Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2009March20

Another photo taken at the Calgary Zoo, on the day when this gorgeous Great Gray Owl skimmed my head twice and my jacket sleeve once! It was perched on a tree stump, maybe 8 or 9 feet from me and caught me totally off guard when it flew "at" me! I think it just wanted to get to the other side of the path, LOL. Such a beautifully marked bird of prey. With its head lowered slightly, you get a better view of the pattern created by all those tiny feathers.

I think I liked the bokeh more than the Red Panda (at the Calgary Zoo) in this shot : ). Well, maybe not, but I always cheer when I do manage to get a blurred background, LOL. "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. Their conservation status is Vulnerable" From Wikipedia.