Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014September29

The world’s largest monkey, mandrills in the wild are found in the rainforests of equatorial Africa in countries such as Guinea, Nigeria and Cameroon. Known for the vivid red, blue and yellow markings on the muzzle and rump, mandrills also have long canine teeth that make a memorable impression. The monkeys are largely ground-dwelling omnivores that forage on grubs, eggs, fruit, leaves and reptiles, but they will climb trees for fun or for a safe place to sleep. Mature males can weigh up to 50 kg. and live up to about 25 years of age. Their colours also get brighter as they mature. The world’s largest monkey, mandrills in the wild are found in the rainforests of equatorial Africa in countries such as Guinea, Nigeria and Cameroon. Known for the vivid red, blue and yellow markings on the muzzle and rump, mandrills also have long canine teeth that make a memorable impression. The monkeys are largely ground-dwelling omnivores that forage on grubs, eggs, fruit, leaves and reptiles, but they will climb trees for fun or for a safe place to sleep. Mature males can weigh up to 50 kg. and live up to about 25 years of age. Their colours also get brighter as they mature. Males can appear aggressive when they flash their canines at one another, but that is really a sign of friendly communication common in their complex social hierarchies, said Celli. In fact, despite their striking looks, mandrills tend to be quite shy. Because the group at the zoo is all male, you won’t see any displays of bravado that signal mating behaviour, but you will see the younger males following the lead of their dominant oldest brother, Yusufu. Zoo curator, Dr. Malu Celli, said the adolescent younger brothers will copy his mannerisms and even his walk. The trio were born in captivity in the Granby Zoo in Granby, Q.C. and were part of a family group there that had too many males. Celli said it is not unusual to find bachelor groups of mandrills in the wild, or males that hang out on the peripheries of a “super group.” From article in the Calgary Herald on 16 May 2014. www.calgaryherald.com/technology/things+know+about+colour... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrill

Finally got to the Calgary Zoo yesterday afternoon, 28 September 2014, the first time since before the Alberta Flood of the Century in June 2013. I seem to have been photographing wild things over the summer and just never made it as far as the Zoo. This beautiful Hibiscus flower was growing in the Enmax Conservatory. There were so many people everywhere. Normally, I wouldn’t go on a Sunday, but I thought it might be a good idea to drive Deerfoot Trail on my way home on a slightly quieter day. I usually avoid Deerfoot at all cost, as it’s a dangerous road to be on. "Hibiscus (/hɨˈbɪskəs/[2] or /haɪˈbɪskəs/[3]) is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species are often noted for their showy flowers and are commonly known simply as hibiscus, or less widely known as rose mallow. The tea made of hibiscus flowers is known by many names in many countries around the world and is served both hot and cold. The beverage is well known for its color, tanginess and flavor." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus

This is one of the two river Hippos at the Calgary Zoo, photographed yesterday, 28 September 2014 . The other one was swimming nearby in their pool. Sparky, the female, was born on May 30, 1987 in Toronto and arrived in Calgary on September 22, 1988. The Zoo's male hippo, Lobi, was born on October 31, 2006 at the Granby Zoo in Quebec. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Zoo

The little guy/gal in this photo was the cutest thing. It's a young Yellow-bellied Marmot that was peering out of a hole by some metal pipes. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, had been watching these animals for some time, through the car windows. Eventually, we got out and took a slow walk down the road and back. Almost back at the car, I noticed that this youngster was still half way out and when I approached a little way, very slowly, he was quite curious and stayed right where he was. Young Marmots are born in May and we saw this one on 28 August 2014. The Yellow-bellied Marmot is classified as Secure in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report. "Yellow-bellied marmots usually weigh from 1.6 to 5.2 kilograms (3.5 to 11.5 lb) when fully grown, though males typically weigh more than females. Adult males typically weigh between 3 to 5 kilograms (6.6 to 11.0 lb); females typically weigh between 1.6 to 4 kilograms (3.5 to 8.8 lb). They get fatter in the autumn just before hibernating. Their territory is about 4 to 7 acres (2 to 3 ha) around a number of summer burrows. Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, coyotes, dogs and eagles. Yellow-bellied marmots spend about 80% of their life in their burrow, 60% of which is spent hibernating. They often spend mid-day and night in a burrow as well. These burrows are usually constructed on a slope, such as a hill, mountain, or cliff. The hibernation burrows can be up to 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 ft) deep, but the burrows constructed for daily use are usually only 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. Their hibernation period varies on elevation, but it is typically from September to May. Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal. The marmot is also an omnivore, eating grass, grains, leaves, flowers, legumes, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with these friends, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the town of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Oh, and we got caught in a storm like nothing we'd ever seen before - a mesocyclone, apparently.

With a weather forecast of rain then mixed precipitation for a few days (8-10 September 2014), there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to straight away. The first one was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. I had been there recently, and only found a couple of things. My visit on 6 September was slightly more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi, and maybe five or six mushrooms including the ones in this photo. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch a rare adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a MInk that a friend had told me about (thanks, Phil!). Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them (see a photo uploaded today). One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front feet that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of very quick shots.