Nature Calgary 2016 calendar

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone, near and far!

I want to wish my family and each and every one of my "local" friends, my long-time overseas friends, and my Flickr friends a very happy, healthy and safe New Year! It's hard to believe, isn't it, that 15 years have passed since all the fuss about the year 2000? Thank you all for your friendship, encouragement, and sharing your beautiful photos, and for letting me share my photos with you - SO much appreciated! I'm looking forward to another year of seeing where you have been and what beautiful things you have discovered!

Late last night, I knew I hadn't taken any photos that were suitable for New Year. Then I had a bright idea - what could be more appropriate than the very first photo in the Nature Calgary 2016 calendar : ) As it happens, I am 'Miss January', lol, with my photo of one of the tiny Northern Pygmy-owls that people were seeing this time last year. A few of you may have seen this calendar, and may even have bought a copy. Actually, this was the very first time that Nature Calgary had ever produced a calendar.

The actual photo was taken on 14 January 2015, just 11 days after the death of my older daughter on 3 January, and posted on Flickr on 19 January 2015, the day after the Celebration of Life service for her.

This pair of beautiful little owls, the size of a man's fist or a popcan, and seen in one of our local parks, helped me at this very difficult time. Many days, I would push myself out the front door to drive over to the park, just in case one of the owls was seen. Almost always, there were a few, or many, friends to spend time with, which helped me get through each day. I will forever be thankful for, and grateful to, all these kind friends (and others friends near and far!) - and this pair of beautiful owls.

"The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl