Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#495

This Ostrich at the Calgary Zoo looks rather like s/he got up on the wrong side of the bed - though I guess, in reality, that is what Ostriches always look like, ha. Taken on17 October 2009, and found while trying to save a few more of my old photos this week. I really need to make a lot more space on my hard drive before spring arrives and along with it, all the upcoming botanizing photos. This is getting done ridiculously slowly. "The ostrich shares the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs, and can run at up to about 70 km/h (43 mph),[3] the fastest land speed of any bird.[4] The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest eggs of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the giant moa of New Zealand laid larger eggs). The ostrich's diet consists mainly of plant matter, though it also eats invertebrates. It lives in nomadic groups of 5 to 50 birds. When threatened, the ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or run away. If cornered, it can attack with a kick of its powerful legs. Mating patterns differ by geographical region, but territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females. The ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used as feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather products and its meat is marketed commercially." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich Funny to even think about wildflowers and insects, as we are having a winter storm today, with heavy, blowing snow! Visibility is really bad, but the temperature is only -3C. Drive carefully if you HAVE to go out, everyone - me, I'm staying home : )

I was thrilled to bits to see Mom and her two babies at the Calgary Zoo a few days ago. These Great Gray Owls live in one of the aviaries at the Zoo - one of my favourite places to be, as there is a tiny path through the area and there are no fences between you and the owls. This pair of Great Grays nested on this rocky ledge just a few feet away from the path, but behind a couple of trees. There is an opening that you can see through, though the lighting is atrocious for taking photos. These babies are absolutely adorable - they have SO much character, as do all young creatures : ). I'll post a closer photo of just one of the little ones soon. I have seen a few Great Gray Owls in the wild, but I only have distant, poor quality photos of them. It's amazing to see these captive owls up so close.

The weather was strange on the day I took this photo. The sky was dark grey yet the sun was throwing a golden light on the white feathers of this magnificent Snowy Owl. I'm not sure if it is a female or a young male. The adult males are white but females and young males have the dark streaking on them to varying degrees. I know this photo was #495 at one point, but have no record of whether it got any higher.