Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Specanimal

Ok, I'm not even going to try and ID this hawk! I was lucky to find it just a few feet away in the Owls' aviary at the Calgary Zoo a few days ago. I took SO many photos of it, though I knew that the light was beginning to fade. Well, I now have a lot of photos to delete, but managed to rescue this one and maybe a second one! Oh, for a camera that is good in low light - sigh! Possibly a Rough-legged Hawk.

This stunning Superb Starling (from Africa) came to check me out in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo this afternoon. They really are beautiful birds and I was happy that this one actually sat still long enough for me to take a few shots. I just love those irridescent turquoise feathers and white eye-ring!

I spent a wonderful day today with a friend who had asked if I'd like to go to the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, southern Alberta. It was just over a two-hour drive there and the temperature down south was 37C (roughly 106F)! This Centre is "Canada’s largest birds of prey facility. Situated on a 70-acre wetland area site, the centre is a celebration of nature featuring the hawks, falcons, eagles and owls of Alberta. Throughout the site and along the pathways, a number of birds of prey are sitting on their perches only feet away from visitors. These birds are all in various stages of training and receive lots of exercise in the daily flying programs. At the centre, they have one of North America's largest captive breeding populations for the endangered Burrowing Owl." This beautiful Bald Eagle was quite a few feet away from us, but I zoomed in as much as I could. What majestic birds they are! I had dreamed of being able to take reasonably close photos of one of these birds for a long time and today was THE day! We often see Bald Eagles flying wild in Calgary, but I had never seen one this close before. If you view it in large size, you can see the feather details much better.

These Demoiselle Cranes at the Calgary Zoo are so hard to photograph, as they are moving constantly. I didn't manage to get the face in complete focus, but I love the feathers in the "hair-do"! "The Demoiselle Crane, Anthropoides virgo is a species of crane. It breeds in central Asia, with a few found in Cyprus and eastern Turkey, even far as western and Northern Pakistan and migrates to Africa and South Asia in winter. The Demoiselle is 85-100 cm long with a 155-180 cm wingspan. It is therefore slightly smaller than the Common Crane, with similar plumage. However it has a long white neck stripe and the black on the foreneck extends down over the chest in a plume. It has a loud trumpeting call, higher-pitched than the Common Crane. Like other cranes it has a dancing display, more balletic than the Common Crane, with less leaping. During the breeding season, marshy areas are preferred living spaces, while the cranes are more commonly found in dry grasslands throughout the winter. The birds usually nest no more than 500 m away from a main source of water. Damp marshes, steppe habitats, and meadows are all other areas in which the Demoiselle Crane could be spotted in. The range in height goes from sea level to over 3,000 metres. Demoiselle cranes have to take one of the toughest migrations in the world. In late August through September, they gather in flocks of up to 400 individuals and prepare for their flight to their winter range. During their migratory flight south, Demoiselles fly like all cranes, with their head and neck straight forward and their feet and legs straight behind, reaching altitudes of 16,000-26,000 feet (4,875-7,925 m). Along their arduous journey they have to cross the Himalayan mountains to get to their over wintering grounds in India, many die from fatigue, hunger and predation from birds such as eagles. At their wintering grounds, Demoiselles have been observed flocking with Common Cranes, their combined totals reaching up to 20,000 individuals. Demoiselles maintain separate social groups within the larger flock. In March and April, they begin their long spring journey back to their northern nesting grounds. In Khichan in India, villagers feed the Cranes on their migration and these large congregations have become an annual spectacle. The Demoiselle Crane is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies." From Wikipedia website.

I spent about an hour or an hour and a half yesterday just watching this family of Ground Squirrels. There was no sign of my Great Horned Owl family in their grove of trees - more roadworks going on just a few feet away from their trees, which may have had some effect. So, my camera turned to these furry little creatures. This one was in the middle of making its tiny screeching sound and I found its expression rather amusing! Actually, I burst out laughing when I saw the photo on my computer!!!

I came across these four very young Gophers (Richardson's Groundsquirrels) on my walk to see "my " baby Great Horned Owl this afternoon. I was able to get quite close - these innocent little things simply froze. I guess they have a lot to learn, as their parents disappear down into the burrow like a shot. When I was back home, a friend phoned to say that if I wanted to get some really good shots, I should go where he had just been - a picnic area in another part of the park. He said he had seen young Gophers who froze and in fact he was able to gently reach out and stroke one of them. I said that I had just been taking photos of other little ones. The way nature works, though, is that these cute little animals will perhaps provide "my" Great Horned Owls with a few meals!

When I went over yesterday to check on "my" baby Great Horned Owl, it was sitting on a fairly low branch on the outer edge of the grove of trees. It was napping, but briefly awakening quite often. The mother was in the same tree but a few branches higher. The father was about two trees away. Eventually, the young one flew to a different tree, where it spent quite a lot of time with its head pointed skywards, presumably watching the various birds that were nearby. This included a female Wood Duck that flew in and perched on an extremely high branch a few trees away. I managed to slowly make my way closer and closer, half expecting one of the adults to move, but they seemed to be pretty relaxed, often having their eyes closed. I got to within perhaps 10' or 12' of the young one, took a few more photos and then decided that it was more than time I left them in peace. I tried not to look down at the ground any more than necessary, as in amongst the grass and plants, I had already seen bloody remains of what could have been a rabbit or a Groundsquirrel. In fact, it was beginning to make me feel very uncomfortable, wondering what I might come across next! Quite a magical experience, though. Have to keep reminding myself that "the Great Horned Owl, our provincial bird, is among the most formidable of Alberta's raptors." (Birds of Alberta" book.)

I usually see or hear squirrels on my walks even if everything else seems to be in hiding! I liked his pose, though the photo itself is noisy and not sharp.

I believe this is one of two bear cubs that were orphaned last year and brought to the Calgary Zoo. They were in such a playful mood and I caught this one doing somersaults and rolling in the snow. Cute? Just take a look at those CLAWS!

My usual little White-breasted Nuthatch (male). Happy Feathery Friday, everyone!

For some strange reason, the Chickadees were easier to photograph this afternoon. A female White-tailed Deer and her two young ones were hanging around nearby, feeding amongst the bushes. Happy Feathery Friday, everyone! The highest this photo got in Explore was #29 on 14th January 2007.

This was my very first bird photo, when I was new to "birding". In fact, I had no idea what kind of bird it was until I got home and did a little research. This photo, taken almost two and a half years ago, got me totally "hooked" on nature photography. These small birds will fly to your hand to feed, though hand-feeding is rather frowned upon.

This photo of the female Snowy Owl and one of her three babies was taken at the Calgary Zoo. I was surprised to see how dark the young ones are.