Snow in the forecast - need colour
One of yesterday's treats
Winter wonderland with a bonus
Emerald Lake
Rough-legged Hawk
Wearing a heavy coat of hoar frost
'Superman, where are you now?'
Northern Pygmy-owl, one year ago
Snowy Owl - just close enough
Great Gray Owl with its catch
Got my eyes on you
Without its camouflage
Food for his babies
An over-the-shoulder glance
Purple Rain
One of my favourite birds to photograph
I think he caught a beautiful Tiger Moth : )
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
Upland Sandpiper
A favourite bird to photograph
The cutest little furball
A brief moment of rest
The colours of fall
Light-coloured Pika
It's that little guy (gal) again
Sweet little thing
Bees, bees, and more bees
Joy for a deep-freeze day
It's those white birds again
Skull on a fence post
Little country school with company
Hanging on
Made my day : )
Mom and her babies
I LOVE Canola
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
An old grain elevator with character
Friendly visitor
Finally, the search is over
Ready to trap an unwary insect
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Frosted Cattails
Great Gray Owl in early morning light
Cute as always
The whites and blues of winter
Wonder what she's thinking
Julia Heliconian / Dryas iulia
Eurasian Lynx
Pretty in pink
Thank you for the pose
Maskinonge Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
Blue and Brown Clipper / Parthenos sylvia
A view at Marsland Basin
Wood Nymph sp.
Emerald waters
European Skipper on Red Clover
White-tailed Deer at Akamina Lake, Waterton
Canoes at Cameron Lake, Waterton
Spread those wings
One of my favourites to photograph
Three days in Waterton Lakes National Park
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Bleeding hearts
Glorious splash of colour
Puffed up for warmth
Himalayan Blue Poppy
Brewer's Blackbird
Grebes with the red "button" eyes
Little more than black silhouettes
How sweet is this?
The finest of feathers
Eyes like Licorice Allsorts
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Northern Pygmy-owl with snack
Tiny predator with prey
Irresistibly cute
A ferocious hunter, popcan-size
Looking for its next meal
A place of peace and beauty
Walking in a winter wonderland
Free car wash, anyone?
Yes, it's the little white guy again
The Hoodoo Trail, near Drumheller
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Love his glassy eyes
Seedpod of the Sacred Lotus
Female Taveta Golden Weaver
A sign of autumn
White Black Bear
Perfect gills
The Hoodoo Trail
Taveta Golden Weaver
Imitation Maple Leaves
Standing tall
Is that an owl in the window?
From olden times
Badland sentinel
Common Sulphur in my car grill
Old Atlas Mine, near Drumheller
Old Catholic Church, Dorothy
Chipmunk with Foxtail
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274 visits
Follow the fence line
Four days ago, on 17 January 2016, I finally got out for a much-needed drive out of the city. It seems ages since I did this, but I had some time, the sun was making its way through the clouds, and I had plucked up the courage to go east from the city. Recently, I was out that way on a birding trip with a group and we had seen a total of 6 extremely distant Short-eared Owls (3 pairs) at different locations. So, I was really hoping that my courage would be rewarded by spotting at least one owl : )
Those of us who were out there saw 7 of these Short-eared Owls in this area, though as you might guess from this photo, all the birds were far away, a few just a llittle closer. The owl in my photo was way down this curving fence line, actually with two others who were perched on fence posts some distance apart. I did go back to the area the next day, knowing that if I did that drive again straight away, I would start getting a bit more comfortable doing it. That was my main reason for going again, though of course I was also hoping to see an owl (or two). None of the owls on 18 January came close either. My first visit was on a Sunday, so I knew there would be people out there who had found the owls. The next day's drive was a Monday, so I was expecting far fewer people, as it was a work day. Made no difference!
Just down the road, there were 4 other owls who were a little bit closer. None of these birds came to a close post during the time I was there. However, I can't believe that I was lucky enough to see three of them perched on a curved branch not much above the snow-covered ground (photo posted the other day). Not a clear view of them, though, and I had to find a small opening in the trees through which to take a few shots. How beautiful these owls are. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, which is exciting.
People who spend the day, or at least many hours, are far more likely to get the shots they want, but at the risk of stressing the birds. Unfortunately we are seeing, or hearing about, the same thing happening as happened a year ago with the tiny Northern Pygmy-owls in the city. It does make you ask yourself if they didn't come close because there are just too many cars and people. We even noticed footprints in the snow, showing that someone had climbed over the barbed-wire fence to get a closer shot. Unbelievable! I could almost guarantee that it was someone with a huge, long lens, who didn't even need to get closer! Just leaves me shaking my head. Please put the well-being of the owls (and any wildlife) before your obsession to try and get a closer shot than anyone else.
Standing in -15C (windchill -22C) weather is NOT fun, trust me! It was SO cold. Fortunately, people were standing right by their cars and could climb back in when the pain became too unbearable. Five minutes occasionally of running the engine was barely enough to keep me going, plus a handwarmer inside my right glove. My feet finally thawed out once I arrived back home. It was all worth it, though, just for the chance to see these beautiful owls.
When I left this area, I made a turn down a backroad, as i had noticed a red barn in the distance. Quite a nice old barn with a collapsing roof, with another barn next to it.
"A bird of open grasslands, the Short-eared Owl is one of the most widely distributed owls in the world. It is found across North America, South America, and Eurasia, and on many oceanic islands." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/id
Those of us who were out there saw 7 of these Short-eared Owls in this area, though as you might guess from this photo, all the birds were far away, a few just a llittle closer. The owl in my photo was way down this curving fence line, actually with two others who were perched on fence posts some distance apart. I did go back to the area the next day, knowing that if I did that drive again straight away, I would start getting a bit more comfortable doing it. That was my main reason for going again, though of course I was also hoping to see an owl (or two). None of the owls on 18 January came close either. My first visit was on a Sunday, so I knew there would be people out there who had found the owls. The next day's drive was a Monday, so I was expecting far fewer people, as it was a work day. Made no difference!
Just down the road, there were 4 other owls who were a little bit closer. None of these birds came to a close post during the time I was there. However, I can't believe that I was lucky enough to see three of them perched on a curved branch not much above the snow-covered ground (photo posted the other day). Not a clear view of them, though, and I had to find a small opening in the trees through which to take a few shots. How beautiful these owls are. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, which is exciting.
People who spend the day, or at least many hours, are far more likely to get the shots they want, but at the risk of stressing the birds. Unfortunately we are seeing, or hearing about, the same thing happening as happened a year ago with the tiny Northern Pygmy-owls in the city. It does make you ask yourself if they didn't come close because there are just too many cars and people. We even noticed footprints in the snow, showing that someone had climbed over the barbed-wire fence to get a closer shot. Unbelievable! I could almost guarantee that it was someone with a huge, long lens, who didn't even need to get closer! Just leaves me shaking my head. Please put the well-being of the owls (and any wildlife) before your obsession to try and get a closer shot than anyone else.
Standing in -15C (windchill -22C) weather is NOT fun, trust me! It was SO cold. Fortunately, people were standing right by their cars and could climb back in when the pain became too unbearable. Five minutes occasionally of running the engine was barely enough to keep me going, plus a handwarmer inside my right glove. My feet finally thawed out once I arrived back home. It was all worth it, though, just for the chance to see these beautiful owls.
When I left this area, I made a turn down a backroad, as i had noticed a red barn in the distance. Quite a nice old barn with a collapsing roof, with another barn next to it.
"A bird of open grasslands, the Short-eared Owl is one of the most widely distributed owls in the world. It is found across North America, South America, and Eurasia, and on many oceanic islands." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/id
Jan Klimczak has particularly liked this photo
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