Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: cuddly

Another of the many cute farm cats we met while doing the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count on January 2nd, south of Calgary, around the Nanton area. I'm sure that the cats we saw on this day were cuter than cats we see elsewhere, ha. I've placed the image in just a very approximate location on my map, as I don't have an address for this location. Just in case anyone is wondering where on earth Nanton is : ) Our weather forecast - aren't we lucky? : ) I'm hoping it will be the light, fluffy kind of snow rather than the fine, powdery kind with no obvious individual snowflakes. I think I've only been out walking maybe three times in the last three weeks, which is not good. "An intense low is expected to pack a punch for Alberta residents beginning Friday afternoon. This will bring a significant change to weather conditions this weekend. Substantial snowfall accumulations are in the forecast, with most areas seeing anywhere from 10 to 15 centimeters. Higher amounts are expected outside of Edmonton and along the Alberta, Saskatchewan border. Watches and warnings have been implemented across several communities. “The storm will pick up intensity starting Friday afternoon, this will include heavy amounts of snow and gusty winds,” explains Brian Dillon, a meteorologist here at The Weather Network. According to Environment Canada, northwesterly winds will be particularly strong with gusts potentially reaching 60 km/h." www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&s... Stay warm, everyone, and drive safely - if you really have to go out. And now it's back to urgent e-mails and thinking about what I want to write, to be read out at my brother's funeral.

These hilarious animals are so funny to watch. When one moves or turns, the whole pack (herd?) does exactly the same. These were seen at Janel Butler's place on May 16th, when we spent the whole day botanizing the family's land.

Just one of the very cute farm cats that we came across when four of us were driving the backroads for the Nanton Christmas Bird Count on January 2nd. We were given the south west quadrant of the Count circle around Nanton (south of Calgary) - such a beautiful area of rolling hills and distant mountain peaks.

Well, you can't say I never have a bit of variety on my photostream (in between all the butterflies, flowers and water droplets, LOL). When we were at Janel Butler's farm two days ago, to botanize their beautiful acreage, we got to see a whole herd (?) of these strange and woolly Alpacas. I find them so amusing to watch - when one moves, they all move in the same direction. They seem to be curious and, oh, the wonderful faces and expressions, especially with their huge front teeth. What a great day we had. All the fresh air, heat and bright sunlight that I've been exposed to recently have just knocked me out. Very bad when it comes to driving. "Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance. Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 m (11,500 ft) to 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea-level, throughout the year. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, alpacas were not bred to be beasts of burden but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, much as wool is. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks, coats and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 16 as classified in the United States.... Most alpacas do not like being grabbed. Some alpacas tolerate being stroked or petted anywhere on their bodies, although many do not like their feet, lower legs, and especially their abdomen touched or handled." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca

I'm just not finding much "stuff" to photograph these days, so will post a different photo I took back in November of this beautiful Red Panda at the Calgary Zoo. These animals are so hard to photograph, as they are constantly on the move in their enclosure, 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 again to see the two Koala Bears that recently arrived at the Calgary Zoo. Both animals are usually sitting in "trees" right at the back of the enclosures, fast asleep with their backs towards the visitors - of course, ha, ha. However, I was lucky that one of them (4 years old) was closer and partly facing outwards. Still fast asleep though : ) The two male Koalas - Mundooie and Budaru - will stay at the Zoo's Australia exhibit until just after the Labour Day weekend. The pair are on loan from the San Diego Zoo, which has more than 20 Koalas. Koalas sleep for 18-20 hours a day, basically waking only to feed : ) As Koalas are solitary animals, each has his own separate enclosure. Under the Koala loan program, our Zoo pays a monthly fee to the San Diego Zoo, which it sends on to a conservation organization in Australia. Sounds good to me. (Uncropped). www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/iphone/news/calgary/story.h...