Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#137

Four days ago, on 17 January 2016, I finally got out for a much-needed drive out of the city. It seems ages since I did this, but I had some time, the sun was making its way through the clouds, and I had plucked up the courage to go east from the city. Recently, I was out that way on a birding trip with a group and we had seen a total of 6 extremely distant Short-eared Owls (3 pairs) at different locations. So, I was really hoping that my courage would be rewarded by spotting at least one owl : ) Those of us who were out there saw 7 of these Short-eared Owls in this area, though as you might guess from this photo, all the birds were far away, a few just a llittle closer. The owl in my photo was way down this curving fence line, actually with two others who were perched on fence posts some distance apart. I did go back to the area the next day, knowing that if I did that drive again straight away, I would start getting a bit more comfortable doing it. That was my main reason for going again, though of course I was also hoping to see an owl (or two). None of the owls on 18 January came close either. My first visit was on a Sunday, so I knew there would be people out there who had found the owls. The next day's drive was a Monday, so I was expecting far fewer people, as it was a work day. Made no difference! Just down the road, there were 4 other owls who were a little bit closer. None of these birds came to a close post during the time I was there. However, I can't believe that I was lucky enough to see three of them perched on a curved branch not much above the snow-covered ground (photo posted the other day). Not a clear view of them, though, and I had to find a small opening in the trees through which to take a few shots. How beautiful these owls are. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, which is exciting. People who spend the day, or at least many hours, are far more likely to get the shots they want, but at the risk of stressing the birds. Unfortunately we are seeing, or hearing about, the same thing happening as happened a year ago with the tiny Northern Pygmy-owls in the city. It does make you ask yourself if they didn't come close because there are just too many cars and people. We even noticed footprints in the snow, showing that someone had climbed over the barbed-wire fence to get a closer shot. Unbelievable! I could almost guarantee that it was someone with a huge, long lens, who didn't even need to get closer! Just leaves me shaking my head. Please put the well-being of the owls (and any wildlife) before your obsession to try and get a closer shot than anyone else. Standing in -15C (windchill -22C) weather is NOT fun, trust me! It was SO cold. Fortunately, people were standing right by their cars and could climb back in when the pain became too unbearable. Five minutes occasionally of running the engine was barely enough to keep me going, plus a handwarmer inside my right glove. My feet finally thawed out once I arrived back home. It was all worth it, though, just for the chance to see these beautiful owls. When I left this area, I made a turn down a backroad, as i had noticed a red barn in the distance. Quite a nice old barn with a collapsing roof, with another barn next to it. "A bird of open grasslands, the Short-eared Owl is one of the most widely distributed owls in the world. It is found across North America, South America, and Eurasia, and on many oceanic islands." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/id

I'm always delighted to see a Straw Flower (Strawflower), of any colour. Just fascinated by how perfect they usually are when I see them. Love their paper or silk-like "petals", though actually the petals aren’t true petals at all, but in fact are modified leaves called bracts, that come in many colours, including yellow, orange, cream, pink, white, and purple. Photographed at The Saskatoon Farm on 24 May 2014, when my youngest daughter treated me to a great day out, SE of the city. In the morning, we were in the Frank Lake area looking for birds and barns. Afterwards, we went to the Saskatoon Farm for a delicious lunch and to wander the grounds with our cameras. Came across a couple of greenhouses full of colourful flowers, which felt so good after such a long (7 months), brutal winter. Thanks so much, Rachel, for such an enjoyable day, with so many treats! "Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerochrysum_bracteatum

Saw this gorgeous mushroom on a walk in Bragg Creek Natural Area today. To me, it looks a little like carved wood. I was a bit disappointed with my photos, as I did try to get ones that I would be happy with. Images looking down on the fungus were not very good. I've never seen such a spectacular mushroom : ). The very enjoyable walk was partly on private property, but the people who took us knew their neighbours. A great variety of plants, both in the wooded areas and the very boggy, open places. We had quite a wet-footed hike : )

Another shot of the Porcupine in Fish Creek Park, this time showing his beady little eye. It had its eyes closed pretty well closed the whole time I was watching it - I wonder if this was because it had been asleep when I first spotted it, or maybe because closed eyes are protected from all those sharp needles when feeding? Really very sweet : ) talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=530

I am guessing that this plant is Dames Rocket. The only other times I have seen it, it was growing in the wild. Not sure if this garden species is a different species or not. Very pretty colour, anyway : )

Though not my usual kind of photography (wildlife, wildflowers, and so on), the roses I treated myself to have given me lots of pleasure with my camera.