On 4 September 2022, I drove with my daughter way down south, a total trip of just under 500 km. The following day was a day of 'recovery' at home : ) Then, yesterday, 6 September, it was the first day of Fall Birding with a small group of friends. The morning walk was at Carburn Park. I always use the walk at this location as a nice chance to actually see friends. Most of the birds are extremely distant, so I barely use my camera. Yesterday, I did manage a handful of shots, of a distant Double-crested Cormorant and two Common Mergansers. The last time I did any kind of walk, either with friends or by myself, was way back on 10 May!
This park is in the eastern part of Calgary, so I thought I would continue driving east after the walk and just drive a few backroads. The last time I drove in that direction was on 21 March 2022, as all my drives the last few months have been SE or SW of the city. Lots of harvesting was going on. Thank you to all the farmers and others who work so hard, especially when surrounded in clouds of dust. It can't be healthy, breathing in all those tiny particles.
As for birds, I was happy to come across two Swainson's Hawks along the same road, The first one was standing on a hay bale, and the second one was seen from a distance, when I stopped to check what looked like a dark shadow on a different bale. The 'shadow' turned out to be a second hawk that was lying down. I'm not sure, but it almost looks like there could be a beak deformity near the tip (or maybe it's food?).
I also made a very quick stop at Weed Lake, south entrance. Not a lot to see, but another Great Blue Heron is always a welcome sight.
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary nature wildlife wild bird avian ornithology bird bird of prey raptor hawk Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni lying on a hay bale side view feathers pattern field harvest colour bokeh outdoor summer 6 September 2022 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2022 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
On 4 September 2022, I drove with my daughter way down south, a trip of just under 500 km. The following day was a day of 'recovery' at home : ) Then, yesterday, 6 September, it was the first day of Fall Birding with a small group of friends. The morning walk was at Carburn Park. I always use the walk at this location as a nice chance to actually see friends. Most of the birds are extremely distant, so I barely use my camera. Yesterday, I did manage a handful of shots, of a distant Double-crested Cormorant and two Common Mergansers. The last time I did any kind of walk, either with friends or by myself, was way back on 10 May!
This park is in the eastern part of Calgary, so I thought I would continue driving east after the walk and just drive a few backroads. The last time I drove in that direction was on 21 March 2022, as all my drives the last few months have been SE or SW of the city. Lots of harvesting was going on. Thank you to all the farmers and others who work so hard, especially when surrounded in clouds of dust. It can't be healthy, breathing in all those tiny particles.
As for birds, I was happy to come across two Swainson's Hawks along the same road, The first one was standing on a hay bale, and the second one was seen from a distance, when I stopped to check what looked like a dark shadow on a different bale. The 'shadow' turned out to be a second hawk that was lying down. I'm not sure, but it almost looks like there could be a beak deformity near the tip.
I also made a very quick stop at Weed Lake, south entrance. Not a lot to see, but another Great Blue Heron is always a welcome sight.
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary
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My raptor ID skills are extremely poor, just like with shorebirds. This was a quick shot of a very distant hawk, just to see if I could identify it. Any help would be much appreciated.
On 4 September 2022, I drove with my daughter way down south, a trip of just under 500 km. The following day was a day of 'recovery' at home : ) Then, yesterday, 6 September, it was the first day of Fall Birding with a small group of friends. The morning walk was at Carburn Park. I always use the walk at this location as a nice chance to actually see friends. Most of the birds are extremely distant, so I barely use my camera. Yesterday, I did manage a handful of shots, of a distant Double-crested Cormorant and two Common Mergansers. The last time I did any kind of walk, either with friends or by myself, was way back on 10 May!
This park is in the eastern part of Calgary, so I thought I would continue driving east after the walk and just drive a few backroads. The last time I drove in that direction was on 21 March 2022, as all my drives the last few months have been SE or SW of the city. Lots of harvesting was going on. Thank you to all the farmers and others who work so hard, especially when surrounded in clouds of dust. It can't be healthy, breathing in all those tiny particles.
As for birds, I was happy to come across two Swainson's Hawks along the same road, The first one was standing on a hay bale, and the second one was seen from a distance, when I stopped to check what looked like a dark shadow on a different bale. The 'shadow' turned out to be a second hawk that was lying down. I'm not sure, but it almost looks like there could be a beak deformity near the tip (or maybe it's food?).
I also made a very quick stop at Weed Lake, south entrance. Not a lot to see, but another Great Blue Heron is always a welcome sight.
© All Rights Reserved
On 4 September 2022, I drove with my daughter way down south, a trip of just under 500 km. The following day was a day of 'recovery' at home : ) Then, yesterday, 6 September, it was the first day of Fall Birding with a small group of friends. The morning walk was at Carburn Park. I always use the walk at this location as a nice chance to actually see friends. Most of the birds are extremely distant, so I barely use my camera. Yesterday, I did manage a handful of shots, of a distant Double-crested Cormorant and two Common Mergansers. The last time I did any kind of walk, either with friends or by myself, was way back on 10 May!
This park is in the eastern part of Calgary, so I thought I would continue driving east after the walk and just drive a few backroads. The last time I drove in that direction was on 21 March 2022, as all my drives the last few months have been SE or SW of the city. Lots of harvesting was going on. Thank you to all the farmers and others who work so hard, especially when surrounded in clouds of dust. It can't be healthy, breathing in all those tiny particles.
As for birds, I was happy to come across two Swainson's Hawks along the same road, The first one was standing on a hay bale, and the second one was seen from a distance, when I stopped to check what looked like a dark shadow on a different bale. The 'shadow' turned out to be a second hawk that was lying down. I'm not sure, but it almost looks like there could be a beak deformity near the tip (or maybe it's food?).
I also made a very quick stop at Weed Lake, south entrance. Not a lot to see, but another Great Blue Heron is always a welcome sight.
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary
© All Rights Reserved
On 4 September 2022, I drove with my daughter way down south, a trip of just under 500 km. The following day was a day of 'recovery' at home : ) Then, yesterday, 6 September, it was the first day of Fall Birding with a small group of friends. The morning walk was at Carburn Park. I always use the walk at this location as a nice chance to actually see friends. Most of the birds are extremely distant, so I barely use my camera. Yesterday, I did manage a handful of shots, of a distant Double-crested Cormorant and two Common Mergansers. The last time I did any kind of walk, either with friends or by myself, was way back on 10 May!
This park is in the eastern part of Calgary, so I thought I would continue driving east after the walk and just drive a few backroads. The last time I drove in that direction was on 21 March 2022, as all my drives the last few months have been SE or SW of the city. Lots of harvesting was going on. Thank you to all the farmers and others who work so hard, especially when surrounded in clouds of dust. It can't be healthy, breathing in all those tiny particles.
As for birds, I was happy to come across two Swainson's Hawks along the same road, The first one was standing on a hay bale, and the second one was seen from a distance, when I stopped to check what looked like a dark shadow on a different bale. The 'shadow' turned out to be a second hawk that was lying down. I'm not sure, but it almost looks like there could be a beak deformity near the tip (or maybe it's food?).
I also made a very quick stop at Weed Lake, south entrance. Not a lot to see, but another Great Blue Heron is always a welcome sight.
Tags: Alberta Canada E of Calgary building structure barn wood wooden old weathered abandoned decay rural decay rural scene red field grass fence outdoor summer 6 September 2022 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2022 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved