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Two days ago, on 13 April 2015, I was fortunate enough to witness about 24 Sharp-tailed Grouse displaying at their "lek" or communal dancing ground. Five of us went to see this "secret" location on this day. Perhaps a trip of a lifetime. We had to leave Calgary really early in order to be at the location before the Grouse arrived before sunrise, and we had to stay until they had all left. I had been so excited to get photos of this activity, but, unfortunately, am so disappointed with the quality of all my shots, partly due to not the best light, heavily zoomed, and also to the conditions under which they were taken. Still, needless to say, I am happy to have had this chance and to get any photos at all!
Last night I came across an excellent brochure (pdf file) on the Internet and will use some of the information from it, instead of using my own words to describe what goes on at a lek. I had seen females of this species before, but not a male.
"Sharp-tailed grouse perform spring courtship displays on communal “dancing grounds” called leks. Here, males compete for breeding opportunities by displaying their "dancing” ability to females. Most activity on the lek occurs in the early morning just before sunrise and for a few hours afterwards. The males’ energetic display includes fluttering wings, rapid foot stomping and spinning in tight circles - reminiscent of wind-up toys. The most dominant males court females with low cooing sounds and by strutting around them with inflated air sacs on their neck and fanned tail feathers. It is nearly a winner-take-all form of competition, as only a few of the males are selected as mates by the females.
Leks are found in areas with dry open ground, where dancing activity keeps the vegetation well-trampled. Leks are used over several weeks beginning in late March and are often used for years, even decades. They are an important part of sharp-tailed grouse life, and the loss of suitable lek habitat can be a limiting factor for sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta.
Male sharp-tailed grouse gather on the lek in late March. In April the females arrive, sparking increased displaying by the males. Peak attendance by females on the lek occurs between mid to late April in much of Alberta. Once they have selected a male, hens breed once and then seek out a place to nest, usually in late April to early May.
Leks are an integral part of the lifecycle of prairie grouse. Active leks should never be approached, as any disturbance to the birds may disrupt breeding activities and result in the abandonment of the lek. The locations of active and historical leks are of great interest to grouse biologists.
Native North Americans called the sharp-tailed grouse “Fire Bird” because of their reliance on fires to keep their habitat open in wooded areas. Suppression of natural fire in parkland and boreal areas reduces the amount of open grassland available to sharp-tailed grouse.
Sharp-tailed grouse were an important food source for native North Americans and they continue to be a popular game bird for hunters today.
In Alberta, the sharp-tailed grouse is listed as “Sensitive.”
While exact population numbers are not known, there is a feeling that sharp-tailed grouse have decreased significantly in numbers over the past 40 years. This trend is supported by lek counts, hunter surveys, aerial counts and Breeding Bird Survey data. Declining numbers are the result of a reduction in the quality and quantity of sharp-tailed grouse habitat, particularly the loss of quality nesting and brood-rearing habitat." From www.ab-conservation.com.
www.ab-conservation.com/go/default/assets/File/Publicatio...
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I will have to finish adding descriptions, tags, etc. to my other two photos early this evening, as I have to get ready to go and somehow "kill" five hours this morning. I have to move my car from the parking lot by 7:30 am so that the lot can be spring cleaned and, as I don't have a 2015 pass to park on the street, I will have to drive around for five hours till I go for my volunteer shift. Such a pain!
Zum Lichte des Verstandes können wir immer gelangen; aber die Fülle des Herzens kann uns niemand geben. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Model: Anja
A sensitive plant in a garden grew,
And the young winds fed it with silver dew,
And it opened its fan-like leaves to the light,
and closed them beneath the kisses of night.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant," 1820
She is always so happy, but super sensitive lately. It breaks my heart seeing her cry. I told no more trampoline and out came the tears, she got over it fast...thankfully!
It was near closing time, with families all headed toward the zoo exit. This darling little girl fell and scuffed her knees. Even though she was hurt and crying, she kept on walking. The goose, who had been nearby on the lawn with another goose, began to walk with her, as if to give comfort to her.
...which never got posted because there was too much to do before our camping trip - such as covering the frost-sensitive plants before we left. Temperatures got down into the low 30's that night. We in our tent made out better than some of our plants in the garden...namely, we surived and they didn't.
At least, I think it is a Prairie Falcon. Seems quite dark. Whatever it is, I was very grateful to see it this afternoon, even more so as I ended up finding no Snowy Owls at all in the short time I looked.
"The prairie falcon is classified as Sensitive in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report. See the Status of the Prairie Falcon in Alberta report at:
General Status of Alberta Wild Species
In a subsequent detailed status assessment, Alberta's Endangered Species Conservation Committee identified the prairie falcon as a Species of Special Concern — a species that without human intervention may soon become threatened with extinction.
Issues
Population is dependent on the availability of secure nest sites and an adequate base population of ground squirrels.
Current management
Like all raptors in Alberta, the prairie falcon is protected by the provincial Wildlife Act and classified as a non-game species.
This species is a focal species of the MULTISAR (multiple species at risk) program.
MULTISAR strives to conserve multiple species at risk by working cooperatively with landowners and lease holders to implement voluntary beneficial management practices on native prairie habitat. Surveying local populations, assessing the ecological status of the habitat, developing management recommendations and habitat enhancement projects, and monitoring the species' response over time are key elements of the program."
aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/falcons-w...
My actual reason for driving east of the city today was to go and introduce myself to one of the local landowners in that area. About a week ago, her Grandson had been curious about what we were doing, parked along the side of the road. He told me that his Grandmother was really nervous, wondering what we were up to. Understandably so, as there is plenty of crime in rural areas. I had reassured him that anyone in any cars were birders/photographers, interested only in seeing and photographing the special owls that were on their land. He invited me to go in and meet his Grandma, but I had to explain to him that my night vision for driving is bad and that I needed to try and get back to the city before it got dark (ended up driving in the dark!). I told him that I would call in another day and I wanted to make sure that I did this. So, today was the day. Last night, I had printed out a photo I had taken a week ago of one of these Short-eared Owls, perched on a post in their field. Also printed a Snowy Owl and a Great Horned Owl for them, and we had an enjoyable chat about the different kinds of owl. I do hope this lady feels safer now that she knows exactly what we are all doing.
It was SO cold out there today, thanks to our ongoing deep freeze. Despite being just a few degrees 'warmer' (i.e. less cold) today, it was bitterly cold. Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning. Again .....
One routine that I have is winding my antique clocks once a week. The more that I repair... the more that need winding.
Our Daily Challenge:
YOUR ROUTINE is the topic for Wednesday for April 15 2020
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Apnea (83 pictures)
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Last year I got my first real freediving wetsuit. Before that I always used triathlon wetsuits or surf suits for freediving. The triathlon suits are good to wear but often too cold, surf suits are better but often not so flexible. So now a real freediving suit. No open-cell stuff, that's too complicated and too sensitive for me. Nevertheless, I have found a suit with a shiny outer material and an attractive design. So far I had only a short test swim and am thrilled. Super comfortable to wear, very warm, very flexible.
What do you think?
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you really should see the bigger image on flickr!
... and see the whole set at my free website! :-)
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Captured with a Nikon Df and a manual Nikkor Ai 35mm ƒ1:2, post processed in Lightroom using VSCO Film.
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The iPhone Developer is a timid creature, and notoriously difficult to catch on camera. However, needs must and in this world of self-promotion even the most camera-shy species needs a mugshot.
I've been kicking around 'I for iPhone' since the iPhone Developer suggested it back in January, and really liked the idea of incorporating the device itself into the shot somehow. When the iPad was launched, it was obvious we'd have to work that in somewhere.
We took a number of close-up shots with various expressions, which we loaded onto an iPad, an iPod Touch, and an iPhone 3G and 3GS. We then mucked about with different combinations to create different effects. This was the first one we tried, before we'd really got the lighting sorted out.
Usnea is the generic and scientific name for several species of lichen that generally grow hanging from tree branches.
It's very sensitive to air pollution. Under bad conditions they may grow no larger than a few millimetres, if they survive at all. Where the air is unpolluted, they can grow to 10–20 cm long.
They are used for medicinal uses, dyes and cosmetics.
There were many of these hanging from the trees and they very quite big ones.
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Someone suggested I read this book... don't know what gave her the idea. Maybe it was the bubble wrap.
Though its people are very hospitable and friendly but perhaps a bit shy, Naha on Okinawa can hardly be called a very pretty city. Most of this area had to be rebuilt after the utter destruction of the Second World War. And it's obvious that not much thought was given to the infrastructure of the new city. Regardless, there are numerous tropical and jungle parks and wetlands within the city or in easy reach. More than enough nature to enjoy (even the fearsome Habu pitviper, which I to my regret have not [yet] seen).
Just to the south of the city proper, there's a fairly new Waterbird and Wetland Center focused on the entire Man-ko (Lake Man) area. This is where the Kokuba and Noha Rivers flow together into an estuary 'controlled' by the East China Sea. Of course, there are mangroves here but also dry(ish) pieces. Lots of birds; lots of plants (and also the small weeds I favor).
One of these is this Yellow Sensitive Plant, Neptunia triquetra. The 'triquetra' refers to the three sided top part of its stem. It's a 'touch-sensitive' plant and will fold its leaves if you brush them. In this way our Neptunia is like Mimosa pudicans. Hence Martin Hendrichsen Vahl (1749-1804) in 1794 classified it as Mimosa triquetra. A century later in 1874 it was called Neptunia triquetra by the English botanist George Bentham (1800-1884), and it has retained that name until today.
Our shy plant hails originally from India and the East Indies - as especially British sources affirm. It's not mentioned in the various Floras of Japan that I use. On a list of non-native plants of Okinawa, it's characterised as now naturalised here as well as on the Bonin or Ogasawara Islands. Indeed, it's everywhere under foot along the Kokuba River.
If you look even less carefully, you will be able to see how this Triquetra differs from Mimosa pudicans. Regard that wonderful hanging clump of stamens and anthers topped by a marvellously - but hard to photograph - yellow tousle.
Needless to say, taking this photo made my morning...
This sweet boy has been in the forefront of our thoughts the last couple of weeks. He has fought upper respiratory, digestive, and allergy issues off and on for his whole life (12yo), but has taken it all in stride. He thought we were losing him, though, last week when he stopped eating and became extremely lethargic. (You know it's bad when they turn down chicken baby food and tuna.) We have a fabulous vet, however, and she kept trying one thing and another--x-rays, bloodwork, steroids, antibiotics, fluids--but couldn't determine the cause. He had an ultrasound from a specialty clinic, but they didn't find anything either. Our vet gave me an appetite stimulant for him that works like gangbusters, and he now appears to be through whatever crisis it was. He's even batting around toys. We are very happy, because we were not prepared to lose him. He's such a sweet boy. The specialty clinic said he was purring throughout the ultrasound!