Yesterday's drive, 15 August 2022, took me way SE of Calgary. I had one main destination in mind (an old ghost town that I had visited before) and one special hope along the way (a Common Nighthawk??). Will have to add descriptions, etc. another time, as our heat wave continues and I have no choice but to again spend a few hours in my car's air-conditioning tomorrow. Need to get a few things ready tonight.
It was a long day of driving - 462 km in total. Hot, up to 32C, but I was able to get a nice breeze by opening both front side windows. Most of my driving was on main roads, because I had to get back home before the light started fading, One of my absolute favourite gravel roads was involved, though, but there was little bird activity. I only found one Western Meadowlark in the whole day, so I knew that the month spent mainly at home with a really bad tooth infection/root canal meant that I was now too late for most things. Spotting two Common Nighthawks really helped, though. Also, a few hawks and lots of Horned Larks.
The old ghost town was so enjoyable. Despite its very small size, it is an interesting place with a sprinkling of old structures and a beautiful old church. It is all well-cared for. Unfortunately, I was just too late to see the garden flowers at their best. The local people who take care of things do a really good job.
One thing that there was no shortage of was grasshoppers! I had read about how many there were at the moment. They were bouncing off my windshield along a couple of the back roads. My poor white car is now filthy brown with road dust at the back end, and the front end is one mass of insect splats!
Tags: Alberta Canada SE of Calgary rural rural scene rural decay building structure house homestead wooden decay collapsing weathered field grass sky clouds outdoor summer 15 August 2022 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2022 © All Rights Reserved
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www.nps.gov/articles/windmills.htm
"The home, the barn, everything seen in this yard once served a rather unique and special purpose. Operating as a fully functioning “demonstration farm”, near Vulcan Alberta, and tied to the Canadian Pacific Railway, it was a show piece of sorts a century ago, promoting the region’s agricultural potential. Prospective settlers would be told where to acquire land and of course similar farm buildings, what crops to grow and how to do it efficiently, what equipment to purchase, what techniques to use and so on.
The CPR had a vested interest, of course, in the success of this endeavour. They’d profit both on the sale of these kit farms and then again, many-fold, on the resultant business brought to the railway through the moving of inbound materials needed by all those new settlers; and outbound agricultural products the area would produce. And the transporting of people in and out, all the stuff needed for new towns that would spring up, and any industry established there, they too all moved by railway. It was win-win for the CPR!" From bigdoer website.
www.bigdoer.com/27596/exploring-history/cpr-demonstration...
Yesterday's drive, 15 August 2022, took me way SE of Calgary. I had one main destination in mind (an old ghost town that I had visited before) and one special hope along the way (a Common Nighthawk??). Will have to add descriptions, etc. another time, as our heat wave continues and I have no choice but to again spend a few hours in my car's air-conditioning tomorrow. Need to get a few things ready tonight.
It was a long day of driving - 462 km in total. Hot, up to 32C, but I was able to get a nice breeze by opening both front side windows. Most of my driving was on main roads, because I had to get back home before the light started fading, One of my absolute favourite gravel roads was involved, though, but there was little bird activity. I only found one Western Meadowlark in the whole day, so I knew that the month spent mainly at home with a really bad tooth infection/root canal meant that I was now too late for most things. Spotting two Common Nighthawks really helped, though. Also, a few hawks and lots of Horned Larks.
The old ghost town was so enjoyable. Despite its very small size, it is an interesting place with a sprinkling of old structures and a beautiful old church. It is all well-cared for. Unfortunately, I was just too late to see the garden flowers at their best. The local people who take care of things do a really good job.
One thing that there was no shortage of was grasshoppers! I had read about how many there were at the moment. They were bouncing off my windshield along a couple of the back roads. My poor white car is now filthy brown with road dust at the back end, and the front end is one mass of insect splats!
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Yesterday's drive, 15 August 2022, took me way SE of Calgary. I had one main destination in mind (an old ghost town that I had visited before) and one special hope along the way (a Common Nighthawk??). Will have to add descriptions, etc. another time, as our heat wave continues and I have no choice but to again spend a few hours in my car's air-conditioning tomorrow. Need to get a few things ready tonight.
It was a long day of driving - 462 km in total. Hot, up to 32C, but I was able to get a nice breeze by opening both front side windows. Most of my driving was on main roads, because I had to get back home before the light started fading, One of my absolute favourite gravel roads was involved, though, but there was little bird activity. I only found one Western Meadowlark in the whole day, so I knew that the month spent mainly at home with a really bad tooth infection/root canal meant that I was now too late for most things. Spotting two Common Nighthawks really helped, though. Also, a few hawks and lots of Horned Larks.
The old ghost town was so enjoyable. Despite its very small size, it is an interesting place with a sprinkling of old structures and a beautiful old church. It is all well-cared for. Unfortunately, I was just too late to see the garden flowers at their best. The local people who take care of things do a really good job.
One thing that there was no shortage of was grasshoppers! I had read about how many there were at the moment. They were bouncing off my windshield along a couple of the back roads. My poor white car is now filthy brown with road dust at the back end, and the front end is one mass of insect splats!
Tags: Alberta Canada SE of Calgary
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Yesterday's drive, 15 August 2022, took me way SE of Calgary. I had one main destination in mind (an old ghost town that I had visited before) and one special hope along the way (a Common Nighthawk??). Will have to add descriptions, etc. another time, as our heat wave continues and I have no choice but to again spend a few hours in my car's air-conditioning tomorrow. Need to get a few things ready tonight.
It was a long day of driving - 462 km in total. Hot, up to 32C, but I was able to get a nice breeze by opening both front side windows. Most of my driving was on main roads, because I had to get back home before the light started fading, One of my absolute favourite gravel roads was involved, though, but there was little bird activity. I only found one Western Meadowlark in the whole day, so I knew that the month spent mainly at home with a really bad tooth infection/root canal meant that I was now too late for most things. Spotting two Common Nighthawks really helped, though. Also, a few hawks and lots of Horned Larks.
The old ghost town was so enjoyable. Despite its very small size, it is an interesting place with a sprinkling of old structures and a beautiful old church. It is all well-cared for. Unfortunately, I was just too late to see the garden flowers at their best. The local people who take care of things do a really good job.
One thing that there was no shortage of was grasshoppers! I had read about how many there were at the moment. They were bouncing off my windshield along a couple of the back roads. My poor white car is now filthy brown with road dust at the back end, and the front end is one mass of insect splats!
Tags: Alberta Canada SE of Calgary Retlaw ghost town
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This photo was taken seconds before both the peacefully sleeping bird and myself were very unexpectedly dive-bombed by a Red-tailed Hawk! Not sure if the hawk had thought the Nighthawk would make a tasty meal or if it was annoyed with me.
Yesterday's drive, 15 August 2022, took me way SE of Calgary. I had one main destination in mind (an old ghost town that I had visited before, on 18 July 2020) and one special hope along the way (a Common Nighthawk??). Will have to add descriptions, etc. another time, as our heat wave continues and I have no choice but to again spend a few hours in my car's air-conditioning tomorrow. Need to get a few things ready tonight.
It was a long day of driving - 462 km in total. Hot, up to 32C, but I was able to get a nice breeze by opening both front side windows. Most of my driving was on main roads, because I had to get back home before the light started fading, One of my absolute favourite gravel roads was involved, though, but there was little bird activity. I only found one Western Meadowlark in the whole day, so I knew that the month spent mainly at home with a really bad tooth infection/root canal meant that I was now too late for most things. Spotting two Common Nighthawks really helped, though. Also, a few hawks and lots of Horned Larks.
The old ghost town was so enjoyable. Despite its very small size, it is an interesting place with a sprinkling of old structures and a beautiful old church. It is all well-cared for. Unfortunately, I was just too late to see the garden flowers at their best. The local people who take care of things do a really good job.
One thing that there was no shortage of was grasshoppers! I had read about how many there were at the moment. They were bouncing off my windshield along a couple of the back roads. My poor white car is now filthy brown with road dust at the back end, and the front end is one mass of insect splats!
"Common Nighthawks eat flying insects almost exclusively. The Common Nighthawk hunts on the wing at dawn and dusk, opening its tiny beak to reveal a cavernous mouth well suited for snapping up flying insects. It often takes advantage of clouds of insects attracted to streetlamps, stadium lights, and other bright lights. Nighthawks eat queen ants, wasps, beetles, caddisflies, moths, bugs, mayflies, flies, crickets, grasshoppers, and other insects. They may also eat a small amount of vegetation. Though they forage in low light, they seem to locate prey by sight, possibly with the help of a structure in their eyes that reflects light back to the retina to improve their night vision. They occasionally forage during the day in stormy weather, but seem to never forage at night. Common Nighthawks may forage near the ground or water, or more than 500 feet into the sky." From AllAboutBirds.
Tags: Alberta Canada southern Alberta nature wildlife ornithology avian bird Common NIghthawk Chordeiles minor Caprimulgidae family adult small bill white throat side view lying down resting asleep perched fence railing wooden feathers pattern texture field bokeh outdoor summer 15 August 2022 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2022 © All Rights Reserved
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