This morning, I have just added the last 10 photos from Forgetmenot Pond. Not very inspiring, but I wanted them for the record. I almost gave up trying to photograph wildflowers, as it was too windy to keep the flowers in the viewfinder. Next time, I will post a handful of photos taken closer to home on the same trip.

These photos were taken on 3 July 2020, at Forgetmenot Pond, which was my main destination. This photo doesn't show any of the many tents put up just within the edge of the trees or the many picnic tables that were overflowing with people, right along the path that circles the pond!

The weather forecast was for several rainy days in a row, so I wanted to make the most of a sunny day. The past week, I have had to be careful about how many kilometres I drove, before getting a service after the maintenance light came on a week ago, as I didn't want to mess up my car warranty.

On 3 July, however, I decided to drive west of the city, just into the eastern edge of the mountains. It's not a long drive and I was hoping to find some wildflowers before they all go to seed.

What a nightmare few hours, as I think half of Calgary decided to do this trip. So many cars and so many people. Parking lots were overflowing and the main highway was lined with parked cars in many places.

My first stop was at a forested area to have a quick look for wildflowers and to see if there were any fungi that had started growing yet. Very little variety in wildflowers, and I only came across one single mushroom plus a little group of a different species.

From there, I kept driving till I reached Forgetmenot Pond. This is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. This day, though, the path around the pond had a lot of people on it, and some people (families?) had actually set up various tents near the path. I had to keep walking through the trees to avoid everyone. As for Elbow Falls, there were so many cars there that there was no way I was going to even try and call in briefly. This was a Friday, not even a busy weekend day. I suspect this is what it is going to be like the whole of the summer - yikes!

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. So beautiful.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

Later, it was such a contrast to drive a few of my favourite roads closer to home. A few cyclists and a few cars, but, in between them, it was so quiet and peaceful. Felt so good. There was even one Snipe on a fence post to make this extra bit of driving worthwhile. Not that I need any more Snipe photos to post : ) You might be glad to see a Snipe photo as, soon, it will be back to (oh, no!) American White Pelican photos. Just had to get out for a while on 5 July, partly because my place was feeling much too warm. The drive to and from Frank Lake was roughly 145 kilometers.

Two of the Mountain Bluebird families had vacated their nest boxes. I had a feeling that I was going to miss their fledging - this is what usually happens each year! However, I was so happy to spot a tiny Bluebird fledgling huddled right against the top of a fence post. Just trying to keep safe. And then, suddenly, it was no longer there. I didn't see it fly and I thought it may have dropped down into the grass. However, when I turned my car around to the other side of the road, I found a fledgling (same one?) down in the field, in an area of dried mud rather than tall grass. SO cute.

To help support a small pub/restaurant in the area, I called in and got take-out. One of the young women who work in the cafe was excited to tell me that they now have homemade chili on the menu again. The minestrone soup is also good.

There was still time, after taking a few photos of some of the usual birds, to drive on a road that I have driven so many times before, but not for a while. Happy to see a beautiful Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post.

Finally reached home around 5:00 pm, after driving roughly 185 km since 9:30 am. So, not a really long drive, and one that still left me with more spare distance before my car had to go in for service yesterday. Hopefully, that will be that, for the rest of the year, as far as my vehicle is concerned!!

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Greenish-flowered Wintergreen is less easy to spot than the more common Common Pink Wintergreen with its very small pink flowers. Each flower is 1 cm in diameter.

Monday, 6 July 2020: our temperature around noon is 19C (windchill 19C). Bright and sunny. Sunrise is at 5:30 am and sunset is at 9:51 pm.

This morning, I have added six photos that were taken on 3 July 2020. The previous photo shows Forgetmenot Pond, which was my destination. From that view, you can't see any of the many tents put up just within the edge of the trees or the picnic tables that were overflowing with people, right along the path that circles the pond! You can't see all the people behind me, either. The remaining five photos were taken in a forest before I reached the Pond.

The weather forecast was for several rainy days in a row, so I wanted to make the most of a sunny day. This week, I am having to be careful about how many kilometres I drive, as I don't want to mess up my car warranty. The maintenance light came on a few days ago and I have to wait a week for an appointment (yay, tomorrow!).

On 3 July, however, I decided to drive west of the city, just into the eastern edge of the mountains. It's not a long drive and I was hoping to find some wildflowers before they all go to seed.

What a nightmare few hours, as I think half of Calgary decided to do this trip. So many cars and so many people. Parking lots were overflowing and the main highway was lined with parked cars in many places.

My first stop was at a forested area to have a quick look for wildflowers and to see if there were any fungi that had started growing yet. Very little variety in wildflowers, and I only came across one single mushroom plus a little group of a different species.

From there, I kept driving till I reached my destination, Forgetmenot Pond. This is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. Yesterday, though, the path around the pond had a lot of people on it, and some people (families?) had actually set up various tents near the path. I had to keep walking through the trees to avoid everyone. As for Elbow Falls, there were so many cars there that there was no way I was going to even try and call in briefly. This was a Friday, not even a busy weekend day. I suspect this is what it is going to be like the whole of the summer - yikes!

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. So beautiful.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

Later, it was such a contrast to drive a few of my favourite roads closer to home. A few cyclists and a few cars, but, in between them, it was so quiet and peaceful. Felt so good. There was even one Snipe on a fence post to make this extra bit of driving worthwhile. Not that I need any more Snipe photos to post : ) You might be glad to see a Snipe photo as, soon, it will be back to (oh, no!) American White Pelican photos. Just had to get out for a while yesterday, 5 July, partly because my place was feeling much too warm. The drive to and from Frank Lake was roughly 145 km, so I was still within the distance I can travel till my car goes in tomorrow.

Two of the Mountain Bluebird families had vacated their nest boxes. I had a feeling that I was going to miss their fledging - this is what usually happens each year! However, I was so happy to spot a tiny Bluebird fledgling huddled right against the top of a fence post. Just trying to keep safe. And then, suddenly, it was no longer there. I didn't see it fly and I thought it may have dropped down into the grass. However, when I turned my car around to the other side of the road, i found a fledgling (same one?) down in the field, in an area of dried mud rather than tall grass. SO cute.

To help support a small pub/restaurant in the area, I called in and got take-out. One of the young women who work in the cafe was excited to tell me that they now have homemade chili on the menu again. The minestrone soup is also good.

There was still time, after taking a few photos of some of the usual birds, to drive on a road that I have driven so many times before, but not for a while. Happy to see a beautiful Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post.

Finally reached home around 5:00 pm, after driving roughly 185 km since 9:30 am. So, not a really long drive, and one that still left me with more spare distance before my car goes in tomorrow. Hopefully, that will be that, for the rest of the year, as far as my vehicle is concerned!!

© All Rights Reserved

This morning, I have added a few photos taken on 3 July 2020, on the way home after a drive to Forgetmenot Pond, west of Calgary. The Pond was my main destination.

The weather forecast was for several rainy days in a row, so I wanted to make the most of a sunny day. The past week, I have had to be careful about how many kilometres I drove, before getting a service after the maintenance light came on a week ago, as I didn't want to mess up my car warranty.

On 3 July, however, I decided to drive west of the city, just into the eastern edge of the mountains. It's not a long drive and I was hoping to find some wildflowers before they all go to seed. I almost gave up trying to photograph wildflowers, as it was too windy to keep the flowers in the viewfinder.

What a nightmare few hours, as I think half of Calgary decided to do this trip. So many cars and so many people. Parking lots were overflowing and the main highway was lined with parked cars in many places.

My first stop was at a forested area to have a quick look for wildflowers and to see if there were any fungi that had started growing yet. Very little variety in wildflowers, and I only came across one single mushroom plus a little group of a different species.

From there, I kept driving till I reached Forgetmenot Pond. This is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. This day, though, the path around the pond had so many people on it, and some people (families?) had actually set up various tents near the path. I had to keep walking through the trees to avoid everyone. As for Elbow Falls, there were so many cars there that there was no way I was going to even try and call in briefly. This was a Friday, not even a busy weekend day. I guess this is what it is going to be like the whole of the summer - yikes!

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. So beautiful.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

Later, it was such a contrast to drive a few of my favourite roads closer to home. A few cyclists and a few cars, but, in between them, it was so quiet and peaceful. Felt so good. There was even one Snipe on a fence post to make this extra bit of driving worthwhile. Not that I need any more Snipe photos to post : ) You might be glad to see a Snipe photo as, soon, it will be back to (oh, no!) American White Pelican photos. Just had to get out for a while on 5 July, partly because my place was feeling much too warm. The drive to and from Frank Lake was roughly 145 kilometers.

On 3 July, I found that two of the Mountain Bluebird families had vacated their nest boxes. I had a feeling that I was going to miss their fledging - this is what usually happens each year! However, I was so happy to spot a tiny Bluebird fledgling huddled right against the top of a fence post. Just trying to keep safe. And then, suddenly, it was no longer there. I didn't see it fly and I thought it may have dropped down into the grass. However, when I turned my car around to the other side of the road, I found a fledgling (same one?) down in the field, in an area of dried mud rather than tall grass. SO cute.

To help support a small pub/restaurant in the area, I called in and got take-out. One of the young women who works in the cafe was excited to tell me that they now have homemade chili on the menu again. The minestrone soup is also good.

There was still time, after taking a few photos of some of the usual birds, to drive on a road that I have driven so many times before, but not for a while. Happy to see a beautiful Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post.

Finally reached home around 5:00 pm, after driving roughly 185 km since 9:30 am. So, not a really long drive, and one that still left me with more spare distance before my car had to go in for service yesterday. Hopefully, that will be that, for the rest of the year, as far as my vehicle is concerned!!

Yesterday, 9 July 2020, I gave my car a good test when I did a long drive to one of my favourite places. I stopped and started the car so many times, feeling nervous that it might not start, but all worked out well. Lots of beautiful sightings that I will start posting in the next few days. I haven't even downloaded my photos from yesterday, which is most unusual for me - I was exhausted after driving somewhere around 460 km!

Tags:   Alberta Canada SW of Calgary on way home from Forgetmenot Pond nature wildlife avian ornithology bird Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides male back/side view perched fence railing wood wooden field trees bokeh outdoor summer 3 July 2020 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2020 © All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved

This morning, I have added a few photos taken on 3 July 2020, on the way home after a drive to Forgetmenot Pond, west of Calgary. The Pond was my main destination.

The weather forecast was for several rainy days in a row, so I wanted to make the most of a sunny day. The past week, I have had to be careful about how many kilometres I drove, before getting a service after the maintenance light came on a week ago, as I didn't want to mess up my car warranty.

On 3 July, however, I decided to drive west of the city, just into the eastern edge of the mountains. It's not a long drive and I was hoping to find some wildflowers before they all go to seed. I almost gave up trying to photograph wildflowers, as it was too windy to keep the flowers in the viewfinder.

What a nightmare few hours, as I think half of Calgary decided to do this trip. So many cars and so many people. Parking lots were overflowing and the main highway was lined with parked cars in many places.

My first stop was at a forested area to have a quick look for wildflowers and to see if there were any fungi that had started growing yet. Very little variety in wildflowers, and I only came across one single mushroom plus a little group of a different species.

From there, I kept driving till I reached Forgetmenot Pond. This is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. This day, though, the path around the pond had so many people on it, and some people (families?) had actually set up various tents near the path. I had to keep walking through the trees to avoid everyone. As for Elbow Falls, there were so many cars there that there was no way I was going to even try and call in briefly. This was a Friday, not even a busy weekend day. I guess this is what it is going to be like the whole of the summer - yikes!

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. So beautiful.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

Later, it was such a contrast to drive a few of my favourite roads closer to home. A few cyclists and a few cars, but, in between them, it was so quiet and peaceful. Felt so good. There was even one Snipe on a fence post to make this extra bit of driving worthwhile. Not that I need any more Snipe photos to post : ) You might be glad to see a Snipe photo as, soon, it will be back to (oh, no!) American White Pelican photos. Just had to get out for a while on 5 July, partly because my place was feeling much too warm. The drive to and from Frank Lake was roughly 145 kilometers.

On 3 July, I found that two of the Mountain Bluebird families had vacated their nest boxes. I had a feeling that I was going to miss their fledging - this is what usually happens each year! However, I was so happy to spot a tiny Bluebird fledgling huddled right against the top of a fence post. Just trying to keep safe. And then, suddenly, it was no longer there. I didn't see it fly and I thought it may have dropped down into the grass. However, when I turned my car around to the other side of the road, I found a fledgling (same one?) down in the field, in an area of dried mud rather than tall grass. SO cute.

To help support a small pub/restaurant in the area, I called in and got take-out. One of the young women who works in the cafe was excited to tell me that they now have homemade chili on the menu again. The minestrone soup is also good.

There was still time, after taking a few photos of some of the usual birds, to drive on a road that I have driven so many times before, but not for a while. Happy to see a beautiful Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post.

Finally reached home around 5:00 pm, after driving roughly 185 km since 9:30 am. So, not a really long drive, and one that still left me with more spare distance before my car had to go in for service yesterday. Hopefully, that will be that, for the rest of the year, as far as my vehicle is concerned!!

Yesterday, 9 July 2020, I gave my car a good test when I did a long drive to one of my favourite places. I stopped and started the car so many times, feeling nervous that it might not start, but all worked out well. Lots of beautiful sightings that I will start posting in the next few days. I haven't even downloaded my photos from yesterday, which is most unusual for me - I was exhausted after driving somewhere around 460 km!

Tags:   Alberta Canada SW of Calgary on way home from Forgetmenot Pond nature wildlife avian ornithology bird bird of prey raptor hawk Swainson's Hawk side view adult perched fence post hills grassland field Canola trees outdoor summer 3 July 2020 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2020 © All Rights Reserved

© All Rights Reserved

I stumbled upon this little cluster of mushrooms when I decided to cut through the trees, to avoid all the dozens of people standing and walking in a huge parking lot.

These five photos were added around 3:30 pm this afternoon. After dropping off my vehicle to get a routine service late this morning, I just had time to edit a few images and get them posted on Flickr before I needed to get back to pick up my car. We had another conversation about the issue of not being able to start my car sometimes - always when I am out of the city, never when I am within the city. A few days ago, I was reading other complaints about the same problem, online. Sounds like Honda needs to do a recall!!

All five photos were taken on 3 July 2020, at Forgetmenot Pond, which was my main destination. From this view, you can't see any of the many tents put up just within the edge of the trees or the picnic tables that were overflowing with people, right along the path that circles the pond! You can't see all the people behind me, either.

The weather forecast was for several rainy days in a row, so I wanted to make the most of a sunny day. This week, I have had to be careful about how many kilometres I drove, before getting a service after the maintenance light came on a week ago, as I didn't want to mess up my car warranty.

On 3 July, however, I decided to drive west of the city, just into the eastern edge of the mountains. It's not a long drive and I was hoping to find some wildflowers before they all go to seed.

What a nightmare few hours, as I think half of Calgary decided to do this trip. So many cars and so many people. Parking lots were overflowing and the main highway was lined with parked cars in many places.

My first stop was at a forested area to have a quick look for wildflowers and to see if there were any fungi that had started growing yet. Very little variety in wildflowers, and I only came across one single mushroom plus a little group of a different species.

From there, I kept driving till I reached Forgetmenot Pond. This is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. This day, though, the path around the pond had a lot of people on it, and some people (families?) had actually set up various tents near the path. I had to keep walking through the trees to avoid everyone. As for Elbow Falls, there were so many cars there that there was no way I was going to even try and call in briefly. This was a Friday, not even a busy weekend day. I suspect this is what it is going to be like the whole of the summer - yikes!

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. So beautiful.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

Later, it was such a contrast to drive a few of my favourite roads closer to home. A few cyclists and a few cars, but, in between them, it was so quiet and peaceful. Felt so good. There was even one Snipe on a fence post to make this extra bit of driving worthwhile. Not that I need any more Snipe photos to post : ) You might be glad to see a Snipe photo as, soon, it will be back to (oh, no!) American White Pelican photos. Just had to get out for a while the day before yesterday, 5 July, partly because my place was feeling much too warm. The drive to and from Frank Lake was roughly 145 kilometers.

Two of the Mountain Bluebird families had vacated their nest boxes. I had a feeling that I was going to miss their fledging - this is what usually happens each year! However, I was so happy to spot a tiny Bluebird fledgling huddled right against the top of a fence post. Just trying to keep safe. And then, suddenly, it was no longer there. I didn't see it fly and I thought it may have dropped down into the grass. However, when I turned my car around to the other side of the road, I found a fledgling (same one?) down in the field, in an area of dried mud rather than tall grass. SO cute.

To help support a small pub/restaurant in the area, I called in and got take-out. One of the young women who work in the cafe was excited to tell me that they now have homemade chili on the menu again. The minestrone soup is also good.

There was still time, after taking a few photos of some of the usual birds, to drive on a road that I have driven so many times before, but not for a while. Happy to see a beautiful Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post.

Finally reached home around 5:00 pm, after driving roughly 185 km since 9:30 am. So, not a really long drive, and one that still left me with more spare distance before my car had to go in for service today. Hopefully, that will be that, for the rest of the year, as far as my vehicle is concerned!!

© All Rights Reserved