Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Cervus canadensis

This handsome Elk bull was quite a distance away, but thanks to 48x zoom (focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm), it almost looks like we were standing next to each other : ) My friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, 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 they 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 knew I would be happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : ) At one point, we drove past a site that had quite a few wooden cabins. A large, Elk-shaped object caught my eye in the far distance, among the cabins. At first, I wondered if the owners of the site had added a sculpture for interest. However, when we went to check, this is what we found : ) This huge Elk bull was wandering in between the cabins, happily feeding. Unfortunate, really, when wildlife becomes this accustomed to humans, but it did give us a chance to see one of these impressive wild animals at closer quarters. The whole time we watched, I was very aware of the huge size of this wild animal and never forgot for a moment that wildlife can be unpredictable! The only thing that was not good on this trip was that I was in absolute agony - the rotator cuffs in both shoulders were inflamed and the excruciating pain spread down to my lower back, making it difficult to even walk. Three months later, my shoulders are not as bad as they were, but it's taking a long, long time. So many things require the use of ones shoulders, so it's impossible to rest them for a long period. It was certainly bad timing for this trip, ha! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk

This handsome Elk bull was quite a distance away, but thanks to 48x zoom (focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm), it almost looks like we were standing next to each other : ) My friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, 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 they 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 knew I would be happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : ) At one point, we drove past a site that had quite a few wooden cabins. A large, Elk-shaped object caught my eye in the far distance, among the cabins. At first, I wondered if the owners of the site had added a sculpture for interest. However, when we went to check, this is what we found : ) This huge Elk buck was wandering in between the cabins, happily feeding. Unfortunate, really, when wildlife becomes this accustomed to humans, but it did give us a chance to see one of these impressive wild animals at closer quarters. The whole time we watched, I was very aware of the huge size of this wild animal and never forgot for a moment that wildlife can be unpredictable! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk I'm posting much later today, thanks to oversleeping because of the muscle relaxant pills that I'm having to take for my inflamed rotator cuffs in my shoulders. This is going to be a real nuisance for the next month - might have to miss an occasional pill when I know I have to be up and out at some unearthly hour the following morning.

My friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, 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 they 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 knew I would be happy as can be to see absolutely anything beautiful : ) At one point, we drove past a site that had quite a few wooden cabins. A large, Elk-shaped object caught my eye in the far distance, among the cabins. At first, I wondered if the owners of the site had added a sculpture for interest. However, when we went to check, this is what we found : ) This huge Elk buck was wandering in between the cabins, happily feeding. Unfortunate, really, when wildlife becomes this accustomed to humans, but it did give us a chance to see one of these impressive wild animals at closer quarters (used lots of zoom for this photo). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk

Need to quickly add that I "cheated" with this photo, including doing a very quick ear tag removal! Finally got out of the city southwestwards just a short way yesterday evening, to go with Don Stiles again on his Bluebird Route. He has been a Bluebird Monitor for about 30 years! We pass a Buffalo and Elk farm in that area and several of these maginficent animals happened to be on a hill that was near to the fence. Elk meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken. The light was not too good, so I'm surprised that any of the photos I took came out at all. In fact, we hadn't been sure whether to go or not, because of some rather black clouds. You'd never know there had been devastating floods the past week, that have affected the whole of southern Alberta. I was expecting to see flood water everywhere, so was hugely relieved to see none! It felt SO good to get out - anywhere - though I did drive a few minutes away from home just before this evening trip, as a friend had mentioned that there were mushrooms growing in a place where they had been last year. Again, you would never know that we have been experiencing the "flood of the century" for almost a week now. Thanks for a great Bluebird evening, Don - we saw various other birds, too, including a Snipe, House Wren, Tree Swallows, American Goldfinch, Swainson's Hawk, a yet-unidentified Hawk with what I think was an Eastern Kingbird "piggy-backing" on it, etc., etc.. I missed getting it actually riding on the back, but did get it just a few inches above the Hawk - see my third photo posted today. Most of Don's boxes have Tree Swallow nests in them, but I also posted a photo of a box that had six gorgeous baby Bluebirds all huddled together. It was such a relief to see so much wildlife - I had feared the worst! Of course, many parts of the city have now started on clean-up, and what a monumental task that is going to be!!! I saw yesterday that the first billion dollars have now been made available towards this clean-up! People just amaze me, how they get to work to clear all the mud from inside their homes and get rid of all their ruined possessions. Can you imagine how difficult this must be, with water restrictions in effect? I think everyone is so impressed by the way the city has, and still is, handling the whole situation. Our Mayor, Naheed Nenshi (36th mayor, sworn in on October 25, 2010), has proved that people made the right choice when they elected him Mayor! He is working tirelessly to protect his city and get it back to as normal as possible!! "Stampede officials say this year’s version of the Calgary Stampede scheduled to go ahead on July 5 will be a “beacon of light” for those affected by the floods – and as big as ever. “Throughout our entire history, we have never cancelled a show, despite two wars and a Great Depression,” Stampede president Bob Thompson said Monday on Scotsman’s Hill, a bluff overlooking the expansive Stampede grounds. “We will be hosting the greatest outdoor show on earth, come hell or high water.” Stampede officials say they will run a “concentrated” version of the setup, compressing what is usually three weeks of work into about 10 days. Around 300 staff and some of the 2,400 volunteers involved in the annual event, many of whom have already been volunteering to help clean up after the floods across southern Alberta, will work around the clock." Hard to believe that the Saddledome (at the Stampede Grounds) was flooded up to the 8th row of seats!). From the Globe and Mail, 24 June 2013. Incredible YOUTUBE VIDEO OF CALGARY FLOODS from Global News: youtu.be/bRS8YfVlt3Y

On the way back to Calgary after a birding day in the Sibbald, Harvie Heights and Exshaw areas of Kananaaskis on Sunday, 20 January 2013, we noticed this very distant herd of Elk crossing a field. Just before this photo, they had been walking in a dead straight line.

On two mornings, we were lucky enough to see several beautiful Elk on this narrow strip of land rising out of Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, US. This stag was the only male, along with his females. Taken on 13 September 2012, the third day of a week away in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. There was a lot of haze in the park from forest fires. "Elk (Cervus elaphus) are the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone; paleontological evidence confirms their continuous presence for at least 1,000 years. Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, when market hunting of all large grazing animals was rampant. Not until after 1886, when the U.S. Army was called in to protect the park and wildlife slaughter was brought under control, did the large animals increase in number. More than 30,000 elk from 7-8 different herds summer in Yellowstone and approximately 15,000 to 22,000 winter in the park." www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/elk.htm

Having problems with uploading my photos this morning! I can't remember if we saw this female Elk outside Yellowstone National Park or after we had entered by the north gate. The different shades of green and yellow were so pretty. Taken on 12 September 2012, the second day of our wonderful week's trip down to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, 11-17 September.

We were treated to this wonderful sight on two mornings during our stay at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel (in two of their little cabins). A short drive from the hotel along the edge of the lake, Elk were on this narrow bit of land not far from shore. As you can see, the male had his harem all to himself. On one of the mornings, a female swam across to the shore and, of course, everyone was hoping that the male would, too, but he stayed with his women. Taken on 13 September 2012 - a lot of haze from forest fires in the park while we were there. (Location on my map is only very approximate.) "Elk (Cervus elaphus) are the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone; paleontological evidence confirms their continuous presence for at least 1,000 years. Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, when market hunting of all large grazing animals was rampant. Not until after 1886, when the U.S. Army was called in to protect the park and wildlife slaughter was brought under control, did the large animals increase in number. More than 30,000 elk from 7-8 different herds summer in Yellowstone and approximately 15,000 to 22,000 winter in the park." www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/elk.htm

On two mornings, we were lucky enough to see several beautiful Elk on this narrow strip of land rising out of Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, US. This stag was the only male, along with his females. Taken on 13 September 2012, the third day of a week away in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. There was a lot of haze in the park from forest fires. "Elk (Cervus elaphus) are the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone; paleontological evidence confirms their continuous presence for at least 1,000 years. Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, when market hunting of all large grazing animals was rampant. Not until after 1886, when the U.S. Army was called in to protect the park and wildlife slaughter was brought under control, did the large animals increase in number. More than 30,000 elk from 7-8 different herds summer in Yellowstone and approximately 15,000 to 22,000 winter in the park." www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/elk.htm What a performance with uploading my images this morning. Ended up having to use the old uploader - but even that wouldn't load the last photo. I've been trying for about an hour now.

On two mornings, we were lucky enough to see several beautiful Elk on this narrow strip of land rising out of Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, US. This stag was the only male, along with his females. Taken on 13 September 2012, the third day of a week away with dear friends from England, Linda and Tony, in Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Teton National Park, and Glacier-Waterton Peace Park. If anyone is interested in reading about the background to this wonderful trip, the following link will take you to a photo I posted yesterday. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/8000425580/in/photostream/

This female Elk had just swum across the water from a narrow island just offshore at Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, US. Several Elk seem to like to rest on this narrow strip of land and it looks so beautiful to see them and their reflections in the lake. Taken on 13 September 2012.

A group of us had the privilege of being allowed to visit the Calgary Zoo Ranch, just south of the city, two days ago. It is not open to the public, but we have the chance to go once a year. This pair of majestic Elk were just two of several species that were there. Tremendous work is being done there to breed several very endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with interesting information. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. "The only remaining flock of wild Whooping Cranes, the wintering population in coastal Texas, reached a low of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42, and hovered between the low 20s and mid 30s over the next two decades. Efforts to locate the flock's breeding grounds intensified following World War II. Evidence of breeding was first reported in 1954, when several adults and pre-fledged juveniles were observed in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Researchers were able to locate the first nests the following year. The inaccessibility of the breeding grounds, protection of the wintering grounds, and extensive public education campaigns have contributed to the population's increase to its current level." www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/cranes/grusamer.htm www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/recv2009.html#Captive www.whoopingcrane.com/FLOCKSTATUS.HTM

Another photo of a handsome male Elk in captivity at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, just south of the city. The velvet on his antlers was in beautiful condition. Much as I would much prefer to photograph them in the wild, of course, I've only ever had maybe a couple of chances to be in places where they were seen.