Glorious blue

A photo of this gorgeous Peacock specially for all those of you who are sick and tired of all my wildflower postings, LOL! Trust me, if I posted all the wildflowers that I want/need to post, I'd have no Contacts left, ha! Taken, obviously, at the Calgary Zoo, on 20th May.

Just got home from a long day out at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, west of Innisfail, Alberta (north west of Calgary). Had to set my alarm clock for just after 4:30 a.m. (though I overslept by almost an hour!) and got home around 6:15 this evening. We were lucky that the rain kept away all morning. What a great place this centre is, rehabilitating wildlife (and releasing whenever possible) and also in its education programs. The Centre believes that "without the public being educated on what is injuring our wildlife, the hospital is merely a "band-aid" solution." The animals/birds that are unable to be released "stay onsite and act as foster parents for orphans or play an important role on the education programs."

We went there not just to see the centre itself but also to botanize the land around the Centre. Judy, our guide, spent much of the day with us, which we really appreciated. Hopefully, in return, we have shown her a few new plants, etc.. One of the highlights was seeing a pair of Sandhill Cranes in the grassland, along with a young one : ) I was also thrilled to see a Tiger Beetle - not sure if it's the same species as the few I've seen here in the city. Thanks so much, Judy, for such an enjoyable, exciting, interesting day!! Thank you, Stephen and Dorothy, for driving all the way there and back - greatly appreciated, as always! And now I feel totally exhausted!

www.medicineriverwildlifecentre.ca/

Hope all my friends/Contacts had a great weekend - Canada Day for fellow Canadians and Happy 4th July today to all my American friends/Contacts.