Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: adorable

On the first day of three spent in Waterton Lakes National Park, my friends and I came across this beautiful sight along one of the roads in the small town of Waterton. This tiny baby Mule Deer could barely stand and kept falling down. It was trying to nurse - amazingly, its mother eventually lay down to make nursing easier for her new little one. "With its merging landforms, connected ecoregions and its mild, moist, windy climate, Waterton Lakes National Park is an amazing meeting place for an abundant and diverse collection of vegetation. Despite it's small size (505 sq km) Waterton is graced with over 1000 species of vascular plants . Over half of Alberta's plant species are found in this tiny place. The park's four ecoregions - foothills parkland, montane, subalpine and alpine - embrace forty-five vegetation communities. Sixteen of these are considered significant because they are rare or fragile and threatened. Waterton also has an unusually high number of rare plants - over 175 are provincially rare (e.g. mountain lady's-slipper, pygmy poppy, mountain hollyhock), and over twenty of these are found only in the Waterton area (e.g. western wakerobin, Lewis' mock-orange, white-veined wintergreen). Over 50 species are rare in Canada (e.g. Bolander's quillwort, Lyall's scorpionweed, Brewer's monkeyflower.)" From Parks Canada website. www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/f.aspx I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of particular rare species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants and many other things. This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my mental Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the white Mountain Lady's Slipper or the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several of the latter plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. The wind made photographing some of the plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro. Thank you so much, Sandy and Heide, for a great three-day trip in such spectacular scenery, surrounded by amazing nature. The wildflowers were top priority, but I was so happy to see insects, scenery and even a bit of wildlife that included a very distant female Grizzly with a cub from last year and two Black Bears, one of which was along the Crandell Lake trail at the same time we were there. Thanks, too, Sandy, for doing all the driving - so much appreciated by Heide and myself! Also have to thank you both for being so thoughtful as far as my limitations go (lol, I can move much better than I was expecting today!) and for your patience in allowing me to take lots of photos! Heide, you'll be glad to know that I have a bottle of water sitting by my computer - thanks for all the reminders to keep hydrated while hiking. Two other people to mention - Arnold, it was so good to see you at the meeting place. Been a long time since our paths crossed. Jerry (from Calgary), good to bump into you in Waterton, and thanks so much for telling us about various sightings and even taking us to several of the locations, despite the fact that you had just returned from a major mountain hike that day. Loved seeing the distant (nesting) Loon lying in the grass at the edge of one of the wetlands. Great trip, great company! How lucky I am.

On the first day of three spent in Waterton Lakes National Park, my friends and I came across this beautiful sight along one of the roads in the small town of Waterton. This tiny baby Mule Deer could barely stand and kept falling down. It was trying to nurse - amazingly, its mother eventually lay down to make nursing easier for her new little one. "With its merging landforms, connected ecoregions and its mild, moist, windy climate, Waterton Lakes National Park is an amazing meeting place for an abundant and diverse collection of vegetation. Despite it's small size (505 sq km) Waterton is graced with over 1000 species of vascular plants . Over half of Alberta's plant species are found in this tiny place. The park's four ecoregions - foothills parkland, montane, subalpine and alpine - embrace forty-five vegetation communities. Sixteen of these are considered significant because they are rare or fragile and threatened. Waterton also has an unusually high number of rare plants - over 175 are provincially rare (e.g. mountain lady's-slipper, pygmy poppy, mountain hollyhock), and over twenty of these are found only in the Waterton area (e.g. western wakerobin, Lewis' mock-orange, white-veined wintergreen). Over 50 species are rare in Canada (e.g. Bolander's quillwort, Lyall's scorpionweed, Brewer's monkeyflower.)" From Parks Canada website. www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/f.aspx I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of particular rare species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants and many other things. This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my mental Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro. I've just been trying to find a list of plant species in Waterton Park, but have so far been out of luck. I do have the book, "Wildflowers of Waterton Park" by Jacinthe Lavoie and Ian Wilson, which has an Index of Plant names, but I was hoping to find a list that I could print out. It's going to take me ages to type descriptions for the various photos I'll slowly be posting, and I will no doubt keep adding new bits and pieces over time. There is just so much information I want to add. Also, my photos of quite a few of the plants will be posted for the use of ANPC members and are, unfortunately, really poor images. Need them added to my Waterton Lakes album, so please bear with me : ) Luckily, you don't even need to look at them. Thank you so much, Sandy and Heide, for a great three-day trip in such spectacular scenery, surrounded by amazing nature. The wildflowers were top priority, but I was so happy to see insects, scenery and even a bit of wildlife that included a very distant female Grizzly with a cub from last year and two Black Bears, one of which was along the Crandell Lake trail at the same time we were there. Thanks, too, Sandy, for doing all the driving - so much appreciated by Heide and myself! Also have to thank you both for being so thoughtful as far as my limitations go (lol, I can move much better than I was expecting today!) and for your patience in allowing me to take lots of photos! Heide, you'll be glad to know that I have a bottle of water sitting by my computer - thanks for all the reminders to keep hydrated while hiking. Two other people to mention - Arnold, it was so good to see you at the meeting place. Been a long time since our paths crossed. Jerry (from Calgary), good to bump into you in Waterton, and thanks so much for telling us about various sightings and even taking us to several of the locations, despite the fact that you had just returned from a major mountain hike that day. Loved seeing the distant Loon lying in the grass at the edge of one of the wetlands. Great trip, great company! How lucky I am.

Another photo of the adorable little kittens we saw on 16 December 2014. Though the quality isn't good, I couldn't resist posting this better shot of the grey kitten. I don't know what kind of cat it is, but it just looked so round and so soft. It's now 12:45 midnight and I have to set my alarm clocks and kitchen timer for about 4:00 am, when I need to get up and get ready for another annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Tomorrow's count is the Nanton area, S of Calgary. Decided I would post my "daily three" images tonight instead of before I leave home in about five hours. All my recent photos have similar colours, so it's time for something different. I took different photos today, when I spent the whole day with my youngest daughter for our Christmas get-together. At her suggestion, we spent the day searching for Snowy Owls NE of the city and were very lucky to see 10 definitely different individuals and two possible others. Even found several different barns, too. Amazingly, we bumped into my friends, Cathy and Terry, and we spent the rest of the day driving the backroads behind them. Lots of fun - and such a coincidence! Just too tired out and short of time to go through my photos though, so they may have to wait another two or three days - I have another bird count on Tuesday 23rd, to the Drumheller area. So far, it looks like we should be getting snow on Christmas Eve day, when hopefully I can get a day at home and simply collapse from very long days and extreme shortage of sleep, lol! This photo was taken on 16 December 2014, which was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of High River. This town is SE of Calgary, roughly half an hour's drive from the southern edge of Calgary. My small group travelled in two cars, 8 people in total, and we covered the SE quadrant of the Count circle. I will add the report compiled by our leader, Gus Yaki. As usual, there were several of these sightings that I, myself, did not see. I ended up with poor photos of most of the things that I did see - the day was absolutely beautiful, but the light was even worse than I had realized. If your computer monitor is smaller than mine, my images might look a little better : ) The amazing hoar frost, that covered everything, surprisingly lasted pretty well the whole day - usually, it lasts only a very short time. So, even though the light wasn't good for photos, the hoar frost beauty stayed with us all day long - breathtaking. For our drive down to High River, we had fog which, in patches, was quite thick. Wondered if we would see anything at all when we reached our area, ha. It was cold and damp, as well as foggy. In addition to that, some of the birds, such as the three Snowy Owls (I only saw two of them) were SO far away, there was no chance for photos except just for the record. Only 35 species were seen in the total for the complete Count circle. Of course, as always happens, I just had to take photos of anything else that caught my eye, including several barns, cloud formations, these farm cats, an old truck, scenery and so on. At another stop, we were looking in the bushes/shrubs at the edge of a different farm, where a Northern Saw-whet Owl had been sighted last Christmas Count. No luck with an owl, but one of the birders spotted a male Merlin very high up on a power pole. A short while later, it was spotted just down the road, perched on a fence post. Such a beautiful bird - but such lousy light! We had finished our count by 5:00 pm, by which time it was, of course, completely dark. A few of us stayed for the delicious pot luck supper, mainly provided by the generous birding people down in High River. Lorrie and John gave a slide show of their recent trip to Africa. So many great shots of beautiful bird species that I have never seen. Thanks, Lorrie and John, for spending time going through all your slides at home and choosing a lovely selection for us. Many thanks, too, for driving Shirley and myself all day long! "HIGH RIVER CBC, SE quadrant, Frank Lk; E of #2, S of #23. 0830-1700, 16Dec2014. Overcast, heavy fog, created great hoarfrost on everything. Winds, variable direction, 10-15kph. -7°C. Ground mostly bare of snow; Little Bow River 95% frozen. 1. Mallard-1 f. 2. Scaup sp.- juv or f, likely Lesser-1 3. Gray Partridge-7 4. Ring-necked Pheasant-2 5. Bald Eagle-3 ( 2 ad/ 1 juv.) 6. Merlin-1 m. 7. Rock Pigeon-8 8. Great Horned Owl- 5 [an additional one seen N of Hwy 23, just W of Frank Lk exit at 16:56 pm.] 9. Snowy Owl-3 10. Downy Woodpecker-2 11. Northern Flicker-2 12. Black-billed Magpie-83 13. Common Raven-15 14. Horned Lark-20 15. Black-capped Chickadee-7 16. Common Redpoll-155 17. House Sparrow-669 18. 17 species of birds MAMMALS: Deer Mouse-1, deceased. White-tailed Jackrabbit-1 Mule Deer-25 White-tailed Deer-44 Total Km by car-111; by foot- 3. Total hours by car – 6; on foot-2.5 Gus Yaki"

The day before yesterday, 16 December 2014, was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of High River. This town is SE of Calgary, roughly half an hour's drive from the southern edge of Calgary. My small group travelled in two cars, 8 people in total, and we covered the SE quadrant of the Count circle. I will add the report compiled by our leader, Gus Yaki. As usual, there were several of these sightings that I, myself, did not see. I ended up with poor photos of the things I did see - the day was absolutely beautiful, but the light was even worse than I had realized. If your computer monitor is smaller than mine, my images might look a little better : ) The amazing hoar frost, that covered everything, surprisingly lasted pretty well the whole day - usually, it lasts only a short time. So, even though the light wasn't good for photos, the hoar frost beauty stayed with us all day long - breathtaking. For our drive down to High River, we had fog which, in patches, was quite thick. Wondered if we would see anything at all when we reached our area, ha. It was cold and damp, too. In addition to that, some of the birds, such as the three Snowy Owls (I only saw two of them) were SO far away, there was no chance for photos except just for the record. Only 35 species were seen in the total for the complete Count circle. Of course, as always happens, I just had to take photos of anything else that caught my eye, including several barns, cloud formations, farm cats, and so on. These kittens were absolutely adorable!! I think there were five of them and they looked so healthy. When I was taking photos of them, I suddenly heard a voice from behind me, saying: "For every photo you take of these cats, you have to take one them with you!" The delightful woman who owned the farm was such a character, with a great sense of humour. I believe she said that these kittens had been dumped at her farm and she was feeding them - and they were costing her a fortune, lol. I wouldn't be surprised if they were eating the odd bird and mouse, too. They really were the cutest kittens. Couldn't believe it when I looked at my photos of them when I got home - all but perhaps two of them were horribly blurry, thanks to the poor light. We were looking in the bushes/shrubs at the edge of this farm, where a Northern Saw-whet Owl had been sighted last Christmas Count. No luck with an owl, but one of the birders spotted a male Merlin very high up on a power pole with a "cover", which made it look as if the bird was sitting under a hair dryer at a hair salon, lol. A short while later, it was spotted just down the road, perched on a fence post. Such a beautiful bird. We had finished our count by 5:00 pm, by which time it was completely dark. A few of us stayed for the delicious pot luck supper, mainly provided by the generous birding people down in High River. Lorrie and John gave a slide show of their recent trip to Africa. So many great shots of beautiful bird species that I have never seen. Thanks, Lorrie and John, for spending time going through all your slides at home and choosing a lovely selection for us. Many thanks, too, for driving Shirley and myself all day long! "HIGH RIVER CBC, SE quadrant, Frank Lk; E of #2, S of #23. 0830-1700, 16Dec2014. Overcast, heavy fog, created great hoarfrost on everything. Winds, variable direction, 10-15kph. -7°C. Ground mostly bare of snow; Little Bow River 95% frozen. 1. Mallard-1 f. 2. Scaup sp.- juv or f, likely Lesser-1 3. Gray Partridge-7 4. Ring-necked Pheasant-2 5. Bald Eagle-3 ( 2 ad/ 1 juv.) 6. Merlin-1 m. 7. Rock Pigeon-8 8. Great Horned Owl- 5 [an additional one seen N of Hwy 23, just W of Frank Lk exit at 16:56 pm.] 9. Snowy Owl-3 10. Downy Woodpecker-2 11. Northern Flicker-2 12. Black-billed Magpie-83 13. Common Raven-15 14. Horned Lark-20 15. Black-capped Chickadee-7 16. Common Redpoll-155 17. House Sparrow-669 18. 17 species of birds MAMMALS: Deer Mouse-1, deceased. White-tailed Jackrabbit-1 Mule Deer-25 White-tailed Deer-44 Total Km by car-111; by foot- 3. Total hours by car – 6; on foot-2.5 Gus Yaki" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I now have to work through all the photos I took yesterday on the Christmas Bird Count, get some of them edited and then sent in. Three more days and I go on the next Bird Count and will then have to go through all those photos and edit some to send. Two days after that, and I may go on a third Count outside the city. You would think that by now, after taking part in so many Christmas Bird Counts the last few years, I would have learned how to be organized enough to get all my dozens of overseas Christmas letters and cards finished and mailed before the very first Count. That just never seems to happen, somehow .... sigh.

On 17 December 2011, I was on the Banff/Canmore Christmas Bird Count (in the Rocky Mountains). This was the 37th consecutive year for this event. My small group covered the Harvey Heights area. The meeting place for the various groups was at the home of Colleen Campbell, who so generously opens up her home to us each year, including giving us a lovely warm place to go back to, to eat our lunches and to finalize the lists of birds seen by the end of the day. Colleen is a long-time Wildlife Researcher, who focused exclusively on grizzly bears from 1993 until 2006. She is also known for her incredibly beautiful artwork - photography is another of her keen interests. She had just taken in two adorable little rescue kittens - they were so soft and gentle! There was room in my backback to have put both kittens in to take home with me - but I thought Colleen might notice that they were missing : ) Colleen, thank you so much from us all, for your generosity and welcome - and that includes the welcome that Jesse always gives everyone. What a sweet, intelligent dog she is!

Yesterday, my youngest daughter and I went down to the Stampede Grounds, to soak up the feel of the annual "Greatest Show on Earth". We don't spend long down there, but we always look forward to the the Indian Village, Mini-Donuts and the baby pigs, lol. We like to wander through the agriculture area, too, seeing the beautiful horses, ponies, miniature horses and cattle. These are two of the tiny piglets that were with their Mom, each one a different colour from plain pink to mottled black. Not sure, but I think they were three days old. I must look up attendance numbers online - I'm curious because of the devastating Flood of the Century, which caused so much damage down at the Grounds (and everywhere else). You'd never guess that three weeks ago, the whole Grounds were under water. There were SO many people down there, enjoying themselves, which was so good to see. www.calgarystampede.com

Time for another photo of this cutie, one of the Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. I think this may have been the time when I saw them getting a treat of grapes to eat. "The Red Panda, also called the Firefox or Lesser Panda (Latin name: Ailurus fulgens, "shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight). The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, Pakistan, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. There is an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation." From Wikipedia.

Yes, these two little things live in captivity with quite a few others, at the Calgary Zoo. They look rather like Richardson's Ground Squirrels that are wild in Alberta, but these are in fact Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. 'They are found in the Great Plains of North America from about the USA-Canada border to the USA-Mexico border. Black-tailed prairie dogs are frequently exterminated from ranchland, being labelled as a pest. Their habitat has been fragmented, and their numbers have been greatly reduced. Additionally, black-tailed prairie dogs are remarkably susceptible to plague." From Wikipedia. Their Conservation Status is Least Concern. "Canada’s remaining population of black-tailed prairie dogs can only be found in southwest Saskatchewan around Grasslands National Park." (Calgary Zoo info).

This is one of 36 wild European Rabbits that our small group of four found at one location in Drumheller yesterday. Our territory (section of the huge circle) for the Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Bird Count was on the north side of the Red Deer River, including the Tyrrell Museum area. This is Dinosaur country, the wonderful Badlands of Alberta! We drove some of the residential alleys looking for birds at feeders as well as in trees, and walked along the edge of the river at McMullen Island (it only becomes an island when the river level rises). The Red Deer River was completely frozen; 12 inches of snow cover. The day started off cloudy, clearing to beautiful sunshine, calm and a temperature of -14C soaring to 6C (yes, that's +6C!). Left my house at 5:40 a.m. and got home maybe 7:45 p.m. (?) Total kms-73; Total kms by car-68; Total kms on foot-5. Total hours-7; Total by car-4.5; Total on foot-2hrs; In cafe-0.5 hrs.. Just in case anyone is interested in what species the four of us found, this is the list for the day: Rock Pigeon-1 Eurasian Collared Dove-24 Great Horned Owl-1 Snowy Owl-1 Downy Woodpecker-5, Hairy Woodpecker-4 Northern Flicker-4 Pileated Woodpecker-1 Blue Jay-4 Black-billed Magpie-38 Black-capped Chickadee-17 White-breasted Nuthatch 3. Bohemian Waxwing-96 White-winged Crossbill-2 Common Redpoll-139 House Sparrow-42 We actually saw a total of six Snowy Owls; one on our territory; one each about 2 miles E and W of Horseshoe Canyon on Hwy 9, and three others on Hwys 9 and 72, outside of the Christmas Bird Count area. As far as photos for the day is concerned, all I managed bird-wise was a Eurasian Collared Dove, a Red Crossbill and maybe a couple of Snowy Owl photos. However, the scenery covered in snow was beautiful (and, as usual, my photos don't even begin to do it justice). This Count was the last one I am doing for the 2012/2013 annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count season. There is another one going on today, but 5th January is the final day. I am SOOOO tired and pretty useless for anything now, after the last three weeks of Bird Counts : )

This was one of the 36 wild European Rabbits that we saw in Drumheller, Alberta, on 4 January 2013. Four of us drove east of the city to the Badlands (land of the dinosaurs) and spent the day taking part in the annual Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Christmas Bird Count. Our territory was the N side of the Red Deer River, including the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology area. Was just reading a discussion on photographing Snowy Owls - people's idea of what birding etiquette is definitely varies from one person to another. This YouTube video was included - can't believe that some photographers will go to this length to photograph already stressed-out birds that have come down from the north! youtu.be/E0_gzY2k7P0 We had a few inches of fresh snow overnight and it's still snowing this afternoon. Judging by the very white sky, it looks like there is plenty more snow to fall. It's -10C, windchill -18C, but tomorrow is supposed to fall to -19C. Could be worse!

Came across this Red Panda photo when I was backing up a few more old photo files amd thought I'd add it to my Red Panda set. Taken at the Calgary Zoo on 13 March 2010. These animals are so hard to photograph, as they are constantly on the move in their enclosure or asleep in one of their tree houses, LOL. "Every time a red panda is born, and particularly every time the cub is raised by its mother, it's an important achievement, because the mortality rate for red panda cubs is as high as 74 per cent. Since 1994, nine red cub pandas have been born at the Calgary Zoo. "It is important to continue to support conservation and protection of red pandas so that some day we see a natural increase in their populations," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, curator of the zoo's Eurasia section. "There is still a long way to go to this end, but this new birth will have a positive impact on captive population growth and genetic diversity of the species." It's estimated there are fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the world. They're classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List." From CBC News, Calgary.

Yesterday afternoon, I called in at the Calgary Zoo, and found one of the beautiful, endangered Amur Tiger cubs (born on 30 March 2012) feasting on some rather disgusting looking part of an animal. The adult female and this cub's two siblings were also all in the small, separate enclosure, spending time relaxing in the sun. Poor Mom could barely keep awake - and no wonder, with three energetic youngsters to look after. Every once in a while, one of the other cubs would slowly inch towards the feeding cub, hoping to get the food for itself, but the cub in my photo did a great job of defending his meal. The colour of this cub is exaggerated in my photo - there were so many people viewing through the glass and so many people seem to wear white or light coloured clothing, which reflects horribly in the dirty glass. Took two or three of my photos using a different setting, resulting in more vivid colour, but at least I was able to capture better detail. Later note added on 7 October 2012: Tigers that used to be known as Siberian Tigers are now known as Amur Tigers. The name change is because their range now only includes the Amur Valley in Eastern Siberia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_tiger Wishing my family and friends, and all Canadians everywhere, a very Happy Thanksgiving. We have SO much to be thankful for, even in difficult or sad times. Enjoy this long weekend - and if you are driving, please drive carefully and don't drink and drive!

The three endangered Amur Tiger cubs, born on 30 March 2012, have grown so quickly. Though perhaps not as cute as when they were first allowed out for the public to see, it is still fun to watch them play and intereact with Mum and each other.

Another photo of one of the rescue kittens that were adopted by Colleen in Canmore (near Banff). I got the chance to photograph both of them when we met at Colleen's house for the Banff/Canmore Christmas Bird Count on 17th December 2011.

On December 17th, I was on the Banff/Canmore Christmas Bird Count (in the Rocky Mountains). This was the 37th consecutive year for this event. My small group covered the Harvey Heights area. The meeting place for the various groups was at the home of Colleen Campbell, who so generously opens up her home to us each year, including giving us a lovely warm place to go back to, to eat our lunches and to finalize the lists of birds seen by the end of the day. Colleen is a long-time Wildlife Researcher, who focused exclusively on grizzly bears from 1993 until 2006. She is also known for her incredibly beautiful artwork - photography is another of her keen interests. Recently, she took in two adorable little rescue kittens - they were so soft and gentle! There was room in my backback to have put both kittens in to take home with me - but I thought Colleen might notice that they were missing : ) Colleen, thank you so much from us all, for your generosity and welcome - and that includes the welcome that Jesse always gives everyone. What a sweet, intelligent dog she is!

Every once in a while, if you are very lucky, one of the Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo will actually stop for a moment, just long enough to get a quick shot. The rest of the time, they are either constantly on the move around their enclosure, or they are fast asleep up in one of their tree houses. So sad that they have become an endangered species! "The Red Panda, also called the Firefox, Fire Cat, Lesser Panda, or Ailurus fulgens ("shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight). The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, Pakistan, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. There is an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation... In southwest China the Red Panda is hunted for its fur and especially for its highly-valued bushy tail from which hats are produced. In the areas of China where the Red Panda lives, their fur is often used for local cultural ceremonies and in weddings the bridegroom traditionally carries the hide. The 'good-luck charm' hats are used by Chinese newlyweds." From Wikipedia.

It has been ages since I posted a photo of one of the Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. These adorable animals are either fast on the move or else up in their wooden tree houses eating or sleeping, so they aren't the easiest of animals to photograph. However, occasionally, one or two photos do come out OK and I was lucky with this one yesterday afternoon : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_panda

It has been ages since I posted a photo of one of the Calgary Zoo's Red Pandas (Ailurus fulgens). On May 30th, two babies were born to six-year-old Malikha and it was only very recently that they have emerged from their den. She has raised them completely on her own, with no "interference" from Zoo staff. Not sure if this adult is Malikha or her mate. There was no sign of the two little ones - I would imagine they spend a fair amount of time sleeping in the den. The conservation status of the Red Panda is "Vulnerable" and the Calgary Zoo is doing a good job helping to preserve this species. This new duo brings to 11 the number of successful Red Panda births at the zoo since 1994. These animals are on the move constantly, so it's always amazing when one of them stops for a brief second or two, and you get the chance for a shot. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Panda I was out for about three hours this morning on a bird walk from Bebo Grove to Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, and back. We were shown a juvenile American Three-toed Woodpecker at Bebo by a couple of friends who were out on a walk, which was a real treat. I had seen a Three-toed there before, but not yet this year. We were also greeted by a few Boreal Chickadees, which we always enjoy. From there, I drove out to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park just in case a few mushrooms had appeared, even though I already knew the answer : ) Did find a little cluster and one solitary one - and that's it! And from there, it was off to fill my car with gas before it actually reached the empty mark (usually, I make sure it doesn't go below half full) and the usual necessary food shopping.