View allAll Photos Tagged ThreeInaRow
Three Wood Duck drakes on the Fuller Slough viewpoint balcony at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Shot for my 355 project theme - three in a row. The how to image is in the comments. Low POV, flash to the left of the camera.
Zoo Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
Südliches Breitmaulnashorn***Southern White Rhinoceros ***Ceratotherium simum simum
Vorkommen:südliches Afrika (Botswana, Simbabwe, Namibia und Kenia)
Lebensraum:Savanne
Kopf-Rumpf-Länge:400 cm
Schwanzlänge:30 cm
Gewicht:2000 - 4500 kg
Nahrung:Gräser, Kräuter
Gefährdungsstatus:NT (Near Threatened)
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and THIS White Rhinocerus is extinct in the wild :(
Nördliches Breitmaulnashorn***Northern White Rhinoceros***Ceratotherium simum cottoni
Gefährdungsstatus:EW (Extinct in the Wild)
Es ist eine traurige Geschichte... Der letzte nördliche Breitmaulnashorn-Bulle, der noch hätte für Nachwuchs sorgen können, ist gestorben. Suni wurde tot in einem kenianischen Reservat aufgefunden. Sein Tod bedeutet nun das Ende für seine Art. Weltweit existieren nun nur noch vier nördliche Breitmaulnashörner.
Ein älteres Weibchen ist in einem Zoo in San Diego untergebracht. Ein ebenfalls betagter Bulle lebt mit zwei Nashorn-Kühen in einem Reservat in Kenia.
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It is a sad story... The last northern white rhino bull, which young still can provide, is dead. Suni was found dead in a Kenyan reserve. His death means the end for his art. Worldwide, there are now only four northern white rhinos.
A mature female is housed in a zoo in San Diego. An also old boy lives with two rhino cows in a reserve in Kenya.
These five photos are more or less the last images to post from my drive on 8 August 2022.
On 8 August 2022, it was the first time I had been out anywhere since 28 July. I wasn't sure which direction I would end up travelling, but I knew that my outing was going to start with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm. Because I can only eat (barely) on one side of my mouth, I reckoned that I would be able to manage an omelette and creamy hash-browns. It has now been three and a half weeks since I was able to eat a 'proper' meal - yikes! On 10 August, I had another dental appointment, to finish the work on this root canal. Then, yesterday, 11 August, I had to go back again, as the tooth was too high and I couldn't eat. My dentist had said to let him know if this was the case - it was a really complicated root canal. Also, I noticed this week that one of my top front teeth is chipped. This was repaired last (?) year, but the huge metal equipment that needed to be placed in my mouth a week ago must have caught the corner of the tooth. How I thank Pies Plus Cafe and Forage Foods specialty take-out store for their tubs of delicious soups that have kept me going!
Our heat wave continues! It got up to 32C when I was on my drive. This week and next week are going to be really hot, too. So many people were at the Saskatoon Farm, many no doubt for the U-Pick of Saskatoon berries. Far too many people for my liking, except in the indoor dining room, where there is plenty of room I quickly photographed several flowers in the garden and then left the Farm to continue my drive.
Headed south to Frank Lake, but didn't drive into the area. Instead, I drove west to an area that my daughter and I had driven through not long ago. Too late for the Canola fields, which was disappointing, and it was so hazy that the hills and mountains were almost invisible. I wonder if this was simply haze, or perhaps smoke from BC or the States?
On this drive westward, I took a short drive up a gravel back road and didn't notice a hawk on a fencepost until I was past it. It was leaning almost horizontally but gave a lovely view. Unfortunately, it took off immediately right out into a field of hay bales, landing at the base of a distant one. Only managed to get three awful, blurry, useless shots, but I am wondering if it might have been a Ferruginous Hawk.
My drive back north and homeward bound gave me a beautiful sighting of two handsome Mule Deer bucks in a field of Clover. They didn't seem bothered by my car and I was able to take a few photos. Then someone in a truck came noisily down the road at top speed and off went the deer over the hill. Further along this road, I came across a young White-tailed Deer buck which seemed to be on its own. Two or three Hawks were perched on poles and a young Western Meadowlark also added some enjoyment to the day.
The grasshopper I posted from this outing had landed on my windshield when I was parked. A few minutes earlier, one flew on to my clothing and I quickly tried to get it outside. Thinking I had been successful, especially seeing one on the window, I didn't give it another thought. That is, till I was driving, and the original insect leapt up from somewhere below the steering wheel and caught me off guard. Glad I was on a back road and not a busy highway : )
For a Happy Tuesday after Easterm here are three beautiful daffodils growing side by side, as seen here, by a wood platform in front of one of our Art Galeries by the shore. Ther is nothing that says Spring than beautiful yellow daffodils.
Three Mute Swans lined up in a slow moving procession around the Westham Island bridge in Delta BC Canada
GOOD LUCK, AMERICA!! GOOD LUCK, WORLD!!
Today is THE day - voting for the next U.S. President. May the BEST person win.
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On 5 July 2016, I finally drove down SE of the city to the Frank Lake area. I have missed almost all the shore birds this year and knew that if I didn't go very soon, they would all have left.
As it was, I saw very few birds of any kind. I drove straight to the blind/hide, where everything was quiet, other than a few Coots with their teenage kids, several Ruddy Ducks including a female lying on her nest, a Marsh Wren that I could hear but not see, a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds, maybe three White-faced Ibis flying by, a few Tree Swallows and a rather handsome Barn Swallow. No Soras, no Eared Grebes. As soon as I had left the blind and taken a few steps down the boardwalk, I was totally taken by surprise by a Black-crowned Night Heron that flew overhead, being chased by a small shorebird. The Heron was letting out a very loud 'hoarse scream' that sounded almost human-like. Just managed to get a rapid shot of the Heron before it flew out of camera view, just for my own record. I so rarely see a Night Heron, though I did see and photograph a beautiful juvenile that was hanging out at Lafarge Meadows in Fish Creek Park last year (2015) and a fairly recent, close adult east of Calgary.
From the blind area at Frank Lake, I drove eastwards and eventually came to Mossleigh, where I stopped at the three grain elevators to take photos. Can't remember if I had been there just once or maybe twice before. On the way, I stopped to photograph an old homestead which, until recently, I have usually seen and photographed in winter, not summer.
The weather forecast was for a risk of thunderstorms, though fortunately there was just a tiny bit of short-lived rain. The previous week, there had been tornadoes north and south of Calgary, but there was no Tornado Warning in effect on this day. A great kind of sky when a few of the fields were turning bright yellow from the Canola crops. However, a real challenge for my camera, which had developed another problem - when I tried to focus on something, it went in and out of focus rapidly and 'shuddered', making it most unpleasant to view as well as making it very difficult to see what I was taking. This was not the usual difficulty of getting the camera to focus. Such a pain, especially as I absolutely had to have a working camera for a weekend trip to Waterton.
A few hours later, it was time to return home after several very enjoyable hours out. More of a cloud, scenery and old barn trip than a birding trip, but those of you who know me, know I love photographing all of the above.
A very interesting and informative website, with a lot of information about this row of old elevators, is found at the following link. I find myself returning often to Chris and Connie's site to read about other places they have visited. It's well worth a visit to read about their travels.
www.bigdoer.com/2360/exploring-history/mossleigh-elevators/
According to the website at the above link:
" Update: May 2013. The lineage of the Mossleigh grain elevators has been cleared up. One was built for P&H, one for Pioneer which was later taken over by P&H, and finally one was built for the Searle Grain Company, later UGG and finally P&H. All were built in 1930 but it’s not clear exactly when they changed hands. A forth elevator used to sit here (UGG) but it was destroyed by fire in the 1960s.
Update: September 2013. It’s understood that plans are in place to use the track that remains along the subdivision for some sort of tourist train, operating out of the nearby Aspen Crossing campground/garden centre complex. Time will tell if this will come to fruition – Aspen Crossing as it turns out, does have some rail cars sitting on a section of subdivision track just west of Mossleigh."
"Bar U cattle literally fed the world. The ranch fed workers building the first transcontinental railway and waves of immigrants flooding to a new land.
It fed Canada’s first Indian reservations, the first patrols of Northwest Mounted Police, our nation through the Great Depression and our soldiers through two World Wars. Bar U Percherons, “the work horses that powered North America,” built our cities and roads and pulled our trolleys and fire wagons, from New York City to Victoria, British Columbia.
One of the first, most successful, most enduring large scale cattle ranching operations in Canada, the Bar U in its hay day ranged 30,000 head of cattle on 160,000 acres of grassland, and was world renowned for its stock of 1,000 purebred Percherons.
Located deep in the southern Alberta foothills, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the Bar U, from 1882 to 1950, was a force to be reckoned with. While other large Alberta ranches succeeded for a time only to go out of business, especially after the killer winters of 1886 and 1906, the Mighty Bar U persevered to eventually become a kingpin in a business empire that included a variety of ranches and farming enterprises, as well as meat packing plants and flour mills."
www.friendsofthebaru.com/bar_u_legacy.htm
The temperature down south of Calgary on 14 August 2021 got up to 38C (100.4F)! No wonder it felt like being in an oven. On top of that, the smoke from the B.C. wildfires was really bad. Just after I left Calgary, I began to wonder if I had made the right decision to drive down to the Bar U Ranch. Then I reminded myself that there are probably still many smoky days ahead of us, and that I can't keep putting things off. Also, I knew that being inside at home was going to be unbearable.
Really, no scenery to see, as the mountains and foothills had disappeared into the smoke. Once at the Ranch, I'm not sure if it was the heat or the smoke that made photo-taking a challenge, or maybe a combination of both. Looking through the viewfinder, everything looked so dark and a bit blurry and I wasn't sure if any of my shots would have worked. It was a relief to see that, once downloaded to my computer, they did look better than I had expected.
Happily, leather worker Lewis Pederson was in his Harness Repair shop and work space. A year ago, I had taken a few photos of him with two beautiful leather pictures he was working on for a gift to a member of his family. Finally, I got round to editing three of my photos and was able to give them to him. He is such a great character.
For the first time, I ordered a meal to take with me. It has been a few years since I had a burger, so I ordered one of their Bar-U-Tiful Burgers - 6 oz. prime rib Alberta beef patty, Canadian cheddar cheese, onion, tomato, pickles, Bar U signature sauce, on a brioche bun, that came with fries. Drove down a nearby country road, pulled over, and thoroughly enjoyed my tasty meal.
On the way home, I called in at Frank Lake, thinking I might walk just a few steps to see if I could see any birds. The car door was flung open in very strong winds and when I stepped out of the car, it was SO hot. Changed my mind, and continued my drive home.
Despite the heat and the smoke-filled air, I enjoyed seeing the Bar U Ranch again. Normally, I haven't been on any walks since the smoke moved into Alberta. I have no desire to breathe all those harmful microscopic particles into my lungs!
Three Red Oaks in a row near the shoreline of Crescent Lake in Berrien County, Michigan. The branches of these trees that overhang the lake drop their acorns into the shallow waters, where they provide a fall feast for small gatherings of Wood Ducks. I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is also a nearby village by the name of Three Oaks.
Taken for the "Crazy on Tuesday" theme of 10/10/2023: THREE IN A ROW.
VIEWERSHIP: 16% of 2,116 views on 10/10/2023.
FAVORABILITY: 35% of 84 faves on 10/10/2023.
A Wood Duck swimming with a couple of her ducklings reflecting on the water at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary Delta BC Canada
...wait, that's not right. Three in a row is what we're doing in
We're Here! and J is the letter for today in February's Alphabet Fun 2025 and today, J is for... jewelry! These are just some cheap costume jewelry that I got for wearing to the renaissance faire.
These five photos were taken on 4 August 2023, when I took a drive SW of Calgary. On the way home, I called in for just a few minutes at Frank Lake, hoping to find that the wild Maximillan Sunflowers would still be in bloom. Last year, I found several nice insects on the flowers and leaves. This time, however, there were maybe half a dozen flowers left, all of them basically finished. Not a single insect to be seen. I took a quick, distant photo or two of some of the American White Pelicans, but I was just too tired after driving in the SW and wanted to get home.
When I decided to go for a drive, after being home for three weeks, there were two birds that I was hoping I might get to see. One was a Western Kingbird - I think I did see one a few weeks ago, in flight, but I wasn't sure. This time, I was in luck, coming across a family, waiting to be fed.
The other bird that I kept my eyes open for was a Ferruginous Hawk. Though I have seen them on various outings over the years, to me it's always a thrill when I am lucky enough to see one. The one seen on this drive was standing on top of a power pole - of course a branch or a fence post would have been really nice. I pulled over and spent less than a minute taking a few shots, and then happily continued on my drive. This was the first time I had seen this species SW of Calgary.
The weather was not exactly good - hazy (smoky?) and by about 4:30 pm, the sky darkened and all the cars on the highway had their headlights on.
"The largest of the North American hawks, ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) are named specifically for their rust-coloured plumage on their backs and heads. Due to their size and behaviour, they may often be mistaken for eagles. Ferruginous hawks feed primarily on medium-size mammals such as rabbits and squirrels, but they will also feed on smaller birds and reptiles. These hawks are endemic to North America.
The ferruginous hawk is currently classified “at-risk” by the General Status of Alberta Wild Species Report, and “endangered” under the Wildlife Act (AEP profile). It is estimated that fewer than 700 pairs remain in the province, as their numbers are declining because of loss of nesting habitat. As a threatened species, they are protected under the provincial wildlife act, and it is illegal to kill or harass individuals or disturb their nests (AEP profile).
The Alberta Ferruginous Hawk Recovery Plan (2009-2014) was established with the goal of achieving a viable, self-sustaining population across the Alberta grassland habitat, and for this population to be a continuous one that ranges across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana.
Because of the increase in industrial and agrarian development in Alberta, the recovery plan states that the present reduced range is unlikely to be increased, and so efforts are best spent on maintaining current populations and recovery, while looking for opportunities to establish grassland restoration when possible.
One of the biggest factors in the reduced population size of the ferruginous hawk is a lack of nesting sites. The Provincial Ferruginous Hawk Lead has released education material for landowners who wish to contribute to the recovery of the hawks, and suggests the creation of artificial nesting posts that can be used to supplement existing recovery efforts (Nature Canada, Downey et al 2006)." From Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation.
Three ambulances returning to base after responding to an emergency declared by Air Transat A330 C-GITS.
Dublin 17/9/2015
Winter is here! Starting tonight, we have a few days of snow in the forecast.
These five photos are all from my archives. Grabbed them while going through old files on my computer, searching for ones to delete to help get my computer out of the red 'danger zone' (i.e. not enough space to function properly).
I am adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted image taken on the same day.
"It's very rare that I post my "daily three" very late at night or shortly after midnight. However, this is one of those times, and I will probably have to finish off descriptions, tags, etc. late tomorrow evening. I have to set my two alarm clocks and kitchen timer for about 4:15 am (and it's already just after 1:00 am!). Just hope I don't sleep right through my alarms, as does happen sometimes. Have to be at the meeting place by 6:30 am, ready to spend a very long day travelling to and from the Drumheller area in the Alberta Badlands, east of Calgary. Takes roughly two hours to get there. Think I'd better get off my computer and head for bed! (Later: decided to stay up all night, as I was worried that I would most likely sleep right through my two alarm clocks and a kitchen timer if I tried to get just a couple of hours sleep!). I really didn't want to miss this trip.
Two days ago, on 21 December 2015, my daughter and I had our Christmas get-together. Like last year, she asked if I wanted to spend the day out of the city, looking for Snowy Owls (and other things). We were both so happy to at least see a (very distant) Snowy Owl, which she cleverly spotted, even though we had hoped to find a much closer one. Thank goodness, last year, my daughter and I did see and photograph beautiful Snowies that were nice and close.
Finding one of these magnificent birds of prey was not the only purpose in our minds, though. It was our Christmas get-together, and we had a great day, in beautiful sunshine and in one of my favourite areas to explore. We had first planned to go NE of the city, but my daughter, waiting for her surgery on 11 January 2016, didn't feel up to travelling that far. Once she has recovered from her surgery, we can always go NE of the city and try for owls again.
So, plans changed and instead, we went first to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast. This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food.
Afterwards, we then went a bit further south, to drive some of the roads east of High River, hoping to possibly find a Snowy Owl. We went as far as Mossleigh, where we stopped to take a few quick photos of the three grain elevators and then found a group of several old barns that I don't remember seeing before. I much prefer the look of the beautiful old, grained wood, rather than the rather ugly layer that had been added on top of the wood. These barns were off the main road, but fortunately the narrow gravel road had enough snow packed on it that the short drive was very smooth. From there, we stopped at the little wooden church at Dinton.
I'm not sure, but I think the 'brick' covering is called insulbrick. If this is what my photo shows, then the following information applies.
"The name Insulbrick is misleading because it is not a brick.
This imitation brick has been popular for years and still can be found on some older houses, garages and workshops. Insulbrick is a fibreboard sheathing coated with tar and added granular material, similar to asphalt shingles.
The surface was stamped with a brick or rectangular stone pattern. Insulbrick is a brand name and was used for all types of asphalt siding much like most tissues are called Kleenex.
As a rule, tar paper and Insulbrick were applied over wood siding. Insulbrick was the preferred choice for replacement siding until aluminum and vinyl siding became available in the late 1950s. Asphalt siding was available from the 1930s to about 1960.
Houses clad in Insulbrick can appear to be brick houses from a distance. Insulbrick carried an UL rating for fire suppression and had an insulating value of R 1.3. It was easy and quick to install. The siding also provided an excellent hiding place for insects."
www.eureka4you.com/home/SidingInsul.htm
Later in the afternoon, we couldn't resist the temptation to call in at Glamorgan Bakery on the way home and buy a few Christmas goodies, followed by a desperately needed food shopping trip. I just hadn't had a chance to go grocery shopping and had run out of even basic things. This was a huge relief, especially as I have a very long day today, taking part in the Drumheller area Christmas Bird Count. Actually, last year, my small group saw several Snowy Owls on the long drive to and from the Badlands of Alberta, so maybe I'll be lucky later today.
Thanks so much for a great day out, Rachel. The best kind of day, as far as I am concerned : ) Many thanks, too, for the beautiful, very carefully chosen (as always!) Christmas gifts. Love the owl that looks rather like a furry, stuffed children's toy, that is in fact a wonderful heat pad (that you warm in the microwave), full of lavender. Haven't used it yet, but it will feel so good on my neck and shoulders that are painful from whiplash, thanks to the woman driver who suddenly came out of a parking lot exit and cut across my lane of moving traffic about three weeks ago! Nothing I could do, as I couldn't stop in time to avoid impact. So, I'm looking forward to having an owl on my shoulder : )"
Shot for 355 project, CC February bonus, CC February most versatile. Three glass hearts on velum, on top of scrapbooking paper, with a number of layers in PS - a texture I shot and a number of adjustments.
Three Bufflehead ducks taking off flying at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary Delta BC Canada
Looks like the female is napping while her two male friends are on guard at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary Delta BC Canada
Post-processed sketch effect.
This was a painful 405 km drive, done with the completely torn tendons in my right shoulder! Need to stay home for a while.
My daughter had a free day on 18 April 2023, so we were able to go on one of our rare day's drive, SW and SE of Calgary. Many of the roads we covered were familiar ones to me, but we did end up on several 'new' roads, especially when we were lost for a short time. As so often happens when I get lost, I end up coming across something new to photograph.
It was 9:00 am when I picked up my daughter, and our first stopping place was Frank Lake. The light was awful, almost hazy, and rather windy, and this continued for much of the day. We found the Frank Lake area was rather flooded, so we only spent a very short time there. No access to the blind. The American White Pelicans are gradually returning to the lake for the summer. Two of them happened to be swimming by the two islands when we first arrived, but then they swam out beyond the islands. A few others were on the island.
Actually, this was the first time I had set foot anywhere, other than walking round my local grocery store, for many months! It felt rather strange to be walking on rough grass, which thankfully was clear of snow and ice. During the six or seven months of winter, with snow/ice on the ground the whole time, I knew I needed to be very careful after all the damage to my body from my very bad trip and fall mid-September. I am SO thankful that the ground is clear at long last, though we could still get more snow. In fact, it has been snowing this morning, 21 April!
From Frank Lake, we drove a few roads W of the highway, covering some of the roads I have been driving the last few outings I went on. I was so glad that my daughter got the chance to see a Great Horned Owl family. Other than that, we saw so few birds of any kind, but did manage to get a shot or two of one of the Western Meadowlarks that we saw/heard. I love it when the Meadowlarks return for the summer. They are such beautiful birds, with a delightful song. My daughter also spotted several Hawks during the day.
A long drive south, still on the west side of the highway, finally brought us to where I wanted to cross the highway and drive many of the roads in the SE. At first, I drove too far, having missed a side road that I wanted. All turned out well, though, as we came across several old barns that were 'new' to us. We also saw a couple of Ferruginous Hawks on a nest.
We stopped and ate lunch by a lake and then continued making our way northwards. Another Ferruginous Hawk sighting and a great Blue Heron before turning north. Practically no birds to be seen on the huge wetland in the area. The cold wind and overcast sky was perhaps partly to blame.
We made a very quick stop to photograph one of my favourite barns and then continued north. After quite a bit of driving, we found ourselves lost. A bit of luck made it worthwhile, though, when my daughter spotted a Great Horned Owl resting in a tree. We stayed in the car and zoomed in. Straight after that, she spotted an extremely distant, small herd of Mule Deer way across the fields. A row of several old, weathered sheds was the last thing we photographed. From there, it was a direct drive home that did feel rather endless after a long day. However, this is my favourite kind of day, when my daughter is able to join me!
Easter Monday, 18 April 2022: our temperature is 9°C (windchill 5°C) at 4:00 pm. Sunrise was at 6:35 am, and sunset is at 8:36 pm. Cloudy.
These five photos were taken yesterday, 17 April 2022 and posted shortly before midnight.
Seeing snow icons in our forecast for a few of the coming days, I decided to take a short drive SW of Calgary. My level of enthusiasm decreased even more almost as soon as I left the city, as dark clouds loomed ahead and it was rather windy. Brought back memories of the sky last year, on 2 July 2021, when we had a dreadful hailstorm. I almost turned around and headed back for home, but instead, after nine days at home, I thought I would continue a bit further and see if I could find any of the Mountain Bluebirds that I had seen recently. Only one bird was found, which may or may not have been the same male that I had seen before.
At that point, I almost decided it was time to go home, but then thought I would drive a bit more and see if I could find any other Bluebirds. Along one road, I drove past something that caught my eye. Looking through my car window, I wasn't sure if it was just a wooden nesting box on top of a fence post, but decided to turn around and just check. To my absolute amazement, I found myself looking at a Great Gray Owl! I believe the last Great Gray that I had seen was back on 11 June 2020. This new one was in a different place from others that I had seen other years. Unfortunately, yesterday's owl only stayed on the fence post a very short time, just long enough to take half a dozen poor quality shots. It kept looking around in different directions. When I looked away for a second, it had vanished and I didn't know where it had gone. So grateful to finally see one of these beautiful owls again.
After this thrill, I was ready to start the homeward journey. Another surprise for me was to suddenly find myself in a snow (pellet) storm when I was on the highway and just before I reached the edge of the city! No sign of any newly-fallen snow within the city.
The three "little" amigos. Wood Duck ducklings arranged from shy to bold at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary Delta BC Canada