Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: glowing

This morning, 3 December 2015, is overcast and dreary, so it feels good to see this glowing flower, though I think the sun is now trying to burst through the cloud. Temperature is -3C (windchill -7C), but it's supposed to reach 7C this afternoon. I had originally planned on going for a birding walk with friends this morning, but after the agonizing sharp pain that shot through my lower back yesterday and still lingers, I have had to change my plans. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, mainly so that there is a record of the car accident I was involved in five days ago - not my fault, thankfully, and I would love to say a few things to the woman driver who made such a dangerous, stupid move! Details at flic.kr/p/BucN9q . The previous three weeks, I had been walking in somewhat less pain than I have for years, which felt wonderful. This photo was taken on 8 September 2015 at the Calgary Zoo. In the morning, I joined a group of friends for a three-hour stroll at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 38 bird species were seen, though I didn't manage to see any of the tiny, fast-moving Warblers. It was good to see 28 Wood Ducks, but they were far, far away, in an area that is still closed due to devastating flood damage. The Sanctuary had been closed for about two years for this reason and only fairly recently re-opened just a part of the area. The Calgary Zoo is very close to the Sanctuary, so after our morning walk, I decided to call in there. I hadn't been for about a year and I really missed going there. Of course, many of the garden flowers were past their prime, but I did find a few that were fit to photograph. I knew I wouldn't be able to walk far, having already been walking all morning, but I really wanted to get to the ENMAX Conservatory to see what was going on. I had been longing all summer to see the tropical butterflies and plants. The butterfly season was coming to an end for these tropical beauties, but there were still plenty of them to be seen. Also, the parking lot that I use was going to be closing for the winter and I don't like the drive back home from the north parking area, using Deerfoot Trail, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. There was so much activity going on at the Zoo on this day. People everywhere, carrying large animals wrapped in white, protective coverings, preparing for the upcoming ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival. Each animal was an individual lantern and there were so many of them. I noticed that several of the real animals in their enclosures were watching all the unaccustomed activity, which made me smile. So, a good day despite the overcast sky, and plenty of photo opportunities.

Did you know that today, 29 September 2015, is International Coffee Day? This photo was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 21 September 2015. The ENMAX Conservatory butterfly house display is coming to an end. The beautiful tropical plants are beginning to fade and the number of butterfly species seems to be down. Each time I go to the Zoo, I always hope that at least one of these beautiful Water Lilies will be in bloom. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae Thank you to the Zoo staff who made this room such a delight to visit since spring. Really wish I had been able to get to the Zoo more than just three very recent times this year! Lots of people there on 21 September, now that ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival has begun.

This photo was taken two days ago, on 8 September 2015. In the morning, I joined a group of friends for a three-hour stroll at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 38 bird species were seen, though I didn't manage to see any of the tiny, fast-moving Warblers. It was good to see 28 Wood Ducks, but they were far, far away, in an area that is still closed due to devastating flood damage. The Sanctuary had been closed for about two years for this reason and only very recently re-opened just a part of the area. The Calgary Zoo is very close to the Sanctuary, so after our morning walk, I decided to call in at the Zoo. I hadn't been for about a year and I really missed going there. Of course, many of the garden flowers were past their prime, but I did find a few that were fit to photograph. I love photographing the Water Lilies. They always seem to glow, as if they had a light inside. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae I knew I wouldn't be able to walk far, having already been walking all morning, but I really wanted to get to the ENMAX Conservatory to see what was going on. I had been longing all summer to see the tropical butterflies and plants. The butterfly season is coming to an end for these tropical beauties, but there were still plenty of them to be seen. Also, this month, the parking lot that I use will close for the winter and I don't like the drive back home from the north parking area, using Deerfoot Trail, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. There was so much activity going on at the Zoo two days ago. People everywhere, carrying large animals wrapped in white, protective coverings, preparing for the upcoming ILLUMINASIA, Lantern & Garden Festival. Each animal is an individual lantern and there are so many of them. I noticed that several of the real animals in their enclosures were watching all the unaccustomed activity, which made me smile. A good day, despite the overcast sky, and plenty of photo opportunities. Recently, I have been finding far fewer things to photograph, with fall on its way, so a day like this was more than welcome.

Spent the whole day SE of the city again on 13 March 2014, with friends Cathy and Terry. What a slow day it was for much of the time. Took us just over 6 hours to find the first Snowy Owl - just the tiniest, distant white speck on the ground, far across a huge field. We were beginning to wonder if maybe all the Snowies had already left to fly north, so we were happy to see this one, and a second one about four hours later, perched on a distant power pole. No photo opportunities for these owls, but it felt to good to know that there were at least these two owls still in the area. We had no luck at all finding a Short-eared Owl - very different from 7th March, when we saw 8 of them, six in flight and two on the ground. In addition to the 2 Snowies, we did see 9 Great Horned Owls, though, some on nests. Weather was beautiful with some interesting clouds for part of the day, clearing much later. We were just in time to see the last of the pink sunrise colour and light on the distant mountains - always so beautiful - and our day ended with this beautiful sunset sky. I rarely see sunrises or sunsets, as I'm usually home at those times, so to see both on this day was a real treat. Some of the fields looked pretty bare, while others were still covered in snow. The "heat-wave" distortion was really bad all day long, making good, clear shots impossible. Was lucky enough to get down to the same area again yesterday, 15 March 2014. This was one of the annual trips with a bunch of friends, that I always try to go on. Again, no Short-eared Owls or Snowy Owls, but I think the highlight off the day was when we had a flock of European Starlings flying en masse over the fields near us. Various estimates suggested were 5,000 - 10,000 birds. These birds are well known for their spectacular mass aerial displays before roosting for the night and many of you have probably seen various videos of this phenomenon. Different to see a small murmuration in person, so we were really lucky. Two days earlier, I had found two Eurasian Collared Doves in one of the small hamlets in the area, so we went to check it out. With my almost non-existent sense of direction, I was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to find the same tree, but I did, and then other birders were able to spot about six of these Doves in various trees. Thanks, Andrew, for yet another great day! www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/13192714754

This image was partially zoomed in (full is 48x), so the mountains look closer than they really are. Spent the whole day SE of the city again on 13 March 2014, with friends Cathy and Terry. What a slow day it was for much of the time. Took us just over 6 hours to find the first Snowy Owl - just the tiniest, distant white speck on the ground, far across a huge field. We were beginning to wonder if maybe all the Snowies had already left to fly north, so we were happy to see this one, and a second one about four hours later, perched on a distant power pole. No photo opportunities for these owls, but it felt to good to know that there were at least these two owls still in the area. We had no luck at all finding a Short-eared Owl - very different from 7th March, when we saw 8 of them, six in flight and two on the ground. In addition to the 2 Snowies, we did see 9 Great Horned Owls, though, some on nests. Weather was beautiful with some interesting clouds for part of the day, clearing much later. We were just in time to see the last of the pink sunrise colour and light on the distant mountains - always so beautiful. Some of the fields looked pretty bare, while others were still covered in snow. The "heat-wave" distortion was really bad all day long, making good, clear shots impossible.

This image was fully zoomed in (48x), so the mountains look so much closer than they really are. The barn/shed was as simple a design as you can get, but at least it was RED : ) Spent the whole day SE of the city again yesterday, with friends Cathy and Terry. What a slow day it was for much of the time. Took us just over 6 hours to find the first Snowy Owl - just the tiniest, distant white speck on the ground, far across a huge field. We were beginning to wonder if maybe all the Snowies had already left to fly north, so we were happy to see this one, and a second one about four hours later, perched on a distant power pole. No photo opportunities for these owls, but it felt to good to know that there were at least these two owls still in the area. We had no luck at all finding a Short-eared Owl - very different from 7th March, when we saw 8 of them, six in flight and two on the ground. In addition to the 2 Snowies, we did see 9 Great Horned Owls, though, some on nests. Weather was beautiful with some interesting clouds for part of the day, clearing much later. Some of the fields looked pretty bare, while others were still covered in snow. The "heat-wave" distortion was really bad all day long. Does anyone know if there is a way to overcome this? It makes good, clear shots impossible.

A zoomed-in view of a very distant red barn, taken on 24 December 2013, along one of the backroads fairly near Frank Lake. Obviously the mountains, too, appear closer than they really were. I always love to see sunshine on fields of stubble - they positively glow. Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas Day yesterday! How quickly it's all over with for another year. Some of you may be going off to the stores today, Boxing Day, but I'll be heading in the opposite direction, to the mountains. Lucky enough to have been invited to join friends for a day surrounded by magnificent scenery. To me, that feels more Christmassy than fighting the crowds and standing in line for ages at the shopping mall : )

After a volunteer shift yesterday, 5 June 2013, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden on the way home. What a difference from recent days - the sun was actually shining and it felt so good! So much work and effort goes into keeping this place beautiful. Of course, just like anywhere where plants are growing, they go through different stages - leaves wilt and die. Of course, there are always some people who don't know anything about gardening, who would prefer to see a perfectly groomed garden, but wilting leaves have to be left in place for various important reasons. The flowers were bright and colourful and always a joy to see. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The actual quality of this photo is far from good, taken in really low light, but I still like it : ) I think this little fungus was something like 1" diameter. Found on 12th August in West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis, west of the city. Thanks, Sandy! Just a reminder of the tiny miracles of nature's beauty! What we can find if we don't just "look", but really "see".

One of your common, everyday, run-of-the mill little mushrooms, but I thought it was quite pretty with the pattern and light on its cap. Found in West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis, on 12th August, during our horribly short fungi season. We have had so much rain this summer, so I'm still shaking my head as to why the fungi seemed to have finished so soon after it began : )

This is the tip of a tiny flower petal, taken through my Raynox 250 macro lens. Wasn't sure whether I would end up posting it or not, but today seems to be a good day to see a splash of brilliant, glowing colour. A good part of Alberta is in the midst of a nasty winter storm, that is creating chaos and havoc. I would have happily stayed at home all day, but desperately needed to go food shopping. Every time you stop somewhere, you end up having to clear your vehicle of snow yet again and it's so much fun when you've cleared the last car window, jumped into the vehicle and already the snow has recovered all the windows, LOL. Oh, well, weather like this calls for desperate measures - which today came in the form of buying take-out from a local Chinese Restaurant on my way home : ) My car is plugged in and I don't plan on going anywhere tomorrow and maybe not even Sunday. We are being warned not to go out on the roads unless it is absolutely necessary. Stay warm and SAFE, everyone!

A row of beautiful tulips caught my eye recently in a friend's garden. They were growing at the top of a slight embankment, which meant, for one thing, that I didn't need to kneel or lie on my side to get this shot, LOL. I think I was looking into the sun, but it still worked out OK. Talking of knees, mine are in agony this evening, after a wonderful hike on the border of Kananaskis country, west of Longview. I did far too much kneeling on small rocks in order to get photos of plants, which I am not supposed to do, but ... Thanks, David, for the new-for-me plants today - Scorpionweed and Balsamroot - and for showing us this amazing area that you knew about! What an absolute treat!! LOL, I'm posting late today, because I fell asleep in front of the TV for a couple of hours after all that exercise and fresh air.

This was the only photo that came out sharp enough to use out of a whole pile of images I took. I need the sun to shine through my window : ) These little red tulips, from you know where, have slightly pointy petal tips - quite pretty.

Today has been grey, cold, very windy and with a bit of snow thrown in this morning! So, I thought a sunny flower might help.

The actual quality of this photo is far from good, taken in really low light, but I still like it : ) I think this little fungus was something like 1" diameter. Found on 12th August 2010, in West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis, west of Calgary. Thanks, Sandy! Just a reminder of the tiny miracles of nature's beauty! What we can find if we don't just "look", but really "see". Not sure how the light turned out that way - no flash.