Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: in captivity

This little (actually, not so little!) ball of fluff was 45 days old when I photographed it on 20 July 2014. Lol, a face that perhaps only a mother could love? I have added a previously posted close-up photo of the owl's face in a comment box below. We don't have Barn Owls in the wild in Alberta, but this was seen at an exhibit. That day, I plucked up courage to do a drive that I’d never done before. I had been that route once before that I can think of, when I carpooled with others. A good part of the drive was in familiar territory, but I’d never driven the last part of the journey myself. I had met my youngest daughter at 9:00 a.m. and we were both eager to see a display of birds of prey that had been brought up from the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre. This year, there were fewer birds, but it was great to see any at all. There was a Burrowing Owl, a Barn Owl, a Great Horned Owl, and a Golden Eagle. Another real treat that was an amusing one, was seeing this baby Barn Owl that was just 45 days old! This little ball of fluff was acting as a great ambassador, letting young kids get a close view and ask questions, and fall in love with it – and to hopefully, in the future, do everything they can as adults to protect our precious wildlife. The enjoyment of seeing these birds up close reminds one that the reason these birds are not free to live in the wild, is because of some kind of interaction with humans – such as permanent injuries from being hit by a vehicle, pesticide use, or even worse, being shot by a human! This is what happened to “Spirit”, the magnificent Golden Eagle, shot and blinded by someone. This exhibit was our first destination in the park, though on the drive from Calgary, we had stopped at the small McDougall Church at Morley (photos posted the last two days). After seeing and photographing the birds of prey, we then drove to Middle Lake that’s in a different part of the park. We walked the very short distance to the edge of the lake, but didn't walk around it. From there, we drove to Many Springs Trail and did a very slow walk around the lake, stopping to look at different wildflowers and photograph a few butterflies. Certain wildflowers were already finished, including various Orchid species, but there were still plenty of other species to see and enjoy. Even the weather cooperated, though the forecast had been for isolated showers. Not too hot, nice clouds in the sky and lovely to have my daughter’s company for the day. Thanks so much to the people down at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (near Lethbridge, down towards the Canada/US border) for bringing your gorgeous birds of prey for us to see! I have been south to the Centre three times I think, and always long to go back again, but it's not somewhere I can drive to, so this was a much-appreciated treat! Posting really late again today - early afternoon.

One of the two beautiful Snow Leopards at the Calgary Zoo, taken on 3 November 2014, when I spent a few hours there with my youngest daughter. This rock ledge became a sleeping place for this tired animal. Sadly, the Status for Snow Leopards is Endangered. "Snow leopards live between 3,000 and 5,500 metres (9,800 and 18,000 ft) above sea level in the rocky mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. Their secretive nature means that their exact numbers are unknown, but it has been estimated that between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards exist in the wild and between 600 and 700 in zoos worldwide." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our weather took a turn for the worse yesterday evening, 8 November 2014. After a sunny day, freezing fog developed later evening, just when I had to drive home from part way across the city. It was the annual supper for a group I belong to and it was a very pleasant evening. Always good to catch up with friends. There is a warning that our roads are going to turn into “skating rinks” – never good news. Temperatures will plunge and this afternoon will be -6C with snow all day today and all day tomorrow (Monday). Temperature will be down to -14C on Tuesday, but at least the sun should be shining. I have to drive south of the city today and I’m not looking forward to it. It's -6C as I type at 6:00 am (windchill -12C) and it snowed overnight). I am so not ready for this!!

A photo from my archives, taken on 28 September 2012 at the Calgary Zoo. You can just manage to get a zoomed shot that can be sharp in the centre but somewhat blurred at either side, because you can't avoid the bars of the metal enclosure. There is a double fence, so you can't place your camera lens through the gaps. These Snow Leopards are such magnificent animals - absolutely love the colour of their eyes. It is an ENDANGERED species, so hopefully we don't lose them forever. (Took me three and a half hours to eventually get these three photos to upload this evening ... sigh).

Thought I'd bring out this Red Panda again as a change from owls and wildflowers, LOL. On this particular day, a family (of humans) was in with the Red Pandas, on a special visit. The animals were being given a treat that they love - grapes : )

I heard that question from almost every person who spotted this enormous Atlas Moth. It was hanging from a plant that was growing in the small pond in the butterfly room at the Calgary Zoo when I went there on 6 October 2012. Unfortunately, it was surrounded by these fine leaves, so I couldn't get a good photo of it from any angle. I always find the snake-like wing tips fascinating. "Atlas moths are considered the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 cm, 62 sq in). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, reaching over 25 cm (10 in). Females are appreciably larger and heavier." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

Much as I don't like seeing zoo "bars" in my photos, there is nothing I can do about it sometimes : ) This is one of the three beautiful, endangered Amur Tiger cubs, born March 30, 2012 at the Calgary Zoo. What a sad, sad day it would be if these majestic animals became extinct. Just occurred to me that this photo might give the impression that the cub is "depressed". Trust me, all three are such fun to watch because they are so active and playful and when Mum is there, too, they love to climb all over her, including when she is enjoying the small pool in that part of the enclosure.

The adult female (i.e. Mom) made her way into the tiny pool in this separated area that is used when certain of the Amur Tigers at the Calgary Zoo have to be kept away from the other adult Tigers. Her three cubs, born March 30, 2012, joined her instantly and had great fun climbing over her back and playing with her tail - they love it in there! Photographed though a very dirty window with reflections of all the people watching in front of me and behind me, but a little darkening made it fit to post : ) Taken on 21 August 2012.

I finally made it to the Calgary Zoo yesterday afternoon - I desperately needed endless colourful and beautiful things to photograph, lol. Luckily, when I passed the endangered Amur Tiger area, the three baby Tigers came outside for a short while. This one was just emerging from the covered, closed area, where you can just make out the mother lying down inside. There were so many people standing there and there always seemed to be tall people wearing light-coloured clothing that created really bad reflections in the glass. I managed to touch up this photo sufficiently to post : ) Don't you just love those huge paws and that tongue sticking out? Kind of reminds me of my baby pictures - I had my tongue sticking out in so many of them, ha! 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 (seen in my image above), 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

This Wild Turkey might not be the most handsome of birds (especially that face), but he definitely has an amazing set of feathers. He and several others are free to roam the Calgary Zoo. Taken on 3rd February 2009. I have seen Wild Turkeys in the wild, way south of Calgary, but my photos were distant ones taken from a friend's car a few years ago.

This is Otis the Great Horned Owl, a great wildlife ambassador, who lives at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre (north west of Calgary, and west of Innisfail). He is unable to be released because of injuries, so devotes his life to educating people. Taken indoors, which is never a strong point for me and my camera : )

Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The netting is definitely not my favourite setting, but you take what you can get - it was this or nothing : ) Note that their wingspan is 10-12 inches! "Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 square cm or 65 square inches). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, from 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). Females are appreciably larger and heavier .... The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

The two Hippopotami (or Hippopotamuses - take your pick) at the Calgary Zoo were outside, enjoying the fresh air when I visited them with my oldest daughter a couple of days ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus

As you will no doubt guess, this close shot of a female Merlin was not taken in the wild, LOL! It was photographed at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, southern Alberta, on the second of two consecutive Saturdays this month. Had to take it through a chain link fence, which is partly why there are areas of the image that are pale. I do see Merlins in the wild, but had no idea that they looked quite like this. A beautiful bird of prey.

Sorry, Rebecca, this owl lives at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, just over a two-hour drive south from here (i.e towards the US border). I went there for the day with a friend in July 2007 and we had the most amazing time (despite a temperature of either 36C or 38C all day). This Centre takes injured birds of prey and releases those that eventually recover. The rest do such a great job of educating people about owls, hawks and eagles. We don't get Barn Owls in Alberta. I had the humbling opportunity to have both a Burrowing Owl and a Great Horned Owl separately on my arm : )

This photo taken at the Calgary Zoo made a change, as my photos of American White Pelicans are usually taken in the wild.