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I loved the Ramsey Canyon. The Nature Conservancy had done an exemplary job of preserving this precious resource.
The Fall colors were just starting to change when I visited. In the middle of the photo, just across the creek, you can see the ruins of the original James cabin built in 1902 and later replaced by the larger house.
www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-p...
Southeastern Arizona is an ecological crossroads, where the Sierra Madre of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains and the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts all come together. The abrupt rise of mountains like the Huachucas from the surrounding arid grasslands creates âsky islandsâ that harbor tremendous habitat diversity and form stepping stones to the tropics. This combination of factors gives Ramsey Canyon Preserve its notable variety of plant and animal life, including such southwestern specialties as Apache and Chihuahua pines, ridge-nosed rattlesnake, lesser long-nosed bat, elegant trogon and Rivoliâs and Annaâs hummingbirds.
A spring-fed stream, northeast orientation and high canyon walls provide Ramsey Canyon with a moist, cool environment unusual in the desert Southwest. Water-loving plants such as sycamores, maples and columbines line the banks of Ramsey Creek, often growing within a few feet of cacti, yucca and agaves. Communities ranging from semi-desert grassland to pine-fir forest are found within the vicinity of Ramsey Canyon Preserve.
The preserve serves as a southeastern Arizona program office's base for TNC's work with regional partners on large-scale projects such as fire management, stream restoration and protection of rare species. Together, The Nature Conservancy and these partners achieve much greater success than any one entity working independently. Multiple partners also ensure a broader perspective and more enduring conservation solutions.
www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/ramsey-canyon-preserve/...
Haiku thoughts:
In Ramsey Canyon,
Whispers of birds greet the dawn,
Nature's still embrace.
Southern Arizona Adventure 2024,
SAD NEWS: the following is an email that I have just received early this afternoon, 11 August 2020, from David Mitchell, about the death of Gus Yaki, at the age of 87 (1932 - 2020).
"Hi Everyone,
Gus Yaki has passed away. He died on Monday at the Rocky View Hospital. Where – I’m told – he had a beautiful view of the reservoir and was identifying birds up until the end! Gus has been ill with pancreatic cancer since January.
I am struggling to find all the right words I need to describe the man, most will have to come later. For now I’ll just remember him for starting and leading the Friends of Fish Creek Birding Program, railing against invasive species, picking up every scrap of garbage on the path, and the many “Gus-isms”. And then there’s the humor from the really, really corny jokes. The was so much more to Gus than I am able to mention here, I am sure that there will be much more said in the coming days.
For now, our thoughts are very much with Aileen and the Yaki Family.
David"
A beautifully written and informative tribute written on 10 September by Bob Lefebvre at BirdsCalgary:
birdscalgary.com/gus-yaki-1932-2020/?fbclid=IwAR1qOyejKV8...
www.albertaprimetimes.com/lifestyle-news/his-life-has-bee...
calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/naturalist-84-leads-wal...
calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=950800&jwsource=cl
calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=950800&jwsource=cl
www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/alberta/stories...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/gus-yaki-death-obit-tribut...
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It was not long after I bought my very first digital camera, back in 2004, that I first met the well-known Naturalist, named Gus Yaki. I was already interested in nature, but my knowledge was very limited. With my new camera in my hand, I loved the ability to zoom in or take macros, showing me a much closer look at the wonders that are not always seen. One of the very first photos I took with my Olympus point-and-shoot was of a White-breasted Nuthatch in a local park. Not knowing the ID, it seemed to be rather like a little Woodpecker. That bird became, and still remains, my Flickr icon : )
Soon, I heard about Nature Calgary and I joined a group of birders on bird walks in the city and also outings outside the city limits. So many members had excellent skills and over the years, I learned all sorts of things. Later, Gus started the Friends of Fish Creek Park birding groups, which a few hundred people have been enjoying.
Gus also started a Botany group, and I was one of the very first to join. Any botany walk or outing ends up including just about everything else - birds, fungi, insects, and our native wildlife. Despite all the wonderful, beautiful things we have seen for so many years, Gus never lost his excitement each time he saw a little 'everyday' Black-capped Chickadee or his joy at seeing the uncommon Calypso Orchids.
Some of my favourite trips over the years have been the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts out of the city. Hopefully, the rest of us can organize these, so that the tradition can continue.
These are only a few of the things that Gus was involved with. There are just too many other activities, presentations, school visits and so on, that he had the interest, passion and energy to do. Everyone has always wondered how he has been able to fit so much learning and teaching (all as a volunteer) into his life. As if all these things were not enough, he created a large garden in which he enjoyed planting a variety of vegetables and native wildflowers as well as garden species.
Of course, dear Aileen, his wife, has helped and supported Gus's endless passion. She will be in our thoughts for a long time, with gratitude. We are just thankful that we have been lucky enough to benefit from it all.
I must add thanks to the numerous nature lovers who stepped in to lead the various groups once it more recently became too much physically for Gus. We appreciate these leaders!
Rest in Peace, Gus.
Thank you for changing my life.
I originally titled this one "the stillness of snow" when I processed the pic a few days ago, but a fellow Flickrite is using that on one of hers, so I've changed to something a little different. I landed on that title because there's something so completely still about a landscape cloaked in new snow--a kind of loud silence, if I can use a little poetic license.
My timing on this visit to Yosemite couldn't have been better--the snow was beautiful, and it's one of the most productive photo trips I've ever taken. This is a stretch of the Merced near the LeConte Memorial Lodge, in the eastern end of the valley.
"The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has a rare opportunity to protect a 640-acre (260-hectare) property neighbouring Alberta's capital city. In 1974, five families bought Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area — a parcel of land bordering Edmonton near the Devonian Botanic Garden. For 40 years the families cared for the land, protecting important habitat for moose and numerous other species.
The five ownership families have generously offered to sell Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for half the asset value. Their vision is to ensure that the land is conserved for our province; particularly for our children.
Over the years Bunchberry Meadows has remained intact. But the surrounding lands and the city of Edmonton have undergone significant changes. Natural spaces in and around Edmonton continue to be developed. It’s increasingly difficult for city dwellers to find open green spaces to enjoy a sunny afternoon, or teach their children about the outdoors.
The campaign for Bunchberry Meadows was officially launched in Edmonton on May 21, 2015. Since then, Edmontonians have stepped up in support so that this special community amenity can be created.
Urban development on this property would mean the loss of habitat for many plant and wildlife species, and the loss of a wonderful space in which Albertans and all Canadians can reconnect with nature.
In June 2016, the Bunchberry campaign was closed sucessfully. NCC willl open Bunchberry to the public in the fall of 2016 as a natural retreat for everyone to enjoy."
www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/alberta/feature...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FibqXugavrc
There are about 17,000 species of lichen worldwide and yesterday, I saw just a handful of them, including the leafy foliose lichens in this photo : ) I need to add that basically I know nothing about lichens, so am unable to identify any photos I take, unless IDs are given by a specialist.
Yesterday, 17 September 2016, was a long day, spent with a group of people - some of us travelled north from Calgary and others lived in or near the capital city of Alberta - Edmonton. Two friends had been invited to meet with members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, to do a walk at a newly acquired 640 acre parcel of land, immediately to the east of the Devonian Botanic Garden. Edmonton is a three-hour drive north of Calgary, so it makes for a long drive when one goes for just a day trip. That, plus walking for several hours (my pedometer said 16,175 steps by the time I went to bed last night) completely knocked me out and I couldn't keep awake long enough to get my "daily three" photos ready last night. Today has had to be a day at home, recovering, lol.
One of the two friends I went with, Dr. Peter Whitehead (who drove us there and back, which was wonderful) is an ecologist and bryologist, founder of the Western Canada Bryophyte and Lichen Interest Group. See the first link below about his exciting program for school children.
www.capeecology.ca/people.html
The other friend I went with was Dr. Janet Marsh, Lichenologist. She is considered one of Canada's leading authorities on lichens. So, as you can see, I was in the company of extremely knowledgeable people. I'll add that I have been on many outings the last few years that have included both these specialists. Always most enjoyable and lots of fun!
My big confession is that so many of the lichens that they find are growing in forests - and when I'm in a forest, my focus immediately turns to fungi! Which is why I still barely know anything about lichens : ) I do enjoy photographing lichens, however, and have quite a few in my photostream. Yesterday, I was able to see a number of different fungi, which made my day. Not the sharpest photos of all of them - I guess the light in the forest was worse than I thought.
The people of Edmonton and area are so very fortunate that this land is being preserved by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. What a beautiful area of meadows, bogs and forest! I especially liked the spectacular Birch trees that were growing there, with their beautiful peeling bark - some of these trees were quite large.
Thanks so much to the Nature Conservancy of Canada for inviting us for this walk yesterday. I know you will receive extensive lists of the species that Peter and Janet found. Many thanks, Peter, for all the driving you did, too. I really appreciated the opportunity to visit this new area and capture a few species with my camera. Even the weather cooperated, giving us a very pleasant temperature for walking (around 18C?) and even the rain that had been falling in Edmonton, stopped for the rest of the day. A great day in great company!
Five photos taken on 3 June 2022, when I did another drive W and SW of Calgary. Such a windy day! Definitely a challenge for taking photos, unless I was sitting in my car. Rain in the forecast for the nest few days.
Five photos taken on 3 June 2022, when I did another drive W and SW of Calgary. Such a windy day! Definitely a challenge for taking photos, unless I was sitting in my car. Rain in the forecast for the next few days.
I repeated part of the area that four of us had covered on 29 May 2022, for the Calgary area May Species Count. Part of the reason I wanted to go back was to see how road repairs were going along one of my favourite roads. Not good, so I had to change my plans and see what I could find elsewhere. I was hoping to see one or two Mountain Bluebirds and possibly find a Bobolink again. I was in luck, though it/they were distant. The wind was so strong that some attempts ended up with no bird in the shot or maybe just the head. Happy to see this species again, though. A new Mountain Bluebird pair was a nice find, too, plus a Barn Swallow.
A quick check to see if there was any sign of the Loon west of the city showed me an empty pond. However, I was glad to see a pair of Common Grackles and Brewer's Blackbirds there.
On the way home, I drove along a back road that I used to drive more often than I do now. A couple of Swainson's hawks and a family of beautiful Mourning Doves were good to see.
www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/fe...
"Perched on a grass stem or displaying in flight over a field, breeding male Bobolinks are striking. No other North American bird has a white back and black underparts (some have described this look as wearing a tuxedo backwards). Added to this are the male’s rich, straw-colored patch on the head and his bubbling, virtuosic song. As summer ends he molts into a buff and brown female-like plumage. Though they’re still fairly common in grasslands, Bobolink numbers are declining." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bobolink/id
"The Bobolink inhabits Canada's grassland and agricultural areas from the interior of British Columbia to the east coast. Relative to 1970 levels, this species has shown a large decrease across most of its range, with the exception of the Prairie Potholes Bird Conservation Region where populations have changed little. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada assessed the Bobolink as Threatened in 2010 (COSEWIC 2010d). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada."