https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/14122 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/14122 Mon, 25 May 2026 15:48:00 +0000 Mon, 25 May 2026 15:48:00 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40614050 tag:ipernity.com,2015-12-16,doc-40614050 Wed, 16 Dec 2015 16:07:15 +0000 2011-05-02T16:08:49-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40614050"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/40/50/40614050.67a76a00.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Last night, when choosing three photos to post this morning, I happened to come across this old shot from my archives. It was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 2 May 2011, when a pair of Snowy Owls was in a small enclosure near the Tigers. SInce then, the only Snowies at the Zoo are over in the Aviary. It has been too long to remember for sure, but I think this was most likely the female rather than a juvenile bird.<br /> <br /> With so many people now going outside the city to look for, and photograph, these amazing birds of prey that have moved south in search of food, I thought this photo might be a good reminder of yet another reason to keep ones distance, lol. Those talons mean business! I sometimes think I must be the only person who isn't out to get photos of these owls in flight! Please don't deliberately flush them - they are already tired and stressed enough. Of course, they sometimes fly simply because they want to, in their search for yet another rodent. <br /> <br /> Actually, I was lucky enough to see two very, very distant Snowy Owls yesterday, when I went with a group of 7 friends to take part in the first annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count of the season. This is one of my favourite counts, mainly because our small group covers one of my favourite areas, SE of the city.</div> Beware! <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40614050"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/40/50/40614050.67a76a00.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Last night, when choosing three photos to post this morning, I happened to come across this old shot from my archives. It was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 2 May 2011, when a pair of Snowy Owls was in a small enclosure near the Tigers. SInce then, the only Snowies at the Zoo are over in the Aviary. It has been too long to remember for sure, but I think this was most likely the female rather than a juvenile bird.<br /> <br /> With so many people now going outside the city to look for, and photograph, these amazing birds of prey that have moved south in search of food, I thought this photo might be a good reminder of yet another reason to keep ones distance, lol. Those talons mean business! I sometimes think I must be the only person who isn't out to get photos of these owls in flight! Please don't deliberately flush them - they are already tired and stressed enough. Of course, they sometimes fly simply because they want to, in their search for yet another rodent. <br /> <br /> Actually, I was lucky enough to see two very, very distant Snowy Owls yesterday, when I went with a group of 7 friends to take part in the first annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count of the season. This is one of my favourite counts, mainly because our small group covers one of my favourite areas, SE of the city.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40442000 tag:ipernity.com,2015-11-24,doc-40442000 Tue, 24 Nov 2015 16:33:41 +0000 2015-10-07T17:38:50-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40442000"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/20/00/40442000.09eb1135.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Late afternoon on 7 October 2015, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park on the way home from a volunteer shift. The weather was beautiful, and I'm supposed to do lots of walking (which I don't). A young couple walking by mentioned that they had just seen a young Black-crowned Night Heron, and I was so lucky that it was still there. From a distance, the bird was so well-camouflaged against the background. It stayed in one place and then, just when the light was fading and I needed to leave, the Heron leaned forward and then climbed down into the water. We had been hoping it would catch one of the many fish that we could see, but it didn't. My battery had just died and, for once, I didn't have a spare battery with me. Usually, when I have seen a Black-crowned Night Heron, it has been far, far away except for one occasion, when a young one flew right over my head at the Frank Lake blind, SE of Calgary. <br /> <br /> "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron</a></div> Caught in the early evening light <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/40442000"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/20/00/40442000.09eb1135.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Late afternoon on 7 October 2015, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park on the way home from a volunteer shift. The weather was beautiful, and I'm supposed to do lots of walking (which I don't). A young couple walking by mentioned that they had just seen a young Black-crowned Night Heron, and I was so lucky that it was still there. From a distance, the bird was so well-camouflaged against the background. It stayed in one place and then, just when the light was fading and I needed to leave, the Heron leaned forward and then climbed down into the water. We had been hoping it would catch one of the many fish that we could see, but it didn't. My battery had just died and, for once, I didn't have a spare battery with me. Usually, when I have seen a Black-crowned Night Heron, it has been far, far away except for one occasion, when a young one flew right over my head at the Frank Lake blind, SE of Calgary. <br /> <br /> "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39999962 tag:ipernity.com,2015-10-08,doc-39999962 Thu, 08 Oct 2015 12:13:59 +0000 2015-10-07T17:30:15-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39999962"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/62/39999962.a30f97de.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday late afternoon, 7 October 2015, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park on the way home from a volunteer shift. The weather was beautiful, and I'm supposed to do lots of walking (which I don't). There was another bird that I would have liked to see, but I was out of luck for that one. However, a young couple mentioned that they had just seen a young Black-crowned Night Heron, and I was so lucky that it was still there. From a distance, the bird was so well-camouflaged against the background. Unfortunately, the background was not photogenic at all, no matter where one stood, but it was so nice to see this beautiful young bird. Usually, when I have seen a Black-crowned Night Heron, it has been far, far away except for one occasion, when a young one flew right over my head at the Frank Lake blind - previously posted photo added to a comment box below.<br /> <br /> "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron</a></div> Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile / Nycticorax nycticorax <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/39999962"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/62/39999962.a30f97de.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday late afternoon, 7 October 2015, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park on the way home from a volunteer shift. The weather was beautiful, and I'm supposed to do lots of walking (which I don't). There was another bird that I would have liked to see, but I was out of luck for that one. However, a young couple mentioned that they had just seen a young Black-crowned Night Heron, and I was so lucky that it was still there. From a distance, the bird was so well-camouflaged against the background. Unfortunately, the background was not photogenic at all, no matter where one stood, but it was so nice to see this beautiful young bird. Usually, when I have seen a Black-crowned Night Heron, it has been far, far away except for one occasion, when a young one flew right over my head at the Frank Lake blind - previously posted photo added to a comment box below.<br /> <br /> "Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-crowned_night_heron</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37032456 tag:ipernity.com,2015-02-13,doc-37032456 Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:36:18 +0000 2015-02-12T09:01:19-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37032456"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/24/56/37032456.37e69673.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 12 February 2015, was spent SE of the city, with friends Cathy and Terry. They picked me up around 7:00 am and I think I was home somewhere around 7:30 pm, after a great day of searching for owls, barns, and anything else that caught our eye. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, despite the cloud layer. The reason we stopped at this farm was that we had noticed a cat sitting on a barn roof - usually we only see pigeons : ) The temperature reached a brief high of 13C around 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, which felt so good, especially for mid-winter. This shot is highly zoomed, so the mountains really are not as close as they seem to be, nor was the horse. I love the days that I'm in this area when the mountains are reasonably clear. Often, they look very hazy (as in this shot) and sometimes they disappear completely.<br /> <br /> Many of the roads we travelled along were roads that I had driven on myself, some of them a number of times. A few of the roads were new to me, which was a treat, including a "trail" that was so deeply rutted and snow-covered that I'm amazed that we ever got out of there! This track and another backroad that was new to me led to a few old barns that I really appreciated being shown. I think my friends were amused that I fell asleep on this very rough track - after only an hour and a half's sleep the previous night, on top of always being very sleep-deprived, I'm really not surprised. It's strange how some fields in the whole area were more or less bare and yet others had a lot of snow covering the stubble, with piles of snow lining the edges of the road. <br /> <br /> As far as wildlife was concerned, we saw 11 owls - 8 Snowy Owls and 3 Great Horned Owls. The Snowies, other than the one perched on the "Wrong Way" sign that I posted today, were all extremely distant, so my photos are of white specks in a nice setting, ha. If I hadn't been with two people who can spot "everything", I'm sure that I would never have found most of these owls! One of the Great Horned Owls gave us a lovely view, although not close, with no branches getting in the way. Loved hearing it calling to its mate, who was presumably tucked into one of the neighbouring trees. <br /> <br /> Other birds included a flock of Snow Buntings, plus two individuals that were perched on a fence - haven't checked yet to see if I have a sharp enough photo. We had to deal with a lot of heat distortion during the day, so some photos are far from sharp. Another bird we saw was a beautiful Falcon perched on an electricity pylon - not a large bird, so presumably a Prairie Falcon, not a Gyrfalcon. Wild animals included a distant Red Fox that ran across the road, and a small herd of Mule Deer.<br /> <br /> Many thanks, as always, Cathy and Terry, for a great day out, including the delicious chili you made and brought along. Fun and rewarding! Really appreciated being with you, doing what we all enjoy so much. Thanks, too, for giving me time to photograph the various barns we came across!</div> Horse on the prairie <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/37032456"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/24/56/37032456.37e69673.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday, 12 February 2015, was spent SE of the city, with friends Cathy and Terry. They picked me up around 7:00 am and I think I was home somewhere around 7:30 pm, after a great day of searching for owls, barns, and anything else that caught our eye. As you can see from this photo, the weather was beautiful, despite the cloud layer. The reason we stopped at this farm was that we had noticed a cat sitting on a barn roof - usually we only see pigeons : ) The temperature reached a brief high of 13C around 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, which felt so good, especially for mid-winter. This shot is highly zoomed, so the mountains really are not as close as they seem to be, nor was the horse. I love the days that I'm in this area when the mountains are reasonably clear. Often, they look very hazy (as in this shot) and sometimes they disappear completely.<br /> <br /> Many of the roads we travelled along were roads that I had driven on myself, some of them a number of times. A few of the roads were new to me, which was a treat, including a "trail" that was so deeply rutted and snow-covered that I'm amazed that we ever got out of there! This track and another backroad that was new to me led to a few old barns that I really appreciated being shown. I think my friends were amused that I fell asleep on this very rough track - after only an hour and a half's sleep the previous night, on top of always being very sleep-deprived, I'm really not surprised. It's strange how some fields in the whole area were more or less bare and yet others had a lot of snow covering the stubble, with piles of snow lining the edges of the road. <br /> <br /> As far as wildlife was concerned, we saw 11 owls - 8 Snowy Owls and 3 Great Horned Owls. The Snowies, other than the one perched on the "Wrong Way" sign that I posted today, were all extremely distant, so my photos are of white specks in a nice setting, ha. If I hadn't been with two people who can spot "everything", I'm sure that I would never have found most of these owls! One of the Great Horned Owls gave us a lovely view, although not close, with no branches getting in the way. Loved hearing it calling to its mate, who was presumably tucked into one of the neighbouring trees. <br /> <br /> Other birds included a flock of Snow Buntings, plus two individuals that were perched on a fence - haven't checked yet to see if I have a sharp enough photo. We had to deal with a lot of heat distortion during the day, so some photos are far from sharp. Another bird we saw was a beautiful Falcon perched on an electricity pylon - not a large bird, so presumably a Prairie Falcon, not a Gyrfalcon. Wild animals included a distant Red Fox that ran across the road, and a small herd of Mule Deer.<br /> <br /> Many thanks, as always, Cathy and Terry, for a great day out, including the delicious chili you made and brought along. Fun and rewarding! Really appreciated being with you, doing what we all enjoy so much. Thanks, too, for giving me time to photograph the various barns we came across!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/36241622 tag:ipernity.com,2014-12-09,doc-36241622 Tue, 09 Dec 2014 16:40:34 +0000 2014-12-07T14:51:42-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/36241622"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/16/22/36241622.6c7852e9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Definitely not as sharp as I would have liked, but we didn't get much chance to take photos of this huge, youngish male Moose. He came pretty close to our car, and all my photos of him had to be taken through the windscreen, which rarely works. So, sorry if this photo does funny things to your eyes like it does mine. I was surprised to see his tiny antlers and I don't know what age he would be (knowing nothing about Moose!). Still fairly young, presumably, despite his enormous size. A female Moose chooses a mate by the size of his antlers, so I guess this one still has a while before he is picked. He was pretty skittish, as two or three noisy, young people were out of their vehicle and the young woman was making her way to within just several feet of him. There always seems to be some some foolish, thoughtless person on the scene, when a wild animal has been spotted. <br /> <br /> What a day I had two days ago (7 December 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, in an absolute winter wonderland! We set off about 7:45 a.m. (still dark) and drove westwards to the Kananaskis area of our majestic mountains. Early in the drive, the sunrise turned the still distant mountains pink (photo posted this morning). This is always such an amazing sight to see.<br /> <br /> Once we had reached Kananaskis, we drove the area of Highway 40 that is still open (the rest of this highway is closed during the winter months) and also the Smith-Dorrien road. There had been a recent snowfall and the trees were still covered in snow, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland. There was no wind and the temperatures hovered a few degrees around 0C. Sunshine, a few clouds, and fun company made it such a great day! <br /> <br /> My friends had been hoping for a long time to be able to show me a winter Moose and yesterday they did well, finding the beautiful female seen in this photo and at another location, a male with antlers that looked rather like two little twigs sticking out of the side of his head. The size of both these wild animals was huge! The closest we saw them both was when they approached the car. You can stop the car some distance away from them, but if they are busy licking off the salt and minerals from any car in sight, they sometimes might eventually come close. All this female was interested in was doing this very thing : ) She would occasionally stop, straighten up and look and listen - usually this would be because she had heard or seen people show-shoeing or cross-country skiing on a nearby trail through the forest. The rest of the time, she licked and licked and licked some more - the slurping sound could be heard from quite some distance :) At one point, she bent both front knees to kneel, so that she could reach the lower part of a vehicle. Lol, she did a fine job of cleaning headlights till they shone. Impressive and rather amusing at the same time. Free carwash, anyone??<br /> <br /> We saw this female first, then the youngish male seen in the photo above, and then we saw the female a second time, later. After feeding on dead leaves and tiny twigs from under the deep snow, she then lay down in the snow among some trees - the first time I had ever seen a Moose lying down. Such a peaceful scene - no one else was around either.<br /> <br /> I always feel so privileged when I witness any kind of wildlife, especially so when you get the chance to watch a while and learn the behaviour of the animal or bird you are lucky enough to see. My friends were so delighted to be able to let me experience this yesterday, though I always tell them that just being in such spectacular scenery and being able to photograph the mountains is more than enough for me. Yesterday, they did really, really well! Be warned that I took a lot of photos, so I hope you won't get tired of seeing Moose and snow-covered mountains! Guess I'll have to throw in the occasional old Weasel or Pika photo to break the monotony for you, ha.<br /> <br /> Thanks so much, Cathy and Terry, for such a great day - including the delicious chili that you brought along. Hope you are enjoying going through your own photos and video today : ) Most of the time, this female was in the shade, which made taking photos a bit of a challenge. What a difference in the colour of her coat when she occasionally moved into the sun.<br /> <br /> "On average, an adult moose stands 1.4–2.1 m (4.6–6.9 ft) high at the shoulder, which is more than a foot higher than the next largest deer on average, the Elk. Males (or "bulls") normally weigh from 380 to 700 kg (840 to 1,540 lb) and females (or "cows") typically weigh 200 to 490 kg (440 to 1,080 lb), depending on racial or clinal as well as individual age or nutritional variations.[75][76] The head-and-body length is 2.4–3.2 m (7.9–10.5 ft), with the vestigial tail adding only a further 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in)." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose</a></div> Male Moose are judged by the size of their antlers <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/36241622"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/16/22/36241622.6c7852e9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Definitely not as sharp as I would have liked, but we didn't get much chance to take photos of this huge, youngish male Moose. He came pretty close to our car, and all my photos of him had to be taken through the windscreen, which rarely works. So, sorry if this photo does funny things to your eyes like it does mine. I was surprised to see his tiny antlers and I don't know what age he would be (knowing nothing about Moose!). Still fairly young, presumably, despite his enormous size. A female Moose chooses a mate by the size of his antlers, so I guess this one still has a while before he is picked. He was pretty skittish, as two or three noisy, young people were out of their vehicle and the young woman was making her way to within just several feet of him. There always seems to be some some foolish, thoughtless person on the scene, when a wild animal has been spotted. <br /> <br /> What a day I had two days ago (7 December 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, in an absolute winter wonderland! We set off about 7:45 a.m. (still dark) and drove westwards to the Kananaskis area of our majestic mountains. Early in the drive, the sunrise turned the still distant mountains pink (photo posted this morning). This is always such an amazing sight to see.<br /> <br /> Once we had reached Kananaskis, we drove the area of Highway 40 that is still open (the rest of this highway is closed during the winter months) and also the Smith-Dorrien road. There had been a recent snowfall and the trees were still covered in snow, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland. There was no wind and the temperatures hovered a few degrees around 0C. Sunshine, a few clouds, and fun company made it such a great day! <br /> <br /> My friends had been hoping for a long time to be able to show me a winter Moose and yesterday they did well, finding the beautiful female seen in this photo and at another location, a male with antlers that looked rather like two little twigs sticking out of the side of his head. The size of both these wild animals was huge! The closest we saw them both was when they approached the car. You can stop the car some distance away from them, but if they are busy licking off the salt and minerals from any car in sight, they sometimes might eventually come close. All this female was interested in was doing this very thing : ) She would occasionally stop, straighten up and look and listen - usually this would be because she had heard or seen people show-shoeing or cross-country skiing on a nearby trail through the forest. The rest of the time, she licked and licked and licked some more - the slurping sound could be heard from quite some distance :) At one point, she bent both front knees to kneel, so that she could reach the lower part of a vehicle. Lol, she did a fine job of cleaning headlights till they shone. Impressive and rather amusing at the same time. Free carwash, anyone??<br /> <br /> We saw this female first, then the youngish male seen in the photo above, and then we saw the female a second time, later. After feeding on dead leaves and tiny twigs from under the deep snow, she then lay down in the snow among some trees - the first time I had ever seen a Moose lying down. Such a peaceful scene - no one else was around either.<br /> <br /> I always feel so privileged when I witness any kind of wildlife, especially so when you get the chance to watch a while and learn the behaviour of the animal or bird you are lucky enough to see. My friends were so delighted to be able to let me experience this yesterday, though I always tell them that just being in such spectacular scenery and being able to photograph the mountains is more than enough for me. Yesterday, they did really, really well! Be warned that I took a lot of photos, so I hope you won't get tired of seeing Moose and snow-covered mountains! Guess I'll have to throw in the occasional old Weasel or Pika photo to break the monotony for you, ha.<br /> <br /> Thanks so much, Cathy and Terry, for such a great day - including the delicious chili that you brought along. Hope you are enjoying going through your own photos and video today : ) Most of the time, this female was in the shade, which made taking photos a bit of a challenge. What a difference in the colour of her coat when she occasionally moved into the sun.<br /> <br /> "On average, an adult moose stands 1.4–2.1 m (4.6–6.9 ft) high at the shoulder, which is more than a foot higher than the next largest deer on average, the Elk. Males (or "bulls") normally weigh from 380 to 700 kg (840 to 1,540 lb) and females (or "cows") typically weigh 200 to 490 kg (440 to 1,080 lb), depending on racial or clinal as well as individual age or nutritional variations.[75][76] The head-and-body length is 2.4–3.2 m (7.9–10.5 ft), with the vestigial tail adding only a further 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in)." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35204109 tag:ipernity.com,2014-09-27,doc-35204109 Sat, 27 Sep 2014 17:33:11 +0000 2014-08-26T10:01:18-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35204109"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/41/09/35204109.8fc27898.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"There was a time when an estimated 60 million buffalo roamed the plains of southern Alberta. Excessive overhunting and a steady loss of habitat has dwindled those numbers drastically, placing bison on Alberta's endangered list. Just a short drive north of Waterton Lakes National Park entrance gate on Highway 6 is the Waterton Bison Paddock, where a protected herd of rare Plains Bison is kept for viewing as a reminder of their legacy as well as in attempt to aid in increasing their population size and advance their species." <br /> <br /> "Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve. No other park in the world has these three designations. Waterton Biosphere Reserve as it is officially called, was designated in 1979 under what is called the internationally recognized "Man and the Biosphere program" of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sure is a mouthful. Biosphere Reserves are designed to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-bison-paddock-in.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-...</a><br /> <br /> These huge, powerful animals have a very keen sense of smell and can distinguish smells from 3 km away. The only way to see this herd is to drive the very short loop in the Bison Paddock. No pedestrians or cyclists are allowed - the animals spook very easily. We drove the loop a couple of times on our first day in Waterton and went back again on the second day, and enjoyed both the animals and the beautiful setting. It was so cute to see one of the young Bison (Buffalo) come running down the hill to where several of the herd were grazing, and into the pond it went with a big splash and then straight back on to dry land. Most of the time, the animals were way off in the distance, but we lucked out on 27 August 2014, when this photo was taken.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_bison" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_bison</a></div> A mighty beast <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/35204109"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/144/41/09/35204109.8fc27898.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"There was a time when an estimated 60 million buffalo roamed the plains of southern Alberta. Excessive overhunting and a steady loss of habitat has dwindled those numbers drastically, placing bison on Alberta's endangered list. Just a short drive north of Waterton Lakes National Park entrance gate on Highway 6 is the Waterton Bison Paddock, where a protected herd of rare Plains Bison is kept for viewing as a reminder of their legacy as well as in attempt to aid in increasing their population size and advance their species." <br /> <br /> "Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve. No other park in the world has these three designations. Waterton Biosphere Reserve as it is officially called, was designated in 1979 under what is called the internationally recognized "Man and the Biosphere program" of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sure is a mouthful. Biosphere Reserves are designed to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-bison-paddock-in.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.wediscovercanadaandbeyond.ca/2010/11/red-rock-canyon-...</a><br /> <br /> These huge, powerful animals have a very keen sense of smell and can distinguish smells from 3 km away. The only way to see this herd is to drive the very short loop in the Bison Paddock. No pedestrians or cyclists are allowed - the animals spook very easily. We drove the loop a couple of times on our first day in Waterton and went back again on the second day, and enjoyed both the animals and the beautiful setting. It was so cute to see one of the young Bison (Buffalo) come running down the hill to where several of the herd were grazing, and into the pond it went with a big splash and then straight back on to dry land. Most of the time, the animals were way off in the distance, but we lucked out on 27 August 2014, when this photo was taken.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_bison" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_bison</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/33284351 tag:ipernity.com,2014-06-14,doc-33284351 Sat, 14 Jun 2014 03:49:35 +0000 2014-05-14T14:43:07-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/33284351"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/143/43/51/33284351.a7444bd9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The first thing I'll add here is to say that I use 48x zoom on so many of my photos (probably most), no matter what the subject, from butterfly to bird - and especially Bears! Like the typical Black Bear that we might be lucky enough to come across, this one was just busy eating and checking out what was growing around it that looked good to eat (i.e. grasses, roots, not people., ha). My photos are taken from the safety of the car and the bears look much closer than they really were. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, don't stay for more than a short while, watching very carefully, to make sure that the animal shows absolutely no sign of discomfort or stress. The Bears we do see show no interest in us and don't attempt to approach the vehicle. They just slowly walk on by, feeding as they go. One bear was so totally relaxed that it decided to have a quick roll in a large puddle not far from the edge of the road! It lay right down on its side and seemed to be enjoying the coolness of the water. Daytime temperatures the last two days were much warmer than we've had in about eight months. The sun shone and we couldn't have had better weather. <br /> <br /> Can't remember if it was the very first bear we spotted, we were of course thrilled at the distant sighting. And then, to our horror, we saw a photographer walking towards the bear, that was walking towards him!! The guy had parked in a small pull-off and was some distance from his vehicle. I'm still shaking my head that someone would do such a foolish thing. So unfair towards the bear, too, as it's always the animal that pays the price (i.e. having to be destroyed), if an attack takes place.<br /> <br /> Over the two days, we had 7 bear sightings, with three definitely different Black Bears (no Grizzlies), and possibly four. The rest of the sightings were of Bears we had already seen.<br /> <br /> We had left Calgary early morning on Wednesday (14 May 2014) and I think it was around 12:15 a.m. midnight (Thursday, 15 May 2014), that my friends dropped me off at home after two long, wonderful days in the Rocky Mountains, west of the city. Wednesday night was spent in a spotless motel, in a place that had so many Mountain Sheep roaming the streets, lol! Though we were hoping to see at least one Bear, I was happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : )</div> Not interested in us <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/33284351"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/143/43/51/33284351.a7444bd9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The first thing I'll add here is to say that I use 48x zoom on so many of my photos (probably most), no matter what the subject, from butterfly to bird - and especially Bears! Like the typical Black Bear that we might be lucky enough to come across, this one was just busy eating and checking out what was growing around it that looked good to eat (i.e. grasses, roots, not people., ha). My photos are taken from the safety of the car and the bears look much closer than they really were. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, don't stay for more than a short while, watching very carefully, to make sure that the animal shows absolutely no sign of discomfort or stress. The Bears we do see show no interest in us and don't attempt to approach the vehicle. They just slowly walk on by, feeding as they go. One bear was so totally relaxed that it decided to have a quick roll in a large puddle not far from the edge of the road! It lay right down on its side and seemed to be enjoying the coolness of the water. Daytime temperatures the last two days were much warmer than we've had in about eight months. The sun shone and we couldn't have had better weather. <br /> <br /> Can't remember if it was the very first bear we spotted, we were of course thrilled at the distant sighting. And then, to our horror, we saw a photographer walking towards the bear, that was walking towards him!! The guy had parked in a small pull-off and was some distance from his vehicle. I'm still shaking my head that someone would do such a foolish thing. So unfair towards the bear, too, as it's always the animal that pays the price (i.e. having to be destroyed), if an attack takes place.<br /> <br /> Over the two days, we had 7 bear sightings, with three definitely different Black Bears (no Grizzlies), and possibly four. The rest of the sightings were of Bears we had already seen.<br /> <br /> We had left Calgary early morning on Wednesday (14 May 2014) and I think it was around 12:15 a.m. midnight (Thursday, 15 May 2014), that my friends dropped me off at home after two long, wonderful days in the Rocky Mountains, west of the city. Wednesday night was spent in a spotless motel, in a place that had so many Mountain Sheep roaming the streets, lol! Though we were hoping to see at least one Bear, I was happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : )</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22937031 tag:ipernity.com,2010-04-09,doc-22937031 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:57:00 +0000 2010-04-04T14:18:05-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22937031"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/70/31/22937031.434a7693.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This Laughing Kookaburra resides at the Calgary Zoo.<br /> <br /> "Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) are large to very large (total length 28–42 cm/11–17 in) terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea, the name a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, which is onomatopoeic of its call. <br /> <br /> Kookaburras are best known for their unmistakable call, which is uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter — good-natured, but rather hysterical, merriment in the case of the well-known Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). They are generally not closely associated with water, and can be found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, but also in suburban and residential areas near running water and where food can be searched for easily.<br /> <br /> Kookaburras are carnivorous. They will eat lizards, snakes, insects, mice, other small birds, and raw meat. The most social birds will accept handouts from humans and will take raw or cooked meat (even if at high temperature) from on or near open-air barbecues left unattended." From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kookaburra" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kookaburra</a></div> Laughing Kookaburra <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22937031"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/70/31/22937031.434a7693.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This Laughing Kookaburra resides at the Calgary Zoo.<br /> <br /> "Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) are large to very large (total length 28–42 cm/11–17 in) terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea, the name a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, which is onomatopoeic of its call. <br /> <br /> Kookaburras are best known for their unmistakable call, which is uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter — good-natured, but rather hysterical, merriment in the case of the well-known Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). They are generally not closely associated with water, and can be found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, but also in suburban and residential areas near running water and where food can be searched for easily.<br /> <br /> Kookaburras are carnivorous. They will eat lizards, snakes, insects, mice, other small birds, and raw meat. The most social birds will accept handouts from humans and will take raw or cooked meat (even if at high temperature) from on or near open-air barbecues left unattended." From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kookaburra" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kookaburra</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22629797 tag:ipernity.com,2009-05-26,doc-22629797 Tue, 26 May 2009 23:48:42 +0000 2009-05-16T12:59:46-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22629797"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/97/97/22629797.7387669a.240.jpg?r2" width="183" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl with an injured or amputated wing looked so "sad" when I saw it at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre on 16th May. I've only ever seen one of these owls in the wild, a few years ago. They like forested areas, including many wooded parks and ravines in the city, but they are heard more than seen.</div> Northern Saw-whet Owl <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22629797"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/97/97/22629797.7387669a.240.jpg?r2" width="183" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl with an injured or amputated wing looked so "sad" when I saw it at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre on 16th May. I've only ever seen one of these owls in the wild, a few years ago. They like forested areas, including many wooded parks and ravines in the city, but they are heard more than seen.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22622581 tag:ipernity.com,2013-04-22,doc-22622581 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:19:46 +0000 2013-04-16T10:36:25-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22622581"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/25/81/22622581.7e337ea5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Ha, at least you can see the face of this little Mountain Bluebird, unlike the one I posted the other day. The previous one did show much better detail of the back and wing feathes, though. Taken at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on 16 April 2013.</div> A treat in the city <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22622581"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/25/81/22622581.7e337ea5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Ha, at least you can see the face of this little Mountain Bluebird, unlike the one I posted the other day. The previous one did show much better detail of the back and wing feathes, though. Taken at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on 16 April 2013.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22622505 tag:ipernity.com,2013-04-26,doc-22622505 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:24:19 +0000 2013-04-16T10:35:10-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22622505"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/25/05/22622505.f18278d9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I was lucky enough to be with birding friends at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on 16 April 2013, when about 10 gorgeous Mountain Bluebirds were flying over the Bow River and landing on the rocks not too far from where we were standing. They repeated this a number of times. Thank goodness for zoom, lol! I never realized how grumpy these birds look when you see them head on! Normally, one has to drive out of the city to see these birds, so it's always a treat to see one within city limits.<br /> <br /> No sign of the sun yet today. Yesterday was beautifully sunny, but, oh so windy! Now I'm regretting my drive SE of the city to Frank Lake yesterday afternoon. It tends to often be windy in that area and yesterday the wind was so strong that it was very difficult to even open my car door to get out, and it was impossible to take photos, though I did manage to take a row of metal silos. No birds to be seen on my drive around the lake, except for one Raven and maybe half a dozen tiny, black silhouettes on a slough. Today, I have no strength left in my painful hands and arms after having to grip the steering wheel for two or three hours, so will have to stay home. No choice anyway, as I still haven't finished my Taxes. Hope I can get an appointment before the deadline on Tuesday! <br /> <br /> Just loaded the Chrome browser to see if it would work faster, but I got the Flickr Hiccups message. Yesterday was a little better, but today I'm back to having to wait much too long for every tiny action to work. And now, I've got Flickr Hiccups on my usual browser. Time to get off Flickr, I think.</div> I don&#039;t like having my photo taken! <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22622505"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/25/05/22622505.f18278d9.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I was lucky enough to be with birding friends at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on 16 April 2013, when about 10 gorgeous Mountain Bluebirds were flying over the Bow River and landing on the rocks not too far from where we were standing. They repeated this a number of times. Thank goodness for zoom, lol! I never realized how grumpy these birds look when you see them head on! Normally, one has to drive out of the city to see these birds, so it's always a treat to see one within city limits.<br /> <br /> No sign of the sun yet today. Yesterday was beautifully sunny, but, oh so windy! Now I'm regretting my drive SE of the city to Frank Lake yesterday afternoon. It tends to often be windy in that area and yesterday the wind was so strong that it was very difficult to even open my car door to get out, and it was impossible to take photos, though I did manage to take a row of metal silos. No birds to be seen on my drive around the lake, except for one Raven and maybe half a dozen tiny, black silhouettes on a slough. Today, I have no strength left in my painful hands and arms after having to grip the steering wheel for two or three hours, so will have to stay home. No choice anyway, as I still haven't finished my Taxes. Hope I can get an appointment before the deadline on Tuesday! <br /> <br /> Just loaded the Chrome browser to see if it would work faster, but I got the Flickr Hiccups message. Yesterday was a little better, but today I'm back to having to wait much too long for every tiny action to work. And now, I've got Flickr Hiccups on my usual browser. Time to get off Flickr, I think.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621471 tag:ipernity.com,2013-03-17,doc-22621471 Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:06:04 +0000 2012-06-25T11:13:33-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621471"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/14/71/22621471.ae82caaf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A photo of a beautiful Great Gray Owl from my archives, taken on 25 June 2012, on a drive NW of Calgary. They have tremendous concentration, barely taking their tiny eyes off the ground when they are in hunting mode.<br /> <br /> "The owl has been called a wise bird for the same reason that some men are thought to be wise — he looks wise. One reason he looks so steadily at you that you think he is studying you is because the light is so strong in the daytime that his sight is bad. But the owl is not as wise as he is said to be." From <a href="http://www.birdnature.com/feb1899/owls.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.birdnature.com/feb1899/owls.html</a><br /> <br /> "In ancient Greece, owls were associated with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She was thought to be accompanied by one at all times, and owls eventually gained their own reputation based on their connection with the goddess a myth that continues to this day. There is also the common belief that owls simply "look" smart! Unlike most birds, owl eyes are placed on the front of their heads (versus on the sides) to help them focus on prey when hunting. This wide-eyed glance gives them the impression of thinking really hard when, in reality, they are most likely just thinking about their next meal!" From <a href="http://www.whyzz.com/why-do-people-think-owls-are-smart" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.whyzz.com/why-do-people-think-owls-are-smart</a></div> Concentration <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22621471"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/14/71/22621471.ae82caaf.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A photo of a beautiful Great Gray Owl from my archives, taken on 25 June 2012, on a drive NW of Calgary. They have tremendous concentration, barely taking their tiny eyes off the ground when they are in hunting mode.<br /> <br /> "The owl has been called a wise bird for the same reason that some men are thought to be wise — he looks wise. One reason he looks so steadily at you that you think he is studying you is because the light is so strong in the daytime that his sight is bad. But the owl is not as wise as he is said to be." From <a href="http://www.birdnature.com/feb1899/owls.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.birdnature.com/feb1899/owls.html</a><br /> <br /> "In ancient Greece, owls were associated with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She was thought to be accompanied by one at all times, and owls eventually gained their own reputation based on their connection with the goddess a myth that continues to this day. There is also the common belief that owls simply "look" smart! Unlike most birds, owl eyes are placed on the front of their heads (versus on the sides) to help them focus on prey when hunting. This wide-eyed glance gives them the impression of thinking really hard when, in reality, they are most likely just thinking about their next meal!" From <a href="http://www.whyzz.com/why-do-people-think-owls-are-smart" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.whyzz.com/why-do-people-think-owls-are-smart</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619373 tag:ipernity.com,2012-11-11,doc-22619373 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 17:35:13 +0000 2012-11-10T16:26:21-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619373"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/93/73/22619373.bab78fab.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday was sunny, after two or three weeks of horribly overcast, dreary weather, so I went for a drive to take some snowy scenery shots. I was surprised to find that there was not as much snow out in the countryside as I had expected. Found myself on a road where I had seen a Great Gray Owl before and was hoping and hoping that I might just be lucky again - and there it was! Unfortunately, it was perched on the side of the road that wasn't in the sun, but I was so happy to just see an owl : ) Still had a smile on my face at midnight.</div> The power of wishful thinking <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619373"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/93/73/22619373.bab78fab.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Yesterday was sunny, after two or three weeks of horribly overcast, dreary weather, so I went for a drive to take some snowy scenery shots. I was surprised to find that there was not as much snow out in the countryside as I had expected. Found myself on a road where I had seen a Great Gray Owl before and was hoping and hoping that I might just be lucky again - and there it was! Unfortunately, it was perched on the side of the road that wasn't in the sun, but I was so happy to just see an owl : ) Still had a smile on my face at midnight.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619291 tag:ipernity.com,2012-11-19,doc-22619291 Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:28:10 +0000 2012-11-10T16:29:33-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619291"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/92/91/22619291.ff38e4fd.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">About a week ago, on 10 November 2012, after two or three weeks of horribly overcast, dreary weather, I went for a drive to take some snowy scenery shots. I was surprised to find that there was not as much snow out in the countryside as I had expected. Found myself on a road where I had seen a Great Gray Owl before and was hoping and hoping that I might just be lucky again - and there it was! Still had a smile on my face at midnight.</div> Great Gray Owl <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619291"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/92/91/22619291.ff38e4fd.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">About a week ago, on 10 November 2012, after two or three weeks of horribly overcast, dreary weather, I went for a drive to take some snowy scenery shots. I was surprised to find that there was not as much snow out in the countryside as I had expected. Found myself on a road where I had seen a Great Gray Owl before and was hoping and hoping that I might just be lucky again - and there it was! Still had a smile on my face at midnight.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619281 tag:ipernity.com,2012-11-20,doc-22619281 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:36:00 +0000 2012-09-08T11:17:48-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619281"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/92/81/22619281.01452727.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Photo of this beautiful, ENDANGERED Grevy's Zebra was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 8 September 2012, when I went with my friends from England for the day.<br /> <br /> "The Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), also known as the imperial zebra, is the largest extant wild equid and the largest and most endangered of the three species of zebra, the other two being the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. Named after Jules Grévy, it is the sole extant member of the subgenus Dolichohippus. The Grévy's zebra is found in Kenya and Ethiopia. Compared with other zebras, it is tall, has large ears, and its stripes are narrower.<br /> <br /> The Grévy's zebra lives in semi-arid grasslands where it feeds on grasses, legumes, and browse; it can survive up to five days without water. It differs from the other zebra species in that it does not live in harems and has few long-lasting social bonds. Male territoriality and mother–foal relationships form the basis of the social system of the Grévy's zebra. This zebra is considered to be endangered. Its population has declined from 15,000 to 3,000 since the 1970s. However, as of 2008 the population is stable."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%c3%a9vy's_zebra" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A9vy's_zebra</a></div> Eye of the Zebra <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22619281"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/92/81/22619281.01452727.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Photo of this beautiful, ENDANGERED Grevy's Zebra was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 8 September 2012, when I went with my friends from England for the day.<br /> <br /> "The Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), also known as the imperial zebra, is the largest extant wild equid and the largest and most endangered of the three species of zebra, the other two being the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. Named after Jules Grévy, it is the sole extant member of the subgenus Dolichohippus. The Grévy's zebra is found in Kenya and Ethiopia. Compared with other zebras, it is tall, has large ears, and its stripes are narrower.<br /> <br /> The Grévy's zebra lives in semi-arid grasslands where it feeds on grasses, legumes, and browse; it can survive up to five days without water. It differs from the other zebra species in that it does not live in harems and has few long-lasting social bonds. Male territoriality and mother–foal relationships form the basis of the social system of the Grévy's zebra. This zebra is considered to be endangered. Its population has declined from 15,000 to 3,000 since the 1970s. However, as of 2008 the population is stable."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%c3%a9vy's_zebra" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A9vy's_zebra</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22614191 tag:ipernity.com,2012-08-02,doc-22614191 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:44:18 +0000 2012-06-25T11:25:45-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22614191"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/41/91/22614191.9762266c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is an "old" photo of this beautiful Great Gray Owl, taken NW of the city on 25 June 2012, that I hadn't got round to posting. The owl was so completely focused on watching and listening, that I was ignored. Easy to forget that buried deep inside all that amazing plumage is, in fact, a much smaller bird than you imagine.<br /> <br /> I did an early post and run this morning, as a handful of us had made plans to return to the Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve to search for rare plants, mosses and lichens, to add to the existing list. You need permission to drive up there and the friends I was with have this permission. However, it was raining when we gathered at the meeting place early this morning - and it has rained all day long : ) So, plans changed, and we ended up driving south to the Longview area, slowing down or stopping at various sloughs along the way. One of the sloughs had 6 (?) Soras in it, feeding in the mud. Unusual to see these birds out in the open like that - usually, they are very secretive. Unfortunately, my lens was rain spotted and the focus must have gone on the spots instead of the birds. We also called in at the Archie & Janet Hogg Park, near Longview, and had a short walk along the edge of the river to look for lichens and wildflowers - and anything else, as usual. Still raining. The drive down to Longview passes through such beautiful rolling hills. On the way back, the highlight was calling in at the Navajo Mug cafe, located on Highway 22 in Longview, for coffee. Country singer, Ian Tyson, was the original owner of the Navajo Mug. So enjoyable to have a coffee and just relax and chat. We got back to Calgary mid-afternoon after a good day, despite the change of plans. Still raining, harder than ever, ha. Only 12C (54F) and windy - and this is August! Thanks so much for driving, Heide - greatly appreciated!<br /> <br /> "In 2001, Tyson bought the land and building where The Navajo Mug currently resides. It was previously a saddle shop before being converted into a coffee house, but the little wooden building has a history that dates back much further. Built in the early 1920's, it served as a schoolhouse for children in the Cayley area. In the mid 1940's, the building was moved to Hartel, Alberta, to replace a church that had burned down. Eventually the building was moved to it's current location in Longview, Alberta, where it was used as retail space." <br /> <br /> <a href="http://thenavajomug.com/ian-tyson.php" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">thenavajomug.com/ian-tyson.php</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.iantyson.com/pages/navajomug.asp" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.iantyson.com/pages/navajomug.asp</a></div> Portrait of a fine bird <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22614191"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/41/91/22614191.9762266c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is an "old" photo of this beautiful Great Gray Owl, taken NW of the city on 25 June 2012, that I hadn't got round to posting. The owl was so completely focused on watching and listening, that I was ignored. Easy to forget that buried deep inside all that amazing plumage is, in fact, a much smaller bird than you imagine.<br /> <br /> I did an early post and run this morning, as a handful of us had made plans to return to the Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve to search for rare plants, mosses and lichens, to add to the existing list. You need permission to drive up there and the friends I was with have this permission. However, it was raining when we gathered at the meeting place early this morning - and it has rained all day long : ) So, plans changed, and we ended up driving south to the Longview area, slowing down or stopping at various sloughs along the way. One of the sloughs had 6 (?) Soras in it, feeding in the mud. Unusual to see these birds out in the open like that - usually, they are very secretive. Unfortunately, my lens was rain spotted and the focus must have gone on the spots instead of the birds. We also called in at the Archie & Janet Hogg Park, near Longview, and had a short walk along the edge of the river to look for lichens and wildflowers - and anything else, as usual. Still raining. The drive down to Longview passes through such beautiful rolling hills. On the way back, the highlight was calling in at the Navajo Mug cafe, located on Highway 22 in Longview, for coffee. Country singer, Ian Tyson, was the original owner of the Navajo Mug. So enjoyable to have a coffee and just relax and chat. We got back to Calgary mid-afternoon after a good day, despite the change of plans. Still raining, harder than ever, ha. Only 12C (54F) and windy - and this is August! Thanks so much for driving, Heide - greatly appreciated!<br /> <br /> "In 2001, Tyson bought the land and building where The Navajo Mug currently resides. It was previously a saddle shop before being converted into a coffee house, but the little wooden building has a history that dates back much further. Built in the early 1920's, it served as a schoolhouse for children in the Cayley area. In the mid 1940's, the building was moved to Hartel, Alberta, to replace a church that had burned down. Eventually the building was moved to it's current location in Longview, Alberta, where it was used as retail space." <br /> <br /> <a href="http://thenavajomug.com/ian-tyson.php" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">thenavajomug.com/ian-tyson.php</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.iantyson.com/pages/navajomug.asp" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.iantyson.com/pages/navajomug.asp</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22614045 tag:ipernity.com,2012-08-15,doc-22614045 Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:14:04 +0000 2012-05-12T13:59:51-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22614045"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/40/45/22614045.90683a53.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">It seems so long ago that friends, Cathy and Terry, took me with them just over the border into BC (British Columbia), to look for bears in the Radium area. This was one of the beautiful Black Bears we saw, looking so healthy, interested in noithing but feeding on grasses and roots. What a great day we had!</div> Healthy and hungry <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22614045"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/40/45/22614045.90683a53.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">It seems so long ago that friends, Cathy and Terry, took me with them just over the border into BC (British Columbia), to look for bears in the Radium area. This was one of the beautiful Black Bears we saw, looking so healthy, interested in noithing but feeding on grasses and roots. What a great day we had!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22612997 tag:ipernity.com,2012-06-09,doc-22612997 Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:24:23 +0000 2012-06-07T15:36:28-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22612997"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/29/97/22612997.3bbd5c2c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Took a short drive SW of Calgary a couple of days ago, just to get out, but without doing a long drive. I was hoping that I might just come across a Great Gray Owl - gosh, those birds are addictive, lol! No owls, though, but I did come across a pair of fairly cooperative Mountain Bluebirds, which is always a treat. This female was usually perched facing me, but every once in a while she turned so that I could see the beautiful touches of blue in her feathers. She has four bands on her legs, which I believe is the maximum given, each one meaning a different study that is carried out.<br /> <br /> "Mountain bluebirds will not abandon a nest if human activity is detected close by or at the nest. Because of this, mountain bluebirds can be easily banded while they are still in the nest." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> I was just reading this Newsletter by the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society from spring 2010. Numbers of Bluebirds up till 2010 just kep getting fewer and fewer. I don't know what the success rate has been in the last two years, but it would be so sad if we lost this beautiful species of bird! Thanks to the many dedicated Bluebird Monitors, some of whom monitor the nesting boxes on their route for many years, there is still hope.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.bluebirdtrails.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Spring-Fall-2010.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.bluebirdtrails.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Spring-...</a> <br /> <br /> In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&img=dtc.51.tif.gif&uid=3739392&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=56109306583&orig=/discover/10.2307/4077277?uid=3739392&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=56109306583" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...</a></div> The lady and her jewellery <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22612997"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/29/97/22612997.3bbd5c2c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Took a short drive SW of Calgary a couple of days ago, just to get out, but without doing a long drive. I was hoping that I might just come across a Great Gray Owl - gosh, those birds are addictive, lol! No owls, though, but I did come across a pair of fairly cooperative Mountain Bluebirds, which is always a treat. This female was usually perched facing me, but every once in a while she turned so that I could see the beautiful touches of blue in her feathers. She has four bands on her legs, which I believe is the maximum given, each one meaning a different study that is carried out.<br /> <br /> "Mountain bluebirds will not abandon a nest if human activity is detected close by or at the nest. Because of this, mountain bluebirds can be easily banded while they are still in the nest." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> I was just reading this Newsletter by the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society from spring 2010. Numbers of Bluebirds up till 2010 just kep getting fewer and fewer. I don't know what the success rate has been in the last two years, but it would be so sad if we lost this beautiful species of bird! Thanks to the many dedicated Bluebird Monitors, some of whom monitor the nesting boxes on their route for many years, there is still hope.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.bluebirdtrails.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Spring-Fall-2010.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.bluebirdtrails.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Spring-...</a> <br /> <br /> In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&img=dtc.51.tif.gif&uid=3739392&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=56109306583&orig=/discover/10.2307/4077277?uid=3739392&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=56109306583" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22612019 tag:ipernity.com,2012-05-08,doc-22612019 Tue, 08 May 2012 15:10:43 +0000 2012-05-07T18:02:00-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22612019"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/20/19/22612019.ea0021a3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is one of the two Great Horned Owlets from Sikome, Fish Creek Park. I dashed over there yesterday evening, after getting a phone call from a thoughtful friend (thanks so much, Phil!), and managed to get a couple of shots that are just about worth keeping. This little guy/gal had apparently been active, but when I arrived, it hauled itself up this tree and decided it would stay there : ) Couldn't find a clear view, unfortunately. Its sibling, who had also fledged, was much higher up in a nearby tree, and Mom and Dad were of course in other nearby trees. What beautiful creatures they are!</div> Freedom <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22612019"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/20/19/22612019.ea0021a3.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This is one of the two Great Horned Owlets from Sikome, Fish Creek Park. I dashed over there yesterday evening, after getting a phone call from a thoughtful friend (thanks so much, Phil!), and managed to get a couple of shots that are just about worth keeping. This little guy/gal had apparently been active, but when I arrived, it hauled itself up this tree and decided it would stay there : ) Couldn't find a clear view, unfortunately. Its sibling, who had also fledged, was much higher up in a nearby tree, and Mom and Dad were of course in other nearby trees. What beautiful creatures they are!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22611343 tag:ipernity.com,2012-03-10,doc-22611343 Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:30:45 +0000 2012-02-24T13:37:54-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22611343"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/13/43/22611343.2406595c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I swear this handsome guy poses deliberately each time I go to the Calgary Zoo and stop by the Mountain Sheep area : ) Looks almost as if he's slightly smiling, too. Of course, I prefer taking photos of these Mountain Sheep in the wild, but still take a quick shot when I'm at the Zoo, too.<br /> <br /> "The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg), while the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg). The population in North America peaked in the millions, and the bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Americans. However, by 1900 the population had crashed to several thousand. Conservation efforts (in part by the Boy Scouts - more info on Wikipedia) have restored the population."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn_sheep" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn_sheep</a></div> Posing for the photographer <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/22611343"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/132/13/43/22611343.2406595c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">I swear this handsome guy poses deliberately each time I go to the Calgary Zoo and stop by the Mountain Sheep area : ) Looks almost as if he's slightly smiling, too. Of course, I prefer taking photos of these Mountain Sheep in the wild, but still take a quick shot when I'm at the Zoo, too.<br /> <br /> "The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg), while the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg). The population in North America peaked in the millions, and the bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Americans. However, by 1900 the population had crashed to several thousand. Conservation efforts (in part by the Boy Scouts - more info on Wikipedia) have restored the population."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn_sheep" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn_sheep</a></div> Anne Elliott