Calgary Zoo 4

On a fairly recent visit to the Calgary Zoo, on September 26th, I happened to notice some very pretty bokeh hiding behind one of the enormous leaves of a tropical plant in the ENMAX Conservatory : ) Later, in the evening ... is anyone else having a problem with Flickr being ridiculously slow? Whatever I click on takes forever to open. Think I will have to give up.

Wanted some fall colours for today and I don't have a pumpkin of any size to use, so here is a Rudbeckia (?) to wish all my Canadian friends a very Happy Thanksgiving weekend. Just a few more weeks now and it will be Christmas - and then we'll be a lot closer to spring once again : ) Ha.

A group of us had the privilege of being allowed to visit the Calgary Zoo Ranch, just south of the city, two days ago. It is not open to the public, but we have the chance to go once a year. This pair of majestic Elk were just two of several species that were there. Tremendous work is being done there to breed several very endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with interesting information. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. "The only remaining flock of wild Whooping Cranes, the wintering population in coastal Texas, reached a low of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42, and hovered between the low 20s and mid 30s over the next two decades. Efforts to locate the flock's breeding grounds intensified following World War II. Evidence of breeding was first reported in 1954, when several adults and pre-fledged juveniles were observed in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Researchers were able to locate the first nests the following year. The inaccessibility of the breeding grounds, protection of the wintering grounds, and extensive public education campaigns have contributed to the population's increase to its current level." www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/cranes/grusamer.htm www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/recv2009.html#Captive www.whoopingcrane.com/FLOCKSTATUS.HTM

A splash of colour from the gardens at the Calgary Zoo, for Fall and Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving today rather than yesterday. Taken on September 12th.

The Calgary Zoo has a ranch just south of the city and once a year we get the chance to visit. The ranch is a 320-acre captive breeding facility at DeWinton, and is not open to the public. It also serves as a Zoo quarantine and holding area for everything from elk to zebras. There is also a wonderful Whooping Crane breeding program. Many thanks again to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik, for showing us around for the afternoon on October 8th and filling us with interesting information. "The horses at the Calgary Zoo Ranch ain’t never been rode – and they ain’t never going to be. They’re Przewalski horses, the world’s only truly wild breed, and the Zoo’s mandate is to keep them wild. Also known as Asian horses, Mongolian Wild horses or Takhi, they were native to Asia and became extinct in the wild. Their captive breeding is now monitored under a worldwide Species Survival Plan, an international program that controls the breeding of most zoo animals today. All the estimated 1,500 Przewalskis today are descended from 13 ancestors captured in Mongolia during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, at least 60 Przewalski horses live on their own at Hustain Huruu, a Mongolian steppe area. Przewalskis are virtually untameable, suspicious and very difficult to manage compared to modern domesticated breeds." From article by Tyler Trafford in Canadian Country Cowboy magazine. www.canadiancowboy.ca/features/the_zoo_ranch.html

I wasn't able to get a single good photo of these guys when a few of us had the privilege of visiting the Calgary Zoo Ranch the other day. They were at the far side of their enclosure and there is only maybe a foot-wide view through the fencing (and too many photographers with long lenses, lol!) - the rest of the fence is covered so that the birds are not exposed to humans. Tremendous work is being done there to breed several very endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with interesting information. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. "The only remaining flock of wild Whooping Cranes, the wintering population in coastal Texas, reached a low of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42, and hovered between the low 20s and mid 30s over the next two decades. Efforts to locate the flock's breeding grounds intensified following World War II. Evidence of breeding was first reported in 1954, when several adults and pre-fledged juveniles were observed in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Researchers were able to locate the first nests the following year. The inaccessibility of the breeding grounds, protection of the wintering grounds, and extensive public education campaigns have contributed to the population's increase to its current level." www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/cranes/grusamer.htm www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/recv2009.html#Captive www.whoopingcrane.com/FLOCKSTATUS.HTM

One of the last few butterflies in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, before the tropical butterfly "season" comes to an end. Not the most beautiful or colourful of the tropical butterflies, but it did pose so nicely for me - for a split second : )

The rocks are horribly blown out, but this was such a pretty tree. Taken at the Calgary Zoo on October 10th.

Lol, I thought it was bad enough having to get my House Sparrow images at the Calgary Zoo. Now it seems I have to go there to get my fungi photos, too! On my way out of the Zoo on my last visit, I stopped to take a quick look at the elephants outside and you can imagine my amazement when I happened to notice these huge fungi! They were growing out of the end of what looked like a wide, wooden telephone pole that was lying flat on the ground in their enclosure. Had also just photographed a mushroom in the ENMAX Conservatory : ) Other than these, we now have to wait till next July/August to see another wild mushroom. However, there ARE other things in life, ha .... such as ice crystals.