Current at 11/6/2011 (Online waypoint URL) You have already found this cache! Master Index    Nearest Caches Whoo's Next by Flotsom and Jetsom (2/1.5) (Archived) N49° 52.440  W97° 14.215 (WGS84) UTM  14U   E 626682  N 5526112 Use waypoint: GC1B8TW Size: Small    Hidden on 4/15/2008 In Manitoba, Canada Difficulty:     Terrain:                       This cache is one of a series placed in collaboration with the Zoological Society of Manitoba as a part of the Endangered Species Cache Game. The Cache is in the Assiniboine Park Zoo. There is a nominal entrance fee. You can download the game sheet at www.mbgeocaching.ca or obtain one from the Zoo Shop NOTE: You do not have to cross any barriers to easily find this cache Whoo’s Next The great northern wilderness of the world is refuge for many animals. While some are coping with the pressures exerted on their domain, others are embattled in the struggle to remain viable and even, for some, to exist. Burrowing Owls live on grasslands, prairie and desert habitats from Canada to Argentina. Prairie populations migrate to the southwestern United States and Mexico for the winter. Their diet may consist of insects, birds, mice, reptiles and frogs. Formerly numbering over 10,000 pairs in Canada’s grasslands, this species has been declining in its northern range since the 1930s. It is now critically endangered and less than a dozen survive in Manitoba. When disturbed at the burrow entrance, these owls fly a few metres away and then bob their head up and down in threat. Most hunting is done after dark but it may be active day or night. This tiny owl nests in underground burrow left over from ground squirrels or badgers. The burrow is important for protection from predators, social contacts, attracting food and temperature control. Dramatic declines in many populations continue despite conservation measure, due mainly to habitat degradation, predators, vehicle strikes, inclement weather, pesticides in their food, lack of burrows and shooting. Many zoo-bred owls have been released but few return during spring migration. Secure as long as wilderness is left undisturbed, the northern coniferous/mixed forest and swamp of North America and Eurasia is the home of the Great Grey Owl . Mice, shrews, squirrels, hares, grouse are its food. The great grey owl is distinguished by its rounded, earless head, large facial disks, and mottled grey-brown plumage and was designated Manitoba’s Provincial Bird in 1987. With a 1.5-metre wingspan and 1.2 kg weight, it is second in size only to the snowy owl. Its 6-cm-thick plumage insulates the bird from intense winter cold. Active during low-light periods of the day as well as at night, this owl perches on a favourite treetop or post and watches and listens for prey – even to a depth of 45 cm of snow. Great grey owls in zoos have survived for over 40 years but seldom live over 20 years in the wild.

Additional Hints (There are no hints for this cache)

2/1/2009 by Kabuthunk
Ahh... at long last, the alignment of the planets has coincided with eachother in just the right... alignment... to allow the finding of these Zoo caches! And by 'alignment of planets', I mean "warm enough out on the weekend, and I have spare time" . I've been eyeing these guys preeeetty much since they came out. I was severely contemplating getting them way back during "Boo at the Zoo", but ended up having other obligations. And so here it is, the middle of winter, and THAT'S when I choose to go after them. Yay, I smart!

But in actuality, it was pretty decent out for the first 4/5ths of my adventure at the Zoo. The Weather Network online indicated it was a measly -6 degrees out, with a measlier 5km/h wind. Looking at it now after I got home, it's dropped to -12 with km/h winds (making for 'feels like -24). Definitely glad I went after this earlier in the day . Not that I could have delayed it much... apparently the Zoo closes at 4:00 pm. Given I like to sleep in, I had to act fast if I was going to tackle the Zoo caches today.

After slowly waking up, I eventually got out of my apartment at just after noon, arriving at the Zoo at about 12:30pm. Warm, sunny, virtually no breeze... truly, today was almost MADE for going to the Zoo, if you were so inclined to do so in winter. Still, the parking lot had only about 15 cars in it... which was still more than previous weekends I drove by when it was colder.

This cache was the first one I went after. I figured I'd 'start at the top and circle around'. Well, that sorta worked, but I think it ended up being a bit of a figure-8 . Thankfully, I ran across very few people during my hike. I may have passed all of 4 people (two sets of two) getting to this cache. Sadly, none of the bears were out, and very few other animals were out in this area.

But one was. Ohhhh, yes, one was DEFINITELY out, and made sure to make me aware of the fact. The Rooks near the cache made me fully aware that they were watching me... and attempted to alert anyone in a 5km radius. I had a voice recorder with me to make mental notes of the caches I visited. The transcript for this one is as follows:

Number one, Whoo's Next.
*cawww*
The Rooks beside here, holy god damn can you POSSIBLY be any louder and give away my doing anything in the near vicinity. They look like giant crows. N' they're loud. N' obnoxious.
*CAAAAWWWW* *CAAAAWWWWWW*
Yeah, yeah, I heard that.

Ahh, if only the site would let me upload audio files. It may be on my website for a bit under the file 'words.mp3', but by the time anyone reads this it'll likely be changed, since that's usually changes every week.

That aside, finding the cache itself was fairly easy. Once I got to the area (and ignored the obnoxiously loud Rooks... who for the record did NOT move in only straight lines... pfft, some Rook), I quickly located, opened, and signed the cache logbook . Very well hidden, I gotta say. For those who aren't geocachers, I can definitely see that blending in perfectly, looking completely natural and 'supposed-to-be-there'. Good job .

So after replacing the cache (and recording the above transcripted... recording), I quickly hiked on to the next area. Lots of caches, and only 3.5 hours max to do them in before the place closes!

Took: Nothing
Left: Logbook entry, chainmail ball, and dirty look at the Rooks.