Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#97

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 : )

This lovely green Rose was in a small bunch of mixed Roses (bought from my usual place, LOL). It stayed in reasonable shape long after all the others had withered and died, which is a good job, as it took me ages to get convenient time to take photos. Warning, everyone who lives in Calgary - I washed my car half an hour ago - now watch it rain or snow : )!

Yes, I survived the full-day hike yesterday, though my body isn't moving quite like it should today, LOL. The scenery was spectacular and the wildflowers just wonderful. Two of us were taken to this trail by a friend who had been there a handful of times before. Both guys have had a lifetime of walking and hiking - and then there was me, LOL. However, we were stopping constantly to search for plants, record them and photograph them, so it was not a brisk-walking hike, thank goodness, otherwise I wouldn't have gone. Lost count of the number of times I glanced at the mountain sides to check that there were no Grizzly Bears in sight, though one had been along our trail at one point, turning over large rocks to see what was underneath. Thanks, David, for sharing this special place with us, and thanks for your patience with a slower walker : ) I SURVIVED!! We walked along this valley, gradually climbing upwards until we reached Gunnery Pass (1874 m, 6150 ft) and then returned to the car via the next valley. This photo was taken from on the way up the ridge that was our high point, looking back along the valley from where we had come. Have to admit that I was very conscious of the fact that the further we went, the further we had for our return journey : )

This is one of the two Northern Hawk Owls that a friend and I saw on Monday, N of Cochrane (i.e. NW of Calgary). I happened to catch it having a good stretch, very high up in a tall tree. I did remove a thin branch that cut across the tail, as I just found it extremely distracting and annoying. Yes, I admit it, I altered an image, LOL! Then, as if the thrill of Monday wasn't enough, I was invited by another friend to go back to the very same area this afternoon!! The sky was as blue as can be (just like on Monday) and we found THREE of these owls in the area. Unbelievable! The icing on the cake was yet to come, as we soon found out. A few moments later, on our way out of the area, there was a female Moose in a wooded field. To these two friends who enabled me to get out of the city (where I won't drive for the most part) and see these incredible sights - thank you SO much!