Album Wild animals of Alberta 1 from Anne Elliott

Not quite sure

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:22:44 +0000

Wasn't sure whether to post this image, as it is rather blurry - don't bother to look at it in large size, LOL! However, it is yet another little moment captured in an amazing few minutes mid June. These young Red Foxes were just so beautiful!

Taking a break

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:09:45 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A friend pointed out (as he does so many times - lucky me!) this Momma Red Squirrel when we were botanizing the Threepoint Creek Natural Area (Sheep River Natural Area) on 30th July. He thought she looked really cute with her little front legs folded under her chin and her chin resting on them. As I approached a little nearer, she turned to look at me. I hope she was enjoying her short break away from the "kids". I felt a little guilty, disturbing her during those precious few moments to herself.

Meet Marigold

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:33:40 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Marigold is a 6-year-old female Striped Skunk, who cannot be released into the wild. She "belongs" to the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation" and is one of their animal Ambassadors. I met her yesterday evening and attempted to get a few photos of her. I'd never taken photos of Skunk before. She was the wriggliest little creature imaginable, so my photos are far from the greatest, but at least I can add Striped Skunk to my Wild Animals of Alberta Set : )

"Marigold is a six year-old striped skunk. She was brought to AIWC as an orphan after her parents had been removed from a landowner's property. Marigold was the only survivor of her litter." From AIWC.

Pronghorns

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:38:24 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A distant photo (unfortunately) of Pronghorns, near Brooks, Alberta, east of Calgary. I had seen maybe two very distant ones a couple of years ago, in southern Alberta, but this was the first time I had really "seen" one. I fail to understand how it is allowed to hunt and kill these magnificent animals!

"The Pronghorn belongs in a Family (Antilocapridae) all by itself and has no other close, living relatives; it is not related at all to the "antelopes" of Africa. Pronghorns in Alberta are at the extreme northern limit of their range in North America, found in wide, flat, open areas where they can see their enemies from a long way off."

Deer teeth

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:35:06 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

For some strange reason, the descriptions for the last four photos completely disappeared!! Annoying. Anyway, this is the innerside of the lower jaw of a Deer (that I had incorrectly ID'd as a Coyote jaw), seen at the Highwood Ranch on Saturday. The owners of the Ranch leave everything on their property where it's found. That way, too, anyone who is lucky enough to visit gets to see these interesting finds. Also, a jaw bone like this one is a valuable source of calcium to other creatures that might take a few nibbles : ). We had such an enjoyable time walking on this land, and they even have their own two Great Horned Owlets, LOL. Lots of interesting plants, too.

Nuttall's Cottontail

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:42:40 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Spent the whole day, from about 6:45 a.m.. (yes, A.M.!) till early evening, on a Christmas Bird Count east of the city, in the Drumheller area. I hadn't been out this way for maybe 12 years, so I REALLY appreciated the chance to be driven out there today! Not a bad day weather-wise, though it was very cold. Dropped down to -21C, but had soared to a balmy -4C when we got back to Calgary.

We were lucky to see two groups of these rabbits today, two in one group and three in the other. I don't remember ever seeing a Nuttall's Cottontail before, so that was exciting. This photo shows the rufous nape and black eyes.

"The Nuttall's Cottontail, also known as the Mountain Cottontail, occurs in the Red Deer River valley at Drumheller and the Bow River at Carseland. It is most common along the Milk River. The species was first recorded in Alberta in 1917 and may still be expanding its range northward, perhaps due to global warming.

It is mainly an inhabitant of coulees and river bottomlands, rocky valley sides, scrubby bush lands or arid sagebrush areas. It finds shelter in banks, badger or ground squirrel burrows, among rocks or under human-created brush or lumber piles or abandoned machinery. It prefers edges where it can feed in the open, and if necessary, quickly dash into protective brushy cover. It often spends the day resting in a sheltered ‘form', usually in dense, shrubby vegetation.

Unlike hares which change colour with the seasons, the Nuttall's Cottontail retains a greyish pelage all year. Its sides are paler than the back. The nape of the neck is rufous, as are the back of its thighs. The short, powder-puff tail is grey on top, white below, as is its underside. The endearing eyes are coal black. The rounded ears are usually shorter than those of the somewhat similar-sized Snowshoe Hare, whose range it seldom overlaps." From www.weaselhead.org.

Porcupine tracks in the snow

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:12:12 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

We came across these Porcupine tracks at Carburn Park on April 19th. I think this was the first time I had ever seen a pattern like this in the snow. Hope the little guy has a clearer path by now! It did snow heavily again yesterday, but most of it didn't stick to the ground, just the grass was rather white. The forecast for today was more snow, but this afternoon is nice and sunny. Snow/rain showers for tomorrow and chance of thundershowers tomorrow afternoon (up to 8C).

Cougar

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 22:16:52 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Lol, I'd better quickly say that I photographed this Cougar at the Calgary Zoo! One of my big fears is coming across one of these powerful animals when I'm out on a walk/hike, especially if I'm by myself.

Hibernation's over

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:10:17 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Yes, it's that time of the year again, when these little Richardson's Ground Squirrels (commonly, but incorrectly, called Gophers) come out of hibernation. This one was out in the sun on April 12th, in North Glenmore Park - we've had more snow since then!

Bewildered?

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:08:12 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This little native Richardson's Ground Squirrel (also incorrectly called a Gopher by most people) looked in a completely "wrong" environment when we saw it on March 29th. I hope s/he was able to find its burrow again. My photos of these little guys normally show bright green grass : ) Photographed down at Sikome, Fish Creek Park.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardson's_ground_squirrel

Grizzly Bear

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:01:48 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I hasten to add that this was photographed (through very dirty glass) at the Calgary Zoo, not in the wild, ha!

Woodland Caribou

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:52:26 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Can you imagine having to go about your daily life with huge antlers right in front of your eyes, lol? It must give these beautiful Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) at least a couple of "blind spots". Woodland caribou are classified as At Risk in the General Status of Alberta Wild Species report. Photographed at the Calgary Zoo in the Canadian Wilds section on 5th November 2007.

"Woodland caribou inhabit the boreal forest of northern Alberta and mixed coniferous forests and alpine regions of west-central Alberta. Recent assessments estimate that Alberta's woodland caribou inhabit about 113,000 square kilometres (43, 630 square miles) of the northern and west central parts of the province.

Unlike their counterparts in other deer species, both caribou males and females grow antlers. Mature bulls grow large racks, but those of cows are shorter and have fewer points. Summer coats are a rich dark brown on back, sides, legs and face, and creamy white at the neck."

www.srd.alberta.ca/BioDiversityStewardship/WildSpecies/Ma...

Porcupine

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:52:23 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This is another of the photos I took on 17th December 2009, when I came across this Porcupine down at Sikome, Fish Creek Park. It had its eyes closed pretty well closed the whole time I was watching it - I wonder if this was because it had been asleep when I first spotted it, or maybe because closed eyes are protected from all those sharp needles when feeding? Really very sweet : )

talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=530

Woodland Caribou

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:32:39 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Spring ... you call this spring?!

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:19:20 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

We saw this lone Richardson's Ground Squirrel at Sikome, Fish Creek Park, yesterday, looking very out of place in the deep snow : ) Poor thing, I hope he managed to find his burrow again and will stay there till spring has really arrived.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardson's_ground_squirrel

Northern River Otter / Lutra canadensis

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:23:55 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This is the only photo I have of an Otter - and unfortunately it was taken at the Calgary Zoo : ) Taken through very dirty glass and snapped so quickly when the animal climbed out of the water for a couple of seconds. The original was so blown out, almost totally white. Amazes me what can be brought out of an image when so little can be seen. I am assuming that this captive animal is a Northern River Otter (Lutra canadensis).

"Otters have never been abundant in Alberta. Moderate numbers still occur throughout the boreal, northern foothill and Rocky Mountain natural regions."

www.srd.alberta.ca/BioDiversityStewardship/WildSpecies/Ma...

Unexpected addition

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:28:14 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

I had just taken a somewhat more distant photo of this clump of trees on a far hillside and while I was refocussing on this closer shot, something that I hadn't noticed earlier, walked into my viewfinder : ) Thank you, Coyote - your timing was perfect! Taken just south west of the city, south of 22X, on my only (?) drive this winter.

Major sorting and tidying needs to be done in my home as everyone's upstairs windows are supposed to be replaced this year. I don't know which building they will start at, but usually mine seems to be the first one when major repair work is done. No idea when they are likely to start on this, but I'm beginning to feel a very unpleasant sense of panic. Everyone's gas bill will go down, that's for sure, as our windows are basically sheets of loose glass that shift with all the traffic vibrations and leave gaps for icy blasts to come through - the plastic (?) strips that are supposed to be firmly attached to two sides of each pane have come off and make opening a window even just an inch or two very difficult or impossible. Everyone has been complaining about these windows for at least 12 years!! I have managed to avoid having anyone into my place the last few years, but now it has all caught up with me! I have no choice but to catch up on at least some of the things that I just haven't been able to cope with the last few years. Also, in very roughly two-three months' time, "several large boxes" of things that belonged to my parents and my brother will also be arriving from England. Hopefully by then, I will have been able to clear enough space in my basement to put these, but at the moment I can barely even set foot in it, literally, lol. Where is that magic wand when you need it??

Wild European Rabbit

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:16:05 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This is one of the main reasons I love going on the Banff/Canmore Christmas Bird Count, LOL. There are so many of these wild European Rabbits in Canmore - seems that there is at least one, whichever street you look down, in one area. Some are dark grey, some this brown colour and others are a mix of black and white. The latter, especially, always look so out of place running loose - they look as if they have escaped their cages. You just feel you want to pick one up and cuddle it : )

Here is a link to a Calgary Herald newspaper article from 15th December 2010, saying that
"Canmore Mayor Ron Casey is taking aim at the picturesque Alberta town's rascally rabbits. Casey, who said the animals are attracting predators such as cougars, has secured support for a $50,000 budget to deal with feral rabbits."

Read more: www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Canmore+cull+bear+baitin...

Little Red Squirrel

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:47:14 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This little guy was hanging out in a tree near where I waited for three and a half hours on Tuesday morning in -22C windchill, hoping that the tiny Northern Pygmy-owl would move or do something, lol! Maybe the owl is telling its friend that it sat in the tree for three and a half hours waiting for that woman to move or do something, ha.

Dealing with yet another Error in Outlook Express. I have 4,000+ e-mails, including Inbox, Sent and Deleted, that I really should deal with as soon as possible. Most of them are very important, including the last two years of e-mails from my brother - and I'd be really upset if I lost those due to some Error. I'd better check to see that I'm not starting to grow roots down into my computer room floor! Feeling as if this is where I am spending just about ALL my time, which is not good.

: )

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:29:32 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This is one of the main reasons I love going on the Banff/Canmore Christmas Bird Count, LOL. There are so many of these wild European Rabbits in Canmore - seems that there is at least one, whichever street you look down. Some are dark grey, some this brown colour and others are a mix of black and white. The latter, especially, always look so out of place running loose - they look as if they have escaped their cages.

Here is a link to a Calgary Herald newspaper article from 15th December 2010, saying that
"Canmore Mayor Ron Casey is taking aim at the picturesque Alberta town's rascally rabbits.
Casey, who said the animals are attracting predators such as cougars, has secured support for a $50,000 budget to deal with feral rabbits."

Many thanks to Flickr member RichardDumoulin, who let me know about this cull.

Read more: www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Canmore+cull+bear+baitin...