, and I think it was Silverweed, if I remember correctly. When I returned home later, I was welcomed by another yellow flower - my first Dandelion of the season : )
After the bird walk, I had intended going straight home, but on the spur of the moment, I turned on to the small road leading down to Bankside (still in Fish Creek Park). Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am meant to go somewhere, that there is a reason, and usually it ends up with my seeing something beautiful. Well, yesterday, the 'something' was this gorgeous male Ring-necked Pheasant! On the drive to the parking lot, I had already seen another male, but the one in this photo ended up crossing the path, giving a much closer view. As soon as I got out of my car, I recognized a lady in the distance - it was friend, Shirley, who had already spotted this bird. A helpful fisherman mentioned it to us, as well. After watching the very well-hidden bird, we were treated to a clear view when it walked across the path ahead of us. Such a spectacular bird! Its very long tail (that didn't fit into the photo) is roughly the same length as the rest of the body.
"The ring-necked pheasant is a native of Japan and southern China. It was first successfully introduced into southwestern Alberta in 1908. It soon became common throughout central and southeastern Alberta in agricultural areas of the prairie and parkland zones." From Alberta Fish and Wildlife.
aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/grouse-re...
I will add the list of species seen on the first walk, compiled by our leaders:
Spring Birding, Boat Launch, FCPP, Calgary, 0915-1215, Thu07Apr2016. Sunny, calm, 3 – 15°C. Combined results of three groups.
Canada Goose-20
American Wigeon-2
Mallard-20
Common Goldeneye-10
Common Merganser-5
RED-TAILED HAWK-1
WILSON’S SNIPE-1
FRANKLIN’S GULL-5
Ring-billed Gull-15+
Rock Pigeon-2
Great Horned Owl-2
Downy Woodpecker-6
Hairy Woodpecker-2
Northern Flicker-7+
Black-billed Magpie-3
Common Raven-3
TREE SWALLOW-3. One male was excavating nest-hole
Black-capped Chickadee-10,One pair were excavating nest-hole
White-breasted Nuthatch-2+
American Robin-4
European Starling-40+
SONG SPARROW-2+
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-3 m.
Meadow Vole-1
Muskrat-2
On 7 April 2016, the weather was beautiful and I finally got out for a walk in Fish Creek Park with birding friends. We started off at the Boat Launch, checking the Bow River for any waterfowl, then walked to the first storm water pond. From there, we walked down the path by the river, where, among other things, we spotted a little male Tree Swallow working at his nest cavity. Also a Black-capped Chickadee doing exactly the same thing. At one point, we heard a rustling in the dead leaves on the ground and then caught sight of a Meadow Vole. We even heard one little squeak : )
The last stop on our walk was to check on the pair of Great Horned Owls. Dad was sleeping in a tree not far from the nest tree and Mom was on the nest. We couldn't see any young ones yesterday morning.
The Balsam Poplar trees were full of bright red (male) catkins - they always look so beautiful, especially when seen against a blue sky. We saw one flower on our walk - yellow, and I think it was Silverweed, if I remember correctly. When I returned home later, I was welcomed by another yellow flower - my first Dandelion of the season : )
After the bird walk, I had intended going straight home, but on the spur of the moment, I turned on to the small road leading down to Bankside (still in Fish Creek Park). Sometimes, I get the feeling that I am meant to go somewhere, that there is a reason, and usually it ends up with my seeing something beautiful. Well, yesterday, the 'something' was this gorgeous male Ring-necked Pheasant! On the drive to the parking lot, I had already seen another male, but the one in this photo ended up crossing the path, giving a much closer view. As soon as I got out of my car, I recognized a lady in the distance - it was friend, Shirley, who had already spotted this bird. A helpful fisherman mentioned it to us, as well. After watching the very well-hidden bird, we were treated to a clear view when it walked across the path ahead of us. Such a spectacular bird! Its very long tail (that didn't fit into the photo) is roughly the same length as the rest of the body.
"The ring-necked pheasant is a native of Japan and southern China. It was first successfully introduced into southwestern Alberta in 1908. It soon became common throughout central and southeastern Alberta in agricultural areas of the prairie and parkland zones." From Alberta Fish and Wildlife.
aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/grouse-re...
I will add the list of species seen on the first walk, compiled by our leaders:
Spring Birding, Boat Launch, FCPP, Calgary, 0915-1215, Thu07Apr2016. Sunny, calm, 3 – 15°C. Combined results of three groups.
Canada Goose-20
American Wigeon-2
Mallard-20
Common Goldeneye-10
Common Merganser-5
RED-TAILED HAWK-1
WILSON’S SNIPE-1
FRANKLIN’S GULL-5
Ring-billed Gull-15+
Rock Pigeon-2
Great Horned Owl-2
Downy Woodpecker-6
Hairy Woodpecker-2
Northern Flicker-7+
Black-billed Magpie-3
Common Raven-3
TREE SWALLOW-3. One male was excavating nest-hole
Black-capped Chickadee-10,One pair were excavating nest-hole
White-breasted Nuthatch-2+
American Robin-4
European Starling-40+
SONG SPARROW-2+
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-3 m.
Meadow Vole-1
Muskrat-2
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