Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: sow

Having seen the weather forecast for another snow storm, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people. Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds. Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day. I guess cows, too, like licking salt and other minerals off the road surface. So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added three of them, just for the record. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag - maybe #152? which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies in Alberta in all these years - a female with one cub.

9 October 2019: temperature is -7C (windchill -13C). It snowed again yesterday and more snow is forecast for this coming weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving). Having seen the weather forecast for another snow storm, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people. Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds. Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day. I guess cows, too, like licking salt and other minerals off the road surface. So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added three of them, just for the record. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag - maybe #152? which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies in Alberta in all these years - a female with one cub.

Tomorrow, 8 October 2019, the forecast is for more snow. That means a few days spent hibernating, waiting for most of it to melt. I so rarely go for a walk, so I have no idea if any of the paths in our city parks/natural areas are actually bare by now, after our recent 3-day snow storm that dumped just over 10" of snow in the city. They won't be tomorrow. Having seen the forecast, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people. Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds. Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day. So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added two of them, just for the record, after adding a touch of filter in post-processing. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag, which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. If I am correct, she may have been Grizzly Bear #251 or #125. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies before in all these years - a female with one cub.

Tomorrow, 8 October 2019, the forecast is for more snow. That means a few days spent hibernating, waiting for most of it to melt. I so rarely go for a walk, so I have no idea if any of the paths in our city parks/natural areas are actually bare by now, after our recent 3-day snow storm that dumped just over 10" of snow in the city. They won't be tomorrow. Having seen the forecast, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people. Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds. Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day. So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added two of them, just for the record. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag, which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. If I am correct, she may have been Grizzly Bear #152. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies before in all these years - a female with one cub.

Definitely a very distant shot, lol, but I wanted to add it to my Waterton Lakes National Park album. We were on our way to meet other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council in the early evening of 20 June 2015, when we saw that quite a few cars had stopped on a bridge along Highway 5. Yes, we did what most people do, we pulled over and took a look, as there was most likely a bear to be seen. Well, this Grizzly and a cub from last year were barely visible in the far, far distance. Tried a shot or two and, in this one, you can actually tell what the animals are. Such a thrill, especially as I think I've only ever seen a Grizzly (and a cub from the previous year) on one other occasion - by Kananaskis Lakes in Kananaskis, and at very close quarters! Any other bears that I have seen were Black Bears. Also, this was a botany trip, so anything else seen was a bonus : ) We saw four bears in total. A Black Bear crossed the road ahead of our car in the dark on the first evening (no photo). A second Black Bear was near the trailhead for Crandell Lake Trail - was passing though the forest, gave us one quick glance, strode across the path and disappeared into the trees. Not interested in us at all. The other two bears were the two Grizzlies in this photo. Amazing to watch as they hung out in the meadow, looking for food. I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. I was expecting everywhere to be packed. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are specialists and very knowledgeable about plants, and many other things. This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. Our walks/hikes are very slow-paced with endless stops to look at/for plants and to take photos. This makes it possible for me to go along. Crandell Lake from the Crandell Campground trailhead: Return distance 4.0 km (2.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (we took all day!). Bertha Falls from the townsite trailhead: Return distance 5.6 km (3.4 miles), elevation gain 150 metres (492'), hiking time 1.5 hours (again, we took all day). For me, this hike felt much further than it was! The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro. I've been trying to find an online list of plant species in Waterton Park, but have so far been out of luck. I do have the book, "Wildflowers of Waterton Park" by Jacinthe Lavoie and Ian Wilson, which has an Index of Plant names, but I was hoping to find a list that I could print out. It's going to take me ages to type descriptions for the various photos I'll slowly be posting, and I will no doubt keep adding new bits and pieces over time. There is just so much information I want to add, but my descriptions are already way too long. Also, my photos of quite a few of the plants will be posted for the use of ANPC members and are, unfortunately, really poor images. Need them added to my Waterton Lakes album, so please bear with me : ) Luckily, you don't even need to look at them.

This photo took about half an hour to upload. When I then tried to upload the next two images, neither worked and, two hours later, still won't upload. On 12 May 2012, I spent a wonderful (17 hour!) day of scenery and bears, thanks to friends Cathy and Terry, who so kindly invited me along with them! We even spent some of the time in B.C. (British Columbia), the next province to our west, and were so lucky to see six bears in total, including this Black Bear and her two gorgeous cubs. As you can see, one of her little ones was a Cinnamon Bear, which you don't see very often. Our first Bear was a Black Bear that looked rather like a huge rock in the distance. The second sighting was an adult Cinnamon Bear, after which we saw an adult Black Bear. The final sighting was this beautiful family of Mum with her two cubs. None of the Bears approached cars, hoping for food. They quietly went about their feeding, for the most part without even lifting their eyes from the ground. The usual "thoughtless" people were there, too, getting out of their cars and approaching, so that they could get closer photos. Of course, these cubs were so cute, but all these Bears are wild and wildlife tends to be unpredictable. You really would think that people could keep this in mind and not approach, but stay safely in their cars - and give the animals plenty of space and respect. The weather was so good that day, but the sun was very harsh and played havoc with my images. Perhaps I should add that I probably used full zoom (my Panasonic FZ40 had 32x), lol, and this series of photos was taken from the safety of the car!!!