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1/400 f/6.3 82.8 mm ISO 100

Panasonic DMC-FZ18

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Keywords

nature
Explore
FZ18
Panasonic DMC-FZ18
annkelliott
Northern Hawk Owl
Surnia ulula
rare to uncommon
Water Valley area
North west of Calgary
P1460942 FZ18
Alberta
Lumix
Canada
birds
wildlife
bird
fauna
bird of prey
i500
owl
ornithology
interestingness#241
raptor
explore2009February1


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#1 on my Wish List

#1 on my Wish List
This was a far-away shot and therefore is very heavily cropped! However, I am SO thrilled to have finally seen a Northern Hawk Owl and, as an added bonus, to get a few photos of it. Nothing great or spectacular, but I'm still on cloud nine : ) We drove northwest of the city and spent the day driving around the back roads hoping to see a Great Gray Owl and maybe even a little Northern Hawk Owl. Not many birds of any kind to be seen but, right at the end, we found this little beauty. It was perched on a very distant tree in a farmer's field. A few of us plodded through snow near the fence line and managed to get some shots. (The snow had quite a thick crust on top, so every step or two, you broke through the crust and plunged into deep snow - roll on spring!). It was extremely windy and chilly - hard to hold the camera - which is why the owl is all puffed up. Then, suddenly, it flew and landed on a fence post by the road where the cars were parked, just 10' from the rest of our group! I would have been able to get the most amazing close-ups, sigh ... These owls are rare to uncommon year-round in Alberta, and they are one of the most sought-after birds in Alberta.

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