Monday, 26 February 2024: our temperature at noon is -16°C (feels like -27°C). Sunrise was at 7:28 am and sunset will be at at 6:10 pm. Overcast. We were supposed to get snow last night, but none fell, at least in my area. It was quite windy for a while, though. The forecast is for snow on four days this week, plus a little bit this afternoon.

I was determined to get out for a drive on 22 February 2024. It had been three weeks since my last drive, having spent so much of my time dealing with sorting out a hacked credit card and then waiting about nine days without a TV (died suddenly after about 15 years of good service) and waiting for a new one to be delivered and set up. All seems to be OK now, thank goodness, and it feels great. I do still need to have someone come and see exactly why I have no audio on my computer (for the last few months). It suddenly stopped after I installed Norton's Driver Updater - has happened to other people as well. I uninstalled it, but still no audio.

The weather on this drive was rather overcast, as you can guess by the distant background, so the light was a challenge, but easier on the eyes than harsh sun glare. The first sighting, once I had reached the start of the SE area, was a herd of Elk. Distant, and I did stop and zoom in to check if they were cattle or deer. A nice surprise when I saw that they were Elk, as I haven't seen Elk for ages. I didn't count how many males there were, but perhaps three or so.

Not much to see the rest of the drive, but it felt so relaxing. I love seeing the striped patterns of snow and stubble in some of the fields in winter time. There were quite a few Horned Larks, but they are so fast and not easy to photograph. Eventually, one did land on some ice along a roadside, giving me just three rapid shots.

This time, I drove one different road that I don't think I have ever driven before. No birds to be seen, but I was happy with one farmyard scene.

Tags:   Alberta Canada SE of Calgary nature wildlife video animal wild wild animal group about 28 animals herd Elk Cervus canadensis male female farmland field partially snow-covered ground outdoor 22 February 2024 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2024 © All Rights Reserved

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I was determined to get out for a drive on 22 February 2024. It had been three weeks since my last drive, having spent so much of my time dealing with sorting out a hacked credit card and then waiting about nine days without a TV (died suddenly after about 15 years of good service) and waiting for a new one to be delivered and set up. All seems to be OK now, thank goodness, and it feels great. I do still need to have someone come and see exactly why I have no audio on my computer (for the last few months). It suddenly stopped after I installed Norton's Driver Updater - has happened to other people as well.

The weather on this drive was rather overcast, as you can guess by the distant background, so the light was a challenge, but easier on the eyes than harsh sun glare. The first sighting, once I had reached the start of the SE area, was a herd of Elk. Distant, and I did stop and zoom in to check if they were cattle or deer. A nice surprise when I saw that they were Elk, as I haven't seen Elk for ages. I didn't count how many males there were, but perhaps three or so. Will post a bit of video in the next day or two.

Not much to see the rest of the drive, but it felt so relaxing. I love seeing the striped patterns in some of the fields in winter time. There were quite a few Horned Larks, but they are so fast and not easy to photograph. Eventually, one did land on some ice along a roadside, giving me just the one shot.

This time, I drove one different road that I don't think I have ever driven before. No birds to be seen, but I was happy with one farmyard scene.

Tags:   Alberta Canada SE of Calgary nature wildlife video animal wild wild animal group herd Elk Cervus canadensis male female feeding field partially snow-covered ground outdoor 22 February 2024 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2024 © All Rights Reserved farmland MVI_8565

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Continuing to post photos from my archives until I finally manage to get out for a drive. The last time I was able to go anywhere was 19 October 2023. Our weather has been mixed recently, cold with overcast days and others with some sunshine. Our snow has been melting nicely.

If I wrote a description under any previously-posted photos that were taken on the same outings as these 'new' photos posted today, I will add it under today's photos.

"This video was taken at Penguin Plunge at the Calgary Zoo, on 6 December 2012.

The Calgary Zoo has four species of Penguin - Gentoo, King, Humboldt, and Rockhopper. They are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums penguin species survival plan.

At the time this photo was taken, on 6 December 2012, there were 46 penguins, which had recently come from zoos in Quebec, Texas, New York and Washington states and Scotland. There were 8 King Penguins, 23 Gentoo Penguins, 10 Humboldt Penguins and 5 Rockhopper Penguins, though I know numbers have changed slightly since then. The IUCN Red List states:

"King Penguins - Least Concern
Humboldt Penguins - Vulnerable
Gentoo Penguins - Near Threatened
Rockhopper Penguins - Vulnerable

The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin at about 11 to 16 kg (24 to 35 lb), second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p. halli; patagonicus is found in the South Atlantic and halli elsewhere.

King Penguins eat small fish, mainly lanternfish, and squid and rely less than most Southern Ocean predators on krill and other crustaceans. On foraging trips they repeatedly dive to over 100 metres (330 ft), often over 200 metres (660 ft).

King Penguins breed on the subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, and other temperate islands of the region. The total population is estimated to be 2.23 million pairs and is increasing."

storage.canoe.ca/v1/suns-prod-images/file/1297237247336_C...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Penguin

Link to article about fossilised giant penguin bones which lived 27-24 million years ago:
www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1138465--giant-penguin...

This photo is in the following SETS:

CALGARY ZOO
www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/sets/72157632014191699/

PENGUINS
www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/sets/72157629409029165/

Tags:   Calgary Alberta Canada Calgary Zoo Penguin Plunge video nature ornithology avian bird birds Penguin King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus several group zoo captive walking waddling snow outdoor 6 December 2012 annkelliott Anne Elliott

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Yesterday's drive, on 5 July 2023, was hot, hazy, dusty and so very tiring, but still great. I ended up leaving home a couple of hours later than I had planned, which usually does happen when I go off for a drive on my own. Such a bad habit, ha.

Driving south on the main highway, then east and then continuing south, was all highway driving. Only one long stretch was on gravel and, especially after recently having to take my car in to have all the rocks and gravel that I had ended up collecting removed, I absolutely crawled along this back road at snail's pace. Took me many times longer than it should have taken, but also I kept stopping to take photos. Haze, heat distortion and taking almost all my photos from inside my car, resulted in photos that mostly left something to be desired. However, they form a record of where I went and what I saw.

I found it interesting that, despite reading an article about the devastation of canola fields this year, there were fields of yellow everywhere. Each year, I love this short, golden time.

This is one of my favourite drives, though long, seeing various birds including Great Horned Owls and Hawks - and I think a Merlin falcon - quite a few Western Meadowlarks, which I always love to see, lots of Horned Larks, and an occasional Vesper Sparrow. A few mosquitoes, too, that flew into my car, and quite a few grasshoppers that thought it would be fun to join me inside my vehicle. Not my favourite company.

A few old barns are always welcome, even though I had seen all of them before. I long to see some 'new' old ones!

Tags:   Alberta Canada SE of Calgary video nature willdlife avian ornithology bird Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris adult perched fence post singing field canola outdoor summer 5 July 2023 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 Powershot annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2023 © All Rights Reserved

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Another four random images from my archives, plus one more Bald Eagle photo taken on my last drive, on 13 June 2023. I am adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photos taken on the same day.

The Calgary Zoo has four species of Penguin - Gentoo, King, Humboldt, and Rockhopper. They are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums penguin species survival plan.

At the time this photo was taken, on 6 December 2012, there were 46 penguins, which had recently come from zoos in Quebec, Texas, New York and Washington states and Scotland. There were 8 King Penguins, 23 Gentoo Penguins, 10 Humboldt Penguins and 5 Rockhopper Penguins, though I know numbers have changed since then. The IUCN Red List states:

"King Penguins - Least Concern
Humboldt Penguins - Vulnerable
Gentoo Penguins - Near Threatened
Rockhopper Penguins - Vulnerable

storage.canoe.ca/v1/suns-prod-images/file/1297237247336_C...

Current Impacts on the Gentoo population include climate variation, competition with fisheries, human disturbance, pollution.

Gentoos can hold their breath underwater for up to seven minutes. They usually search for food within 14 kilometres of home, but may travel up to twice that distance in a day.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentoo_Penguin

Does anyone else know the PINGU series of animated short videos? It used to be one of my favourite TV shows. This is a link to just one of the many, many episodes.

youtu.be/B7yquJVybMc

Tags:   Calgary Alberta Canada Calgary Zoo Penguin Plunge video nature ornithology avian bird birds Penguin Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua several group zoo captive snow outdoor 6 December 2012 annkelliott Anne Elliott

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