Enough wind to ruffle the pretty feathers of this male American Kestrel. Seen at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, southern Alberta. I only ever see these birds perched at a great distance in the wild, so I enjoyed seeing them up close on this visit, to see what they really look like. Very attractive, small birds of prey.

Tags:   Alberta Canada Coaldale Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre near Lethbridge nature ornithology avian bird birds fauna captive rehabilitation male feathers details one bird no people image digital square square format portrait close-up perched perching Panasonic DMC-FZ28 FZ28 Lumix P1070477 FZ28 annkelliott falcon bird of prey Birdshare beautiful_expression NaturesFinest SuperShot SpecAnimal Excellence AvianExcellence American Kestrel

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This Ostrich at the Calgary Zoo looks rather like s/he got up on the wrong side of the bed - though I guess, in reality, that is what Ostriches always look like, ha. Taken on 17 October 2009, and found while trying to save a few more of my old photos this week. I really need to make a lot more space on my hard drive before spring arrives and along with it, all the upcoming botanizing photos. This is getting done ridiculously slowly.

"The ostrich shares the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs, and can run at up to about 70 km/h (43 mph),[3] the fastest land speed of any bird.[4] The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest eggs of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the giant moa of New Zealand laid larger eggs).

The ostrich's diet consists mainly of plant matter, though it also eats invertebrates. It lives in nomadic groups of 5 to 50 birds. When threatened, the ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or run away. If cornered, it can attack with a kick of its powerful legs. Mating patterns differ by geographical region, but territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females.

The ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used as feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather products and its meat is marketed commercially." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich

Funny to even think about wildflowers and insects, as we are having a winter storm today, with heavy, blowing snow! Visibility is really bad, but the temperature is only -3C. Drive carefully if you HAVE to go out, everyone - me, I'm staying home : )

Tags:   Calgary Alberta Canada Calgary Zoo nature ornithology avian bird birds Ostrich Struthio camelus Struthioniformes Struthionidae Struthio flightless native to Africa nomadic head shot close-up bokeh captive zoo beauty in nature Panasonic DMC-FZ28 DMC-FZ28 FZ28 Lumix point-and-shoot P1290231 FZ28 annkelliott Anne Elliott Explore interestingness#495 explore2013March03 © Anne Elliott 2009 © All Rights Reserved

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I happened to come across this photo of a little Burrowing Owl that I hadn't posted, so thought I'd upload today. It was taken on 23rd May 2009 at the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, Southern Alberta. A delightful place to visit, and they do such a great job of rescuing and, whenever possible, releasing injured birds of prey. Those, whose injuries are too severe for them to be released back into the wild, remain at the Centre to educate children and adults. Such a thrill to see these birds up close.

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."

www.burrowingowl.com/

It rained a lot overnight and, so far, the day is overcast and lightless. Rain on and off today. I cancelled plans to go forest exploring ... sigh. Temperatures soared to a balmy 8C today and possible snow/frost are in the forecast for later this week. Oh, no : (

Tags:   Alberta Canada southern Alberta near Lethbridge Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre nature wildlife bird Owl Burrowing Owl bird of prey Athene cunicularia endangered front side view close-up square format Olympus C750UZ annkelliott © Anne Elliott 2009 © All Rights Reserved birdshare SuperEco

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This photo was taken on my last drive along Elbow Falls Trail as far as Forgetmenot Pond, before winter really set in and the gate across the road would be closed during the winter months. This was taken on 12th October, and I hadn't expected to find a snowy scene like this : )

Tags:   Alberta Canada southern Alberta Kananaskis Elbow Falls Trail Highway 66 Forgetmenot Pond nature scenery landscape mountains pond peaks snow-covered trees reflection winter color image winter scene winter wonderland majestic peaceful serene breathtaking Panasonic DMC-FZ28 FZ28 Lumix point-and-shoot P1280917 FZ28 annkelliott beautiful_expression Feels Good beauty beautiful NaturesFinest LeapFrog's Hats

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Hope that all of you who celebrate Christmas are enjoying all your preparations. Less than two weeks now, so you'd better get busy : ) On a long, cold morning's walk in the park yesterday, we came across a tree that had been decorated with coloured baubles and ornaments. Loved the blue of this bauble and the reflection of the park - couldn't figure a way to exclude myself, LOL, so there I am, wearing T-shirt, sweater, fleece jacket, my bulky winter jacket, hat, hood, long-johns, jeans, two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks and of course, my winter boots (plus ice-grabbers)! And it was only -12C!!! It's snowing again today - the beautiful, light, fluffy kind where you can see all the individual snowflakes. Light is so poor, so no use to try and take photos. Thank you to the person who spent time adding a little colour to the white landscape: ) I hope the birds enjoy it as much as I did.

Tags:   Calgary Alberta Canada southern Alberta Fish Creek Park Votier's Flats nature park seasons winter snow Christmas bauble blue tree ornament decoration reflection me image photograph digital color image colorful pretty square square crop bokeh outdoors Panasonic DMC-FZ28 FZ28 Lumix point-and-shoot P1310823 FZ28 annkelliott beautiful_expression Feels Good Explore interestingness#2 explore2009December13 © Anne Elliott 2009 © All Rights Reserved Best of Winter

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