adept83

Spotted Sandpiper

2007-05-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

American Kestrel

2007-05-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

Shot at dusk.

Beaverhill Lake - Beaverhill Bird Observatory

2007-05-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

This is funny. I almost drove 4 hours to a lake that no longer exists. Next time you research something online, make sure it is an up to date website. Apparently Beaverhill Lake has not had any water in it for the last 5 or so years. They don't know why, there are theories, but it dried up, or is drying up...?? There is luckily some water in it this year. I'm not sure if it was completely dried up at one point or not. It's interesting, I'll have to find out more. Imagine how disappointed I would have been to walk up on a dried lake!!! lol

Party time

2007-05-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

Tree swallows, barn swallows, bank swallows and who knows what else. It's a big pile to swallow.....?? Lame attempt at a pun. You wouldn't think I was the son of John, lol.

Redheads

2007-05-11T00:33:00.000-07:00

Sharp-shinned Hawk

2007-05-11T00:26:00.000-07:00

Notice in the second photo; long, thin leg dangling.

????

2007-05-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

In the lush, plush brush I spotted a thrush in a rush to not be seen much! Not sure yet what type and such....lol This has proven to be a very difficult bird to identify for certain. At the moment I am thinking it is a hermit thrush. Tough identifications, I find, are best tackled using a process of elimination. Choises left are: hermit thrush, swainson's thrush, grey-cheecked thrush and veery. The hermit thrush is the only thrush described with an olive-brown to russet-brown upperparts, as opposed to just olive-brown. This bird definately looks more russet-brown than olive-brown, which may be the deciding factor.

Blue-winged Teal

2007-05-11T00:06:00.000-07:00

Brown-headed Cowbird

2007-05-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

These are the creepiest bird pics ever! Bird horror movie auditions winner. lol

Barn Swallow

2007-05-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

Bank Swallow

2007-05-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

Yellow-headed Blackbird

2007-05-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

Couldn't see a female anywhere.

North American Badger

2007-05-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

Tree Swallow

2007-05-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

Not sure yet.....blury anyhow

2007-05-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Say's Phoebe

2007-05-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

Red-winged Blackbird

2007-05-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

Mrytle Warbler

2007-05-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Western Meadowlark

2007-05-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Flycatcher

2007-05-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

Not sure what type of flycatcher yet. Perhaps a dusty, or gray flycatcher, so hard to discern.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

2007-05-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hey, you have sap on your beek. Hahaha, sucker!

Northern Pintail

2007-05-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

Hybrid Northern Flicker

2007-05-02T03:31:00.000-07:00

New flicker photos.

American Dipper

2007-05-02T03:29:00.000-07:00

Posted shots of these birds in the winter. These photos are a little clearer.

White-crowned Sparrow

2007-05-02T03:14:00.000-07:00

All the white-crowned sparrows please stand up, please stand up, please stand up! All the white crowned-sparrows in the house say yaayoo! If you my homie white sparrow say whoomp, whoomp! Yeah, break it down sparrow styles. Kickin' it white-crown. Rollin' with the white-crown. WORD!

Porcupine

2007-05-02T03:11:00.000-07:00

Don't shoot, I'm unarmed!!!!! lol

Killdeer

2007-05-02T03:06:00.000-07:00

So many funny looking birds. I wonder if they do kill deer, lol.

Green-winged Teal

2007-05-02T03:05:00.000-07:00

Common Goldeneye

2007-05-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

Female.

Male.

Harlequin Duck

2007-05-02T02:51:00.000-07:00

The male is black. They like to be in strong currents.

Wood Duck

2007-05-02T02:47:00.000-07:00

I always smile and shake my head when I see the male wood duck, unreal. lol.

Not used to seeing ducks in trees, looks odd, hehe.

American Coot

2007-04-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

These birds are so rambuncious in the water, it's funny to watch.

Red-necked Grebe.

2007-04-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

First grebe I've seen! They dive pretty deep, I lost sight of it quickly.

Bufflehead

2007-04-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

Female on left.

Greater Scaup

2007-04-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

It is extremely hard to discern between a lesser scaup and a greater scaup, but I'm fairly certain these are greater scaups. Notice the green hue of the males mostly black head.

Rutty Duck

2007-04-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

Male has blue bill.

Northern Shoveler

2007-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Largest bills in North America!

American Wigeon

2007-04-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ring-necked Duck

2007-04-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I noticed this pair of ring-necked ducks amongst the scaups. Actually, I didn't notice until I got home, lol.

Swan

2007-04-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Looks like a tundra swan, but could be a trumpeter, not sure.

Savannah Sparrow

2007-04-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Canvasbacks

2007-04-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

Male has red head. Photographed from very far.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

2007-04-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

Just about to land.

Prairie Dog

2007-04-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Cute little prairie dog, eh?

How about now? lol

Swainson's Hawk (light morph)

2007-04-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

It took me a while, but I finally noticed that this is not a Red-tailed hawk! It is a Swainson's hawk. I noticed the multiple tail bands. It had a fresh kill and an either incredibly brave, or stupid Magpie wanted some, lol. It actually pulled on the hawks tail, fairly hard! The hawk couldn't have cared less. I'm sure the Magpie could have been the hawks next meal if it wanted!

....and then there were two.....

2007-04-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Brown Creeper

2007-04-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hard to tell from the photos, but these little guys aren't much bigger than a twoonie!! Notice the insect it just cought! Glad I got a decent shot, wish I could say the same of a Golden-crowned Kinglet I saw just earlier. Even smaller still, he was!!

Ruffed Grouse

2007-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

This grouse and I went for a nice walk through the woods. I followed it leisurely for atleast 30 minutes, trying to get a good shot. In the dense folliage, he wasn't flying away, but also wouldn't let me get too close. I never walked directly towards it, always just to the side, trying to get it to stop moving. Their first line of defense is camouflage, if they think they are not seen they freeze. I would lose site of it for a minute, until it moved again. So hard to see this little dude, even from 10 feet! Almost got myself into trouble. Wandered a little far off the beaten track. Didn't plan on trecking so late in the day. I realized I only had about 1 hour of sun left. I was lost, no compass, no food, no flashlight, looked like it was going to rain, in the middle of cougar and grizzly country. If you think you are scared of being in the forrest alone at night, in Ontario, try it in Kananaskis Country where there are true human predators. Oh my word!!! I'm more scared in the middle of the day here, than the middle of the night in Ontario. I did my best to stay calm and found my car just in time! Whew!

Horse/Goat

2007-04-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

Golden, British Columbia

2007-04-25T03:54:00.000-07:00

Big-horned Sheep

2007-04-25T03:39:00.000-07:00

The power of these animals is absolutely astonishing and they are so fast. To see them ram horns, only 10 feet from my car, was scary. The explosion is insane! Actually, I had to be careful, the car was in drive the whole time. One of them began the whole ramming setup ritual with my car, uh oh, but luckely he didn't strike. I don't think he knew where to connect, he didn't know where my horns where, lol. I was quick on the gas, but wouldn't have got away if he didn't hesitate, whew! They are just full of explosive power, I suppose why they can jump up 10' cliffs!!!

Audobon's Warbler

2007-04-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

Dark-eyed Junko

2007-04-25T01:02:00.000-07:00

Great Blue Heron

2007-04-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

Ruffed Grouse

2007-04-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

This grouce was so well camouflaged before it got all puffed up at me, lol. I'm happy that I noticed it laying flat about 10' off the road, silent.

Pileated Woodpecker

2007-04-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

Far away, poor quality.

Red-tailed Hawk

2007-04-23T01:26:00.000-07:00

Franklin's Gulls

2007-04-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

Gray Jay

2007-04-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

Mountian Bluebird (male)

2007-04-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Mountain Bluebird (female)

2007-04-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Mountain Bluebird doing her morning pilates, lol.

Dark-eyed Junco

2007-04-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hit the city by storm.

Jack Rabbit

2007-04-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Beautiful rabbit, I think it was old.

In Banff

2007-04-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

Yet another wonderful view.

Mountain Goats

2007-04-07T00:54:00.000-07:00

They preffer to live in the most dangerous places possible. Mountian ledges, steep cliffs. They can jump 10' high up cliffs! They can also see movement from a mile away.

Elk

2007-04-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Red-tailed Hawk (light morph adult)

2007-04-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

5' wing span. Amazing screaches, sounds very similar to the Bald Eagle. Yahoo raptors! I may be able to get some better shots of this bird in the near future.

Glaucous Gull (adult)

2007-04-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

No, it's not an Albino Gull, lol. Although you might think it would be more likely to see in Calgary, lol. This is a Glaucous Gull. There are not too many of these guys, and this one is not helping, hehe. Not gonna find a mate out here buddy. These birds live in the Artic. All but one that is, excuse me.

Northern Flicker (red-shafted male)

2007-04-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite bird shots so far. Love these birds.

Osprey (dark phase)

2007-04-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

Almost all of the dark-phase Osprey nest in Alberta. Almost thought it was something else, but knew it couldn't be due to it's size (over 7' wingspan) and who could mistake those fingertips. You see one of these birds in the distance you know right away it's either a Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle or Osprey. So huge! Neat bird, not hawk nor eagle. Specially designed talons for holding fish. Talons have two claws forward and two back, allowing them to easily hold fish parallel to their bodies for aerodynamics. Aswell they have slime resistant feather, hehe.

Chillin'

2007-04-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Nice to see different animals hangin' out. Interenting....my boss has a brown horse, a white horse, and is taking care of the neighbours black horse. This is the fourth occassion I have seen this Magpie hanging out with the brown horse, never the other horses.? He must not like the colour competition from the other horses, makes him feel inadequate. He's definately not looking for camouflage, lol. Maybe he's colour blind. Could be just coincidental, but I'm gonna think about this one some more....hmmm.....?

Cayote

2007-04-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

Snapped a quick pic of this cayote as it ran away from me. Wooden fence post in foreground.

Bohemian Waxwing

2007-04-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Awsome looking birds, saw a pair of them in an ornamental berry tree of some sort. They were dead silent.

Prairie Dogs

2007-04-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

The goffers here are funny. They are tiny, about a third the size of a ground hog. They make little peeping noises like birds and chase eachother all day, flopping around in the fields.

Sunbathing

2007-04-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

Bald Eagle

2007-04-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

They are 3 1/2 feet from beak to tail, and have a wingspan a foot longer than me! Truly awsome birds to see closely. I look forward to getting a good perspective photograph of one of these birds where you can easily discern their size. Perhaps eating carrion next to a Raven or Crow..?

Zipp

2007-03-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

Adman

2007-03-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

A wee note to all those who have tried to leave comments. I have adjusted my preferences so anyone can post comments, not just registered users. Thanks to my friend Aaron I may now hear a few more responses, look forward to them.

Common Goldeneyes and Mallards

2007-03-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

Zippers

2007-03-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of Zippers and his second best friend "the bird in the mirror". Me being his best friend of coarse, hehe. He often flies into the bathroom and lands there to say hello.

Wok-art

2007-03-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

My wok rusts almost instantaniously if I don't dry and oil it. This is the art that it made for me on my counter. Washed off no problem, lol.

Street Light

2007-03-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

Black-billed Magpie

2007-03-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

As common in Calgary as Crows are in Ottawa.

Dancing Tree

2007-03-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

2007-03-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

2007-03-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

2007-03-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

The pines and aspen were playing a game of red-rover. One-nothing pine trees, lol.

Gilded Flicker

2007-02-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

Too bad I couldn't get closer to this Gilded Flicker for a better photo, maybe next time. He was over 100 meters from me, maybe just out of the reach of my 70-300mm. I only got one picture, then he flew away. Man I love my new lense. It might have helped, aswell, if I realized I didn't have the Vibration Reduction on, hehe. Especially on a full zoom. This was my first day birding with my new camera. All in all I am happy with some of the shots, but they will soon get even better. I learned so much today. One of the main factors for me today was focusing on birds through dence branches and/or folliage. The auto-focus is rendered useless because the camera has no clue what you're trying to photograph. You may luck out from time to time, but that's it. The next issue pertained to focusing manually. At first I thought I was focusing well, but was just off. My eye soon became more critical and aware of detail, was a great feeling. Photographing birds and wildlife is very meditative. You must try and travel quietly and become part of the landscape. You must tune in your senses to be most successful. On a calm day I often walk looking at the ground in front of me, trying to crack as few twigs as possible, glancing up ahead now and then. Meanwhile I am most focused on the slightest of sounds that my ear may pick up. I often hear birds and then stealthily seek them out. My fondest memory of hearing, then spotting happened resently. I heard the absolute faintest of peeps, only to see a Brown Creeper. Had I not heard it I probably would not have seen it, too small, camouflaged ect. Who knows I may never see a Brown Creeper again.? Hearing not just calls, you can hear birds flying and foraging. The best method is to move quietly and pause every so often to listen intently. If you notice, animals always move through the forrest this way as to best sense any luming dangers. When I pause and listen I also look at the area 360 degrees around me slowly. If you are to spot an American Woodcock other than just watching it fly away because you almost stepped on it, you need to take your time. When looking for things that are not moving it is best to not focus on smaller things. Like a camera you can focus your eyes to a certain depth of field where you may notice things. You may notice patterns, shapes, lines, colours and/or light reflections that don't quite belong; turning out to be an animal. Remember that your senses can take in way more information than your brain can process, give it time. Aswell the concious mind can only process a minut amount of the information coming in. When preparing to take a shot one must balance themselves, relax, breath deeply and slowly while searching with the eyes, and brains interpretation of the events, for the perfect moment of capture. Or you can just run around frantically pressing click!!! lol

A What Flicker?

2007-02-25T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is interesting!! This is a Flicker, but if you look in your bird book you won't find any pictures of this guy!! There are two forms of Northern Flicker, the Red-shafted Flicker and the Yellow-shafted Flicker. The Yellow-shafted Flicker has a red cresent on it's crown, while the male Red-shafted Flicker has a red moustache. Because there is a lot of hybridization the two species are lumped together and called the Northern Flicker. This is obviously a male who has got the best of both worlds. Cool eh!! I wonder if he's proud of his double red spots, or if the female Flickers think he's the Brad Pitt of Flickers, lol.

Black-capped Chickadee

2007-02-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm....Gee....I wonder if these chickadee's have been hand fed. Ummm, ya. They followed me around all day, mobbing me, lol. Tsts-psh-psh-psh!!! One even landed on my lense as I was shooting, lol. I had no food and they followed me around for several hours, while they should have been foraging. This is one of the reasons you shouldn't hand feed the birds!

Downy Woodpecker's

2007-02-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

The male has the red patch on the back of his head.

2007-02-25T15:30:00.000-08:00

Taken through a chain-link fence.

White-breasted Nuthatch

2007-02-25T15:22:00.000-08:00

They look bigger than the ones I see in Ontario, hmmm.?

Me and Zippers

2007-02-24T20:33:00.000-08:00

Elbow Falls

2007-02-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

American Dipper

2007-02-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

Shot in low light conditions from about 60' with new telephoto zoom lense, not too bad concidering. These little guys use their wings like penguins to fly under water. They eat aquatic insects/larvae, minnows and stuff. I suppose in the middle of winter they are eating crustaceans.? They can dive 6 meters and even walk on the bottom while foraging!!
I can see a slight brown hue to most of the head, in several shots, on more than one bird. Can't find any mention of it in the detailed bird book desciptions. Hmm, it should be noted.
It's head is fully submersed, between two rocks, probably gleaning.
How's my camouflauge while I forage? Lol, play spot the dipper.

This is the cave where I'm sure they are nesting. There is a better prospective shot further down the blog. I could hear them loud and clear, over the rumble of the falls. Long warbles, buzzes and trills.

2007-02-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Feeding the Deer

2007-02-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

Nice rack Mr. Mule deer! Let me know where you're gonna drop them. hehe
Hey little buddy.
Want some oats?

Gotta share now, lots to go around. lol I wanna pet 'em.

Chickadee Haven

2007-02-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

Boreal Chickadee. The only Chickadee with a brown cap. Mixed amongst the Black-capped Chickadees. At first I thought it was a Grey-capped Chickadee who had come down from the arctic and I had made a discovery. Oh well, I'll have to wait to make my grand entrance into the "scientific community", lol.

Mountain Chickadee. Rare bird, easily identified by it's white eyebrow. Mixed amongst the Black-capped Chickadees. Looks a lot like a Red-breasted Nuthatch, but notice the black bibb. Man I would love a job doing this, hehe. Probably could if I worked hard enough. That whole "work" thing again, damnit! lol

Splitting a seed held between it's feet. Soon to be photographed: Black-capped Chickadee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and I'll swing by the arctic and snap a shot of the Grey-capped Chickadee, haha.

Ronin

2007-02-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

Ronins first ride in the back of a truck. I think he liked it. They like all the smells that pass by. Once that became old news he curled up in the corner, comfy husky.