Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: striped

This little lady is so different from the male of the species. Both are beautiful, and I think these were my favourite birds seen during our trip to Trinidad and Tobago, 12-21 March 2017. "The purple honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus) is a small bird in the tanager family. It is found in the tropical New World from Colombia and Venezuela south to Brazil, and on Trinidad. A few, possibly introduced birds have been recorded on Tobago. The purple honeycreeper is 4.5 in (11.5 cm) long, weighs 0.42 oz (12 g) and has a long black decurved bill. The male is purple with black wings, tail and belly, and bright yellow legs. Females and immatures have green upperparts, and green-streaked yellowish-buff underparts. The throat is cinnamon, and there is a blue moustachial stripe. The call of purple honeycreeper is a thin high-pitched zree. This is a forest canopy species, but also occurs in cocoa and citrus plantations. At the upper limit of its altitudinal range, it frequents premontane rainforest, usually rather low-growing (33–50 ft/10–15 m) and full of epiphytes and mosses. The purple honeycreeper is often found in small groups. It feeds on nectar (particularly from bromeliad and similar flowers, to which its bill shape is adapted), berries and insects, mainly in the canopy. It is a bold and inquisitive bird, responding readily to the call of the ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) by coming out of cover and searching for the presumed predator to mob it. The female purple honeycreeper builds a small cup nest in a tree, and incubates the clutch of two brown-blotched white eggs." From Wikippedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_honeycreeper This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could chose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. Even after six weeks, I still miss the great food that was provided every day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.

Usually, I take and post very close shots of these gorgeous Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. This time, I thought I'd post this image, as it shows that my usual headshot animals DO have legs, body and that amazing, beautiful tail : )

I think the left hand end of this beautiful Monarch caterpillar is the head end : ) Seen in someone's garden after our day of botanizing at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, 15 July 2012. Monarchs feed on Milkweed, in this case Showy Milkweed.

Showy Milkweed is growing in someone's garden and I was lucky enough to finally see a few Monarch caterpillars. I've seen so many beautiful photos taken by other people over the years and never thought I'd get the chance to see a Monarch. This year, though, has been unusual, as people have been seeing a few of these amazing butterflies in Alberta, including in Calgary. www.monarch-butterfly.com/ I found this beautiful, time-lapse video (only four and a half minutes long) on YouTube. Worth looking at if you have a few moments to spare. "It shows the entire lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly from a tiny caterpillar hatching from an egg on a Milkweed leaf through metamorphosis to become a glorious adult butterfly. Filmed utilizing high powered microscopic cameras and time-lapse photography. Produced for the Chicago Nature Museum in Chicago, IL." youtu.be/7AUeM8MbaIk The link below is to an article by CBC News, about the surprise appearance of Monarch butterflies in Central Alberta this summer. www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/06/20/monarch-butte... If you have more free time, this is a longer video by NOVA, about the amazing 2,000-mile migration of Monarchs to a sanctuary in the highlands of Mexico. video.pbs.org/video/1063682334

Needed a dash of bright colour on this grey, foggy morning! This Banded Orange butterfly was photographed in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo back in May. The butterfly display has come to an end until next spring - always sad to see them finish.

Not really the best shot of these two butterflies, but this is the first photo I've taken with two butterflies on a leaf : ) "The Banded Orange Heliconian (Dryadula phaetusa) is the sole representative of its genus, the Banded Orange Heliconian is native from Brazil to central Mexico, and in summer it can be found rarely as far north as central Kansas. Its wingspan ranges from 86 to 89 mm, and it is colored a bright orange with thick black stripes in males, and a duller orange with fuzzier black stripes in females ....It feeds primarily on the nectar of flowers and bird droppings, and its caterpillar feeds on passion vines including Passiflora tetrastylis. It is generally found in lowland tropical fields and valleys." From Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryadula_phaetusa . For local Calgary Flickr members, I don't know if you have already heard that the very strong winds we have been having the last few days has completely destroyed the Bald Eagle nest down in Fish Creek Park (near the intersection of Canyon Meadows Drive and Acadia Drive. Apparently, someone discovered an eaglet on the ground, dead, which is so very sad. I haven't heard whether the other two (?) Eagle nests within the city have survived. I do hope all the little owlets have managed to stay safe.

Photographed on 3rd August along the Marston Creek trail, Kananaskis. This native plant grows in dry, sandy areas and open forests, June-August. It has small, very attractive, cup-shaped flowers (6-9 mm long). A member of the Dogbane family. "The milky juice of this plant yields a type of latex and several attempts have been made to grow Spreading Dogbane commercially for the production of rubber. The Blackfoot used the milky juice as a shampoo to make their hair shiny." From "Plants of Alberta" by Royer and Dickinson.

Definitely a day for bright, red colour! Thank you Safeway! I think the windchill is -31C and I know I should be going outside, if only to plug in my car in the hope that it will start tomorrow. Apparently, temperatures are supposed to be in the mid-teens by the weekend. Calgary has the craziest weather, LOL!

I bought a tiny bunch of these striped Gerbera flowers yesterday. One of my daughters phoned and two hours later, I realized that I hadn't put these flowers in water. They looked very miserable by this morning, so my photos are of rather wilted flowers. Thanks, Suzie, for your suggestion of cutting a flower right down and placing it in a bowl of water, which is what you see here. I couldn't wait long enough to see if it might revive a little, as the sky darkened and it looked like the forecast snow was approaching. The light from my kitchen window was quickly disappearing - think I got this just in time.

Not a very good photo but I couldn't get over the eyes on this Horse Fly. Talk about designer sunglasses!