Once again, I needed to add some bright and cheery colour to my photostream, so I am adding the last few photos taken at the Saskatoon Farm. I would rather have posted a few photos taken on 25 June 2020, when I got together with five friends at the garden paradise where one of them lives. We each drove west of the city in our own vehicles, and social distancing was perfect. So much room outdoors, and lots of wildlife. Jackie does so much for the birds and animals that either live on her land or visit during migration. They know a good thing when they see it : ) Jackie had baked a delicious cake for us to enjoy, too - thank you, Jackie!
After a couple of hours of chatting - which felt SO good! - we went our separate ways. For me, that meant driving just a little further west along my usual backroads. There was one great sighting that I had to stop and photograph and then - my car 'died' AGAIN! This time, it didn't take too long to get it to work, but it is still an awful feeling every time it happens.
Back to today's postings: my original plan five days ago, on 22 June 2020, was to call in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home from visiting Frank Lake. By mid afternoon, I was hoping I could reach the farm before the restaurant closed, and I just made it. A quick wander around took me to the enclosure for the hens and chickens. One hen had been separated and I quickly saw why. She had maybe half a dozen teeny babies that were the cutest little things.
My hope had been to buy a few food items - I hadn't placed a food order this time, as I didn't need many things. Most things were already sold out by the time I was about to leave. No problem at all, though, as I know I will be back there before long. I think it's my second home.
Never will I get used to seeing Great American Pelicans in the wild in Alberta - to me, they always look as if they have escaped from the Zoo. On 22 June 2020, I saw so many of them when I drove south as far as Frank Lake. It's not unusual to see them there - it is just overwhelming to see them in such large numbers. Barely room to move and sharing the bits of raised land surrounded by water with endless, very noisy gulls (many California Gulls). I also posted a video of them the other day, so that you can hear the constant sound.
Pretty well all the birds at Frank Lake are very or extremely distant, even more so now that the whole area is so flooded. The path and boardwalk are under water and the blind remains boarded up, to prevent the risk of lack of social distancing by birders/photographers. The few people who were at the lake the other day were doing a great job of staying distant.
What a surprise it was, when I pulled off the gravel road by the outflow area, to see that another person who was also pulling over was good friend, Diane. We spent such an enjoyable few hours together - with the required distance between us at all times, of course. Diane knows the birds and can find them, including through her scope, so I ended up seeing far more (zooming in on my camera) than if I had been there on my own (no binoculars).
The best find of all was the 'rare in Alberta' Great Egret. I could barely even see the tiny white speck with the naked eye. Diane found it through her scope, and we were both so excited as she hadn't yet seen it. Actually, when I first arrived at Frank Lake, I thought I had found it, standing in a far, far away tree. A large, upright, white bird - what else could it be? Now that I have edited one of the three very blurry photos I took, I am wondering if it was a Great Blue Heron that I saw. In which case, the fact that my friend spotted the definite Great Egret, meant that I ended up seeing this rare bird after all. Thank you, Diane!
Another bird that we both enjoyed seeing and hearing was the tiny Marsh Wren. Such a cute little bird, singing its heart out among the Cattails and Bulrushes. Definitely not the easiest of birds to photograph, especially when keeping our distance from it.
The various bird species that I tried to photograph resulted in many poor quality photos, As always, though, poor photos are far more meaningful than no photos. In order to get much closer captures, one would need to walk right up to, or along, the edge of the water. The extra stress this could cause is just what the birds don't need, especially as there are lots of babies right now.
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