Hope I have the correct ID for this rather beautiful, large Moth. If anyone sees this image and is able to confirm or correct the ID, that would be so much appreciated.
Yesterday, 9 July 2018, I went for a trip to Kananaskis with friends Shirley and Pam. This was planned as a bear hunt - but not a single bear was to be seen : ) As usual, when it comes to wildlife, it's all about timing. You can be lucky or unlucky, and I guess yesterday was not our lucky day, at least not as far as bears were concerned.
We left the city at 7:00 am to give ourselves the best chance. Within just a matter of minutes, we came upon a Great Blue Heron and a couple of Black-crowned Night-Herons, which was wonderful. Couldn't get good photos of them, just shots for the record. Our day was certainly starting off well.
We travelled to Kananaskis via Highway 1, but returned to the city along the south portion of Highway 40. When I go to Kananaskis on my own (only about three times so far), I only go south to Highway 40, never on Highway 1. I believe it takes about the same time to drive either way.
No sign of a bear, anywhere, but of course, we were surrounded by spectacular scenery all day. We had great weather, with a high of about 27C. There was haze over the mountains.
One of our stops was at Peninsular, at Lower Kananaskis Lake. Such a peaceful spot, with just a handful of people fishing and several people in canoes or kayaks. The main thing we saw there was a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (not the one posted today) down on the rocks.
Another place we wanted to get to was the area where the Pikas can be seen. For the first while, we began to think that we were going to be out of luck. Fortunately, one little Pika did eventually show itself and we were able to get a few photos. When I don't get photos that I'm quite happy with, it is a huge incentive to drive myself out there for another chance. While we were there, we did see a little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, who was happily munching on Yellow Columbine flowers. Surprisingly, no Mountain Sheep were to be seen, here or anywhere else on this day.
A final stopping place was on the way home along Highway 40. We had forgotten that this place is closed on Mondays. I remember last year, when I drove out there myself, I had been banking on buying a sandwich for my lunch and for getting gas for my car. However, we did see at least two tiny Hummingbirds there, nesting Barn Swallows, and several interesting moths that I had never seen before, including this One Eyed Sphinx Moth.
So, all together, an interesting, fun day spent in good company. We are so very lucky to live within reach of such a breathtaking area!
Tags: Alberta Canada Kananaskis highway 40 Highwood House nature insect moth One Eyed Sphinx Moth Smerinthus cerisyi wings spread eye spots top view top side building wood resting outdoor summer 9 July 2018 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2018 © All Rights Reserved
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Solitary bees are in crisis and need all the help we can give them. Bee nesting boxes can be an attractive option, and there are various ones scattered around the Ellis Bird Farm. While solitary bees are important for plant pollination, their numbers are declining due to a loss of suitable nesting locations. Nesting boxes provide a safe place to lay their eggs, helping to boost the local population of these beneficial, nonaggressive bees. However, there does seem to be a difference of opinion regarding the effectiveness of such boxes.
“There are around 370 different species of native bees in Alberta, so it is very tricky to say exactly which ones are in which area. We don’t see nesting boxes for solitary bees as a substitute for companion planting or planting flowering perennials that bees love, such as dandelions, elderberry and chives. Rather they should be seen as contributing to a healthy garden, plant diversity and pollination in general.” From greengoldgarden.
www.greengoldgarden.com/nesting-boxes-for-native-bees-in-...
Just over a year ago, on 4 June 2016, I had the chance to visit somewhere that I had longed to go to for years - the Ellis Bird Farm. This was thanks to the annual Nature Calgary Bus Trip, which goes to a different location each year. Then, yesterday, 7 July 2018, I got the chance to visit this unique place again, thanks to Jackie and Brenda, who organized a trip for a group of about 13 (?) friends/birders/photographers.
The drive from Calgary to the Ellis Bird Farm took us about two hours. When we arrived, we were greeted by a long line of bird nest boxes along the fence line. Within the farm area, there were even more nest boxes - everywhere! People send them from all over the province, even from overseas. I believe the Farm has the largest collection of outdoor boxes in the world - 300+!
Myrna Pearman, who has been "at the helm of Ellis Bird Farm for the past 30 years", knew we were coming and we were treated to a very special viewing of Purple Martins at various stages, from eggs to adult, To do this, she lowered some of the Purple Martin condominiums and let us peer inside. After a short talk about the Farm, we explored every corner, taking a break for lunch, sitting outside, at the Cafe. A few of us had reserved a table, which is a good idea, as the Farm can get very busy with visitors.
The main attraction at the Farm are the beautiful Purple Martins, uncommon in Alberta, though there are so many other things to see, as well. Purple Martins are very social birds, who apparently like people too, and nest in condominium-style nest boxes. They spend "most of the year in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and come up to Alberta just long enough to raise a family."
"Ellis Bird Farm made science history on Tuesday May 31 2016 (?) when University of Manitoba Grad Student, Alisha Ritchie, and her EBF team (Cheyenne Knight, Claudia Lipski and Myrna Pearman) retrapped a very special yearling Purple Martin. This bird had been retrofitted with a light level geolocator last season, as a nestling, and is the first songbird EVER(!) to be tracked on its first migration. The bird had evaded several attempts to trap it, so it has been named Houdini."
Information about their Purple Martin Geolocator Program:
www.ellisbirdfarm.ca/purple-martin-geolocators.html
""Ellis Bird Farm is both a non-profit company and a working farm. It was established in 1982 to carry on the legacy of Lacombe-area conservationists, Charlie and Winnie Ellis, when their farm was purchased by Union Carbide Canada Ltd. At the time, Charlie and Winnie operated one of the largest bluebird trails in Canada and had established their farmstead as a haven for wildlife.
The Ellis family of Parkenham, Ontario, came west in 1886 to settle on a ranch near Calgary. Their son John, then a teenager, was married in 1894 to Agnes Clark who had come west from Ontario in 1888 to teach school. They lived near Calgary until 1906 when they moved with their family of four children to a quarter section homestead in the Joffre district. In 1907 they built a two-storey frame house and subsequently enlarged the farm by the purchase of an additional five quarters.
After John and Agnes passed away in the early 1950s, two of their children, Charlie and Winnie, took over the farm operations. And about this same time, Charlie began a project that was to dominate the rest of his life; he set out his first nesting box for the Mountain Bluebirds." From Ellis Bird Farm website.
www.ellisbirdfarm.ca/
Many thanks to Shirley, for driving the four of us to and from the Farm. Thank you for picking me up, Pam, to get me over to the meeting place. Beautiful weather and great company made for a super day. Have to say, too, that it was great to get away from the city, where the Calgary Stampede is in full swing.
Tags: Alberta Canada Ellis Bird Farm N of Red Deer farm bee houses wooden
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Yesterday evening, I finally got round to backing up all the photo files (626 GB) on my hard drive to another, larger external hard drive. After a few hours, I checked to see how it had done and discovered that only maybe half the photos had been copied. So, I started a second copy, hoping that this time, all the files would be successfully copied. This morning, I found that it was successful. So, I decided to delete the first copy, forgetting that the second copy was actually downloaded within the first copy. So another nine hours wasted! Tonight, I will have to start all over again, and then I need to do the same with a second, larger hard drive. I am almost out of room on my computer hard drive and need to start deleting a lot of my oldest images, or I will not be able to download new photos to it, and I will start to have a lot of problems. Yes, I would much rather be out on a nice drive : )
On this day, 13 July 2018, I more or less repeated my drive from two days earlier, except that I called in at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to see if there was any sign of fungi growing. It is still not the peak of the fungi season, so I was not too hopeful. I barely entered the forest, as it still gives me the creeps, - Bears, Cougar and Moose are seen there, and I have been told so many times not to go by myself. So far, I have only seen a very large Moose. I did find a cluster of very tiny mushrooms ad several clumps of orange Coral Fungus in their usual location. Took a few wildflower shots, too, which I don't do very often these days, unlike a few years ago.
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There are a number of very similar small butterflies, and I'm not sure which one this is. Photographed at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 13 July 2018.
Yesterday evening, I finally got round to backing up all the photo files (626 GB) on my hard drive to another, larger external hard drive. After a few hours, I checked to see how it had done and discovered that only maybe half the photos had been copied. So, I started a second copy, hoping that this time, all the files would be successfully copied. This morning, I found that it was successful. So, I decided to delete the first copy, forgetting that the second copy was actually downloaded within the first copy. So another nine hours wasted! Tonight, I will have to start all over again, and then I need to do the same with a second, larger hard drive. I am almost out of room on my computer hard drive and need to start deleting a lot of my oldest images, or I will not be able to download new photos to it, and I will start to have a lot of problems. I don't use my computer while the back-up is in process, which is a bit frustrating. Yes, I would much rather be out on a nice drive : )
On 13 July 2018, I more or less repeated my drive from two days earlier, except that I also called in at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to see if there was any sign of fungi growing. It is still not the peak of the fungi season, so I was not too hopeful. I barely entered the forest, as it still gives me the creeps, - Bears, Cougar and Moose are seen there, and I have been told so many times not to go by myself. So far, I have only seen a very large Moose. I did find a cluster of very tiny mushrooms and several clumps of orange Coral Fungus in their usual location. Took a few wildflower shots, too, which I don't do very often these days, unlike a few years ago.
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What a huge storm we had last night - so much lightning and thunder and rain. After the serious hailstorm that hit the city the day before, and which I missed because I was out of the city photographing birds, I thought I would go for a short drive to my 'usual' area. There is a risk for a thunderstorm developing this afternoon and the same for tomorrow. Our temperature is only 17C as I type (at 11:15 am).
How is it that this pair of Mountain Bluebirds is good at seeing and catching Tiger Moths? Two years ago, the male of this pair also caught a Tiger Moth and gave me the chance to take a shot or two (see in a comment box below). I have only ever once seen a Tiger moth species, and it was unlike the ones in these two photos. They really are beautiful. I wonder if they taste as good as they look : ) I am always thankful when the Bluebirds are active, though before too long, their babies will have fledged and all will have disappeared.
I was happy to find a few different birds, including a family of Eastern Kingbirds, a Cedar Waxwing, a Bald Eagle, Red-winged Blackbird, and a very distant Great Blue Heron standing at the far edge of a pond.
Tags: Alberta Canada SW of Calgary nature ornithology avian bird Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides Turdidae Sialia female adult back/side view perched fence barbed-wire insect moth Tiger Moth food beak bill mouth for her babies field bokeh outdoor summer 25 July 2018 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2018 © All Rights Reserved
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