Harlequin Duck / Histrionicus histrionicus
A favourite view, Waterton Lakes National Park
Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton
Cinnamon Black Bear, Waterton Lakes National Park,…
Waterton Lake from the townsite - before the fire
Our precious Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta…
A view from Red Rock Canyon, Waterton
Pinedrops
Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
"Alan, Alan, Alan ...Steve, Steve!"
A different view from Maskinonge lookout, Waterton
Marbled Cobweb Spider / Enoplognatha marmorataon o…
Upper Waterton Lake, seen from the town
Gaillardia
Common Raven in the sun
Maskinonge Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
Red Baneberry, Waterton Lakes National Park
Pinedrops
Mariposa Lily
Yellow Columbine
Pinedrops / Pterospora - rare
Mariposa Lily
Pinedrops / Pterospora - rare, Listed S2
Pink Monkeyflower / Mimulus lewisii
02 Mountain Lady's Slipper / Cypripedium montanum
Mariposa Lily / Calochortus apiculatus
Delicate Pinedrops / Pterospora andromedea
Unidentified plant at Cameron Lake, Waterton
Beetle on Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus
Maskinonge Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
Hudson 8
Prince's Pine / Chimaphila umbellata
Pearly everlasting / Anaphalis margaritacea
Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus / Parnassia fimbriata
European Skipper on Pearly Everlasting / Antennari…
False Hellebore / Veratrum viride
Backlit simplicity
Orange False Dandelion / Agoseris aurantiaca
Many-flowered Monkeyflower / Mimulus floribundus
The beauty of Pinedrops
Canyon Church Camp, Waterton Lakes National Park
Willowherb / Epilobium sp.
Pink Monkeyflower / mimulus lewisii
Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
Lorquin's Admiral / Limenitis lorquini
Noxious, but beautiful
Mountain Hollyhock
Pinedrops / Pterospora
Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
Brown-headed Cowbird juvenile
Water Hemlock / Cicuta
White-tailed Deer at Akamina Lake, Waterton
Swainson's Thrush / Catharus ustulatus
Canoes at Cameron Lake, Waterton
Pink Monkeyflower / mimulus lewisii
Sandhill Cranes, Waterton
Mule Deer, Mom and baby
Mountain Lady's Slipper / Cypripedium montanum
Checkerspot sp.
Maidenhair Fern / Adiantum aleuticum
Shrubby Penstemon / Penstemon fruticosus
Red Rock (Canyon) Parkway, Waterton Lakes National…
Mountain Lady's Slipper / Cypripedium montanum
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Harlequin Duck / Histrionicus histrionicus
HAPPY snowy CANADIAN THANKSGIVING!
Last night, I came across this photo in one of my photo folders and discovered that I never posted it on flickr. I remember being taken aback when I first saw the image after downloading it to my computer, as I had never expected it to look quite like this. Of course, the background does make it more difficult to see the beautiful Harlequin Duck, but that's OK. We were so lucky to see this striking bird and so close.
"The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (French Arlequin, Italian Arlecchino), a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", "actor". In North America it is also known as lords and ladies. Other names include painted duck, totem pole duck, rock duck, glacier duck, mountain duck, white-eyed diver, squeaker and blue streak.
These birds feed by swimming under water or diving. They also dabble. They eat molluscs, crustaceans and insects. Harlequins have smooth, densely packed feathers that trap a lot of air within them. This is vital for insulating such small bodies against the chilly waters they ply. It also makes them exceptionally buoyant, making them bounce like corks after dives." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_duck
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/harlequin_duck/id
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went on 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made our way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening.
As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton again, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.
Supper on Monday was at Zum's restaurant - an interesting place with walls covered with old vehicle licence plates. Apparently, people send them to the restaurant from so many places, near and far. The food was good and, next morning, after a short drive to see what we could find, we returned there for a good breakfast.
Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. The temperature got up to 20C on our way home.
Last night, I came across this photo in one of my photo folders and discovered that I never posted it on flickr. I remember being taken aback when I first saw the image after downloading it to my computer, as I had never expected it to look quite like this. Of course, the background does make it more difficult to see the beautiful Harlequin Duck, but that's OK. We were so lucky to see this striking bird and so close.
"The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (French Arlequin, Italian Arlecchino), a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", "actor". In North America it is also known as lords and ladies. Other names include painted duck, totem pole duck, rock duck, glacier duck, mountain duck, white-eyed diver, squeaker and blue streak.
These birds feed by swimming under water or diving. They also dabble. They eat molluscs, crustaceans and insects. Harlequins have smooth, densely packed feathers that trap a lot of air within them. This is vital for insulating such small bodies against the chilly waters they ply. It also makes them exceptionally buoyant, making them bounce like corks after dives." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_duck
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/harlequin_duck/id
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went on 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made our way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening.
As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton again, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.
Supper on Monday was at Zum's restaurant - an interesting place with walls covered with old vehicle licence plates. Apparently, people send them to the restaurant from so many places, near and far. The food was good and, next morning, after a short drive to see what we could find, we returned there for a good breakfast.
Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. The temperature got up to 20C on our way home.
Jeff Farley, Narvik 08 have particularly liked this photo
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Love the narrative and the crispness of the shot,
Anne Elliott club has replied to Jeff FarleySign-in to write a comment.