Yesterday, I was up at 4:00 a.m., to get ready for a long day trip east of Calgary, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat. 46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public.
I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo.
Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us to some spectacular scenery. This photo shows the trail we drove along, surrounded by these wonderfully eroded hills. Will be posting a few different views in the next little while. As you can see, we had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping.
I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynn, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit with me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you!
Overslept till around 11:30 a.m. this morning, I was so tired after yesterday's trip, which is why I'm posting around noon.
Video (4.25 minutes in length) about Dinosaur Provincial Park, by Alberta Parks:
youtu.be/lww6Y4hlQR4
"Dinosaur Provincial Park is world famous for its dinosaur fossil finds. So much so that UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979. A mind-boggling number of species have been found here - 40 and counting - but what really puts it over the top is that the bonebeds have yielded more than 300 specimens, which grace museums around the world. The park has also been designated a Natural Preserve to protect the extensive fossil fields and the valley’s fragile environment, an complicated mix of badlands and cottonwood river habitat."
travelalberta.com/Places%20to%20Go/Parks/Dinosaur%20Provi...
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary Dinosaur Provincial Park nature scenery landscape Badlands hills erosion geology World Heritage Site Natural Preserve palaeontology Dinosaurs Explore interestingness#244 explore2014June24 annkelliott Anne Elliott FZ200 Lumix point-and-shoot
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This little Lark Sparrow was so far away, but I wanted to post this 48x zoomed and cropped image to my Birds of Alberta 9 album, as I had never seen a Lark Sparrow before. This was one of two new bird species that I was lucky enough to see yesterday, on a long day trip with friends to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat.
46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public.
I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird (and the Lark Sparrow) that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo. While back at the parking lot, we had a few minutes to "explore" and I was so happy to spot this little Scarlet Mallow plant just a few feet away. We had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping.
Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us through some spectacular scenery. Will be posting a few different views in the next little while.
I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynn, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit with me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you!
"A courting male Lark Sparrow crouches on the ground, holds his tail up at a 45 degree angle from the ground, spreads the tail feathers to show off the white tips, and then struts with its wings drooping so that the wingtips nearly touch the ground. When the female is receptive, the male gives her a small twig just before copulation." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/lark_sparrow/id
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lark_sparrow
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary Dinosaur Provincial Park nature ornithology avian bird birds Sparrow Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus fairly large Sparrow Emberizidae Long, rounded tail with white corners Passerine adult bushes plants shrubs
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Yesterday, I was up at 4:00 a.m., to get ready for a long day trip east of Calgary, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat. 46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public.
I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo. While back at the parking lot, we had a few minutes to "explore" and I was so happy to spot this little Scarlet Mallow plant just a few feet away. We had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping.
Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us through some spectacular scenery. Will be posting a few different views in the next little while.
I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynn, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit with me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you!
Overslept till around 11:30 a.m. this morning, which is why I'm posting so late, around noon.
plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_spco.pdf
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary Dinosaur Provincial Park nature flora plant flower flowers wildflower orange Scarlet Mallow Malvastrum coccineum Mallow family Malvaceae
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It was such a thrill to see this Nighthawk (a rather strange looking bird), as I had always wanted to see one actually perched! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo. This Nighthawk was one of two new species that I was lucky enough to see, the other being a Lark Sparrow. I think I'm right in saying that this is a Cottonwood tree.
Sunday, 22 June 2014, was a long day trip with friends to Dinosaur Provincial Park. This park lies about two and a half hours' drive away, to the east of Calgary. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat.
46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public.
I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, the Nighthawk in my photo was spotted, lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird (and the Lark Sparrow) that was very difficult to see!
Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us through some spectacular scenery. Will be posting a few different views in the next little while. We had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping.
I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynn, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit with me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you!
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_nighthawk/id
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawk
From "Birds of Alberta book:
"This species has declined across most of its North American range since 1966, and has even disappeared from some parts of Canada. Declines require investigation. Food supply may be affected by pesticide use in urban and suburban areas."
An interesting, short YouTube video - thanks, Donna (Ducks & Daisies) for giving this link under a different photo. Thought I'd move it to this page, too.
youtu.be/9qpsyjmda5Q
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary Dinosaur Provincial Park camp ground area nature ornithology avian bird birds Nighthawk Caprimulgidae Chordeilinae Common Nighthawk nocturnal camouflages well horizontal stance perched branch tree Bullbat Status in Canada: Threatened Explore annkelliott Anne Elliott FZ200 Lumix interestingness#227 explore2014June25
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Two days ago (22 June 2014), I was up at 4:00 a.m., to get ready for a long day trip east of Calgary, to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I had only ever once been there before, that I can remember, and it must have been 30+ years ago, so yesterday's bus trip was an absolute treat. 46 people went on this annual outing and when we arrived, we split into two groups. One half went on a mini bus tour in the morning to an area of the park that is kept closed to people in order to protect the landscape. The other half took this tour in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we could go on a walk along one of the trails in the park that are open to the public.
I was in the group that walked in the morning. We went on the Cottonwoods Trail, that eventually led to the river - a long walk that was much further than I expected! We saw very few birds, the main one being a Yellow Warbler that had its beak full of soft, white "down" from a Cottonwood tree. When we were almost back at the starting point, a Nighthawk was spotted lying on a very high branch. Well done, Shirley, for spotting this bird that was very difficult to see! A real thrill for me, as I had always wanted to see a perched Nighthawk! I saw three of them flying over the Bow River and over our heads in Bow Valley Provincial Park just a few years ago, but no chance for a photo.
Our mini bus tour in one of the Park's buses in the afternoon took us to some spectacular scenery. This photo, taken at one of the stops we made, is an example of the fascinating eroded hills that we saw. Will be posting a few different views in the next little while. As you can see, we had great weather, which was very lucky, as we had had rain for quite a few days before. When wet, the Bentonite clay becomes treacherously slippery, so we did not have to experience that, though in a few places we could feel our feet slipping.
I got back home around 6:30 p.m., barely able to move an inch, but it was definitely worth it. Thanks so much, Lynn, for organizing such an enjoyable trip to this fascinating area! A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this and it was much appreciated! Thanks, too, to friends Val and Wendy who took turns to sit with me for the long 2 1/2 hour journey out there and back! Great to catch up with both of you!
Video (4.25 minutes in length) about Dinosaur Provincial Park, by Alberta Parks:
youtu.be/lww6Y4hlQR4
"Dinosaur Provincial Park is world famous for its dinosaur fossil finds. So much so that UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979. A mind-boggling number of species have been found here - 40 and counting - but what really puts it over the top is that the bonebeds have yielded more than 300 specimens, which grace museums around the world. The park has also been designated a Natural Preserve to protect the extensive fossil fields and the valley’s fragile environment, an complicated mix of badlands and cottonwood river habitat."
travelalberta.com/Places%20to%20Go/Parks/Dinosaur%20Provi...
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary Dinosaur Provincial Park nature scenery landscape Badlands hills hoodoo cap of harder rock erosion water erosion patterns textures geology UNESCO World Heritage Site Natural Preserve palaeontology Dinosaurs mini bus tour Explore interestingness#62 explore2014June25 annkelliott Anne Elliott Panasonic DMC-FZ200 FZ200 Lumix point-and-shoot
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