Tired Mom

Didn't have time to add a description to my three photos this morning, as I had to meet a group of friends at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary early this morning. After walking all morning, I think the highlight was seeing several Mountain Bluebirds down on the pebbles at the edge of the Bow River. Usually, you have to go out of the city to see these birds, but occasionally they do come within city limits. We also saw a Harlan's Hawk, flying high in the sky, plus some of the "usual suspects" such as Chickadees and Nuthatches. The sun was out today and it felt SO good. We've all been waiting for this to happen.

The Calgary Zoo is only a few minutes' drive away from the Bird Sanctuary, so I always try and call in afterwards, even though I was there just a week ago. The Boston Marathon tragedy (along with the ongoing Jodi Arias death penalty trial down in the US), makes for difficult TV watching, so a break for sunshine and fresh air was good. How I feel for all those people facing such an unimaginably horrific time.

This photo was taken a week ago, on 9 April 2013. Mom and her three cubs were in the small area away from the main, open enclosure, so it's somewhat easier to get a closer photo. I couldn't believe how huge the cubs are now - not all that far off from full size, really, but still very playful. When I was there just after lunch today, they were all out in the snow in the main enclosure.

"Siberian (or Amur) tigers are the world's largest cats. They live primarily in eastern Russia's birch forests, though some exist in China and North Korea. There are an estimated 400 to 500 Siberian tigers living in the wild, and recent studies suggest that these numbers are stable. Though their northern climate is far harsher than those of other tigers, these animals have some advantages. Northern forests offer the lowest human density of any tiger habitat, and the most complete ecosystem. The vast woodlands also allow tigers far more room to roam, as Russia's timber industry is currently less extensive than that of many other countries."

animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/siberian-t...