Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: siblings

It was simply amazing while it lasted - but the few weeks were all over far too quickly : ) These two beautiful little Great Horned Owlets were practicing their balancing skills on the top edge of their nesting tree in Fish Creek Park, on 10 May 2013. They go from little balls of fluff to perching on this edge so quickly and then, blink, and they have gone, lol. Their baby-fluff pantaloons always make me smile, especially when seen from behind. What a sight! Most of the time, the light was not good, but on each evening, there was a bit of time when the sunlight was just beautiful. Can't begin to describe how thankful I was to have been there!

All three "cubs" were in a sleepy heap along with Mom when I visited the Calgary Zoo on 16 April 2013. These are two of the cubs, who have grown so big that they aren't that much smaller than the adults now - still very playful, though. The three beautiful but endangered Amur Tiger cubs were born March 30, 2012 at the Calgary Zoo. They were out in the main enclosure, but I managed to zoom in fully to avoid most of the faint blur from the wire fence. Three new animals make such a wonderful addition to the endangered Amur Tiger population. By the way, the Tigers have a huge area of trees, grass, fallen logs and a small creek running through the area - not like being in the wild, of course, but so much better than a small cage. They also have just a very small separated area, with a hammock, where certain animals can be separated when necessary, for various reasons. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_tiger Later note added on 14 June 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. The link below is from YouTube, showing the three Amur Tiger cubs at the Calgary Zoo. This video from the den box camera was taken on Friday, April 20. youtu.be/XFyAFe0nCeY

It was simply amazing while it lasted - and now it's all over : ) These two beautiful little Great Horned Owlets have finally fledged and now spend their days and nights high up in the trees, pretty well hidden and too far for photographs. They go from little balls of fluff to perching on the top edge of their nesting tree so quickly and then, blink, and they have gone, lol. I was down there on just two evenings last week and they must have been the best two evenings for seeing these little guys. Most of the time, the light was not good, but on each evening, there was a bit of time when the sunlight was just beautiful. By the way, they don't just sit like this all the time, but are constantly moving, climbing over each other, focussing on balancing on the edge of the tree cavity, and exercising those wings. Can't begin to describe how thankful I am to have been there! There are a number of Canada Geese nesting in the same location and you know how noisy they are, especially if a dispute is going one. They "entertained" these owlets and I caught them both focussed on the same action at the same time, ha. Good luck, little owls - hope you live a safe, long life. Taken in Fish Creek Park on 10 May 2013.

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!

Oh, boy, this image looks even blurrier than it did in the wee hours of this morning, when I was editing it! It was taken at 9:00 p.m. on 10 May 2013, when it was beginning to get dark. Better than nothing, though, as this is not what most people ever get the chance to see : ) (Apologies to the squeamish!). This is the female Great Horned Owl (alias "Mom") down at Sikome in Fish Creek Park. Both her young ones had managed to claw and flap their way up to the top edge of the nesting cavity - you can just see the top of the second one's head. Along came Mom with take-out supper - no preparation time, no cooking time, just ready to go, lol. We think it could have been a Blue-winged Teal that she had just caught. Both young owls fledged in the following few days and now are way up in the trees, greatly hidden by the freshly bursting leaves. They are going to be very, very wet owls today, as it is raining again. There is a Heavy Rainfall Warning in effect for us. This species of owl will eat other kinds of owl, birds (from Kinglets to Great Blue Herons, including Pheasants!), rabbits, mice, voles, fish, squirrels, insects such as earthworms, and many other prey. The Great Horned is also a natural predator of prey two to three times heavier than itself, such as Porcupines and Skunks. Also, dare I say it - cats and small dogs! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Horned_Owl "The Great Horned Owl is the only animal that regularly eats skunks. It will take large prey, even other raptorial birds. It regularly kills and eats other owls, and is an important predator on nestling Ospreys." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_horned_owl/id