Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: owlets

When I arrived at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale on 3 August 2017, these were the first birds I saw. They are two young Short-eared Owls. The sign by them said that they are two months old. Owls stagger their egg laying and hatching, so each owlet is a few days younger than the next. The owlet on the left looked much younger than the other one, and was fast asleep. This photo was taken as I was leaving the Centre and had to walk past them inside the Visitor's Centre. This summer, we have had practically no 'normal' summer days. They have been either far too hot thanks to our endless heatwave, or too smoky thanks to all the wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta. The weather forecast for six days ago looked good; sunshine all day, with rain forecast on several of the coming days. I decided to finally do a drive all the way down south to near Lethbridge, so that I could again visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. Last year, I did this drive for the very first time on my own and I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my courage to do it again. During the 511 kms that I drove, I had to ask for help with directions twice - both times in the same small hamlet! It was a hot day, with a temperature of 31C when I was at the Centre. The forecast was for sun all day, but there was no mention of the smoke haze that completely blocked out the mountains and pretty much the foothills, too. Very quickly, I was almost tempted to turn around and come home, but I had noticed rain in the forecast for some coming days. I reckoned I would still be able to photograph the fairly close birds at the Centre, which worked out fine. Amazingly, I managed to make myself get up early that morning, 3 August 2017, and set off just before 8:30 am. My intention was to drive straight to Coaldale without stopping anywhere en route. Not an easy thing for me to do, as I much prefer driving slowly along the backroads rather than the less interesting highways. However, I knew it would take me a few hours to get there and I wanted to have as much time as possible down there. On the way home, I drove one dusty, gravel road, but saw nothing but a couple of Horned Larks perched on fence posts. A couple of old barns (that I had seen before) and a few scenic shots, were more or less all I took. Twelve hours later, I finally arrived home, at 8:30 pm, totally tired out, and my car was just about out of gas. For the first time in the year that I have had this vehicle, the gas level warning light came on. Also, it surprises me that the oil change light has never come on, as I have done 8,500 km in just under 12 months. I was given free oil changes for the life of the car, but was told that I can't get them done until the light comes on, on the dashboard. Think I'd better contact the dealership and ask about this. Almost a year sounds far too long to not have an oil change. Later: after doing a bit of Googling, it seems that it is quite normal to have done this many km, or more, before the maintenance light comes on for getting a first oil change. My previous vehicle was 17 years old and things have obviously changed with newer cars!

This morning, 26 May 2017, I posted 9 odds and ends of recently taken photos, which I should have uploaded last night. Now I have just uploaded the three photos meant for today, hoping that they will show up as my main images - two owl photos and a Sharp-tailed Grouse photo. I think I have just a few more recent photos that I want for my albums and then, hopefully, I will be able to get back to a few more of my Trinidad shots. I keep forgetting to post a few photos from 23 April 2017, when I drove to a local park to take a quick look at the owlets in this Great Horned Owl family. This year, I have hardly seen any of the owl families here in the city - just too busy with other things. I was happy that the owlets were still in the nest a month ago, but haven't been to see these particular owlets since they branched (and fledged?). A few days ago, on 23 May 2017, I did see two owlets sitting on a very high branch with Mom just a few feet away. These owls were a different family, but living in the same park. Our weather seems to have settled down for today, thank goodness. We had a storm two days ago, on 24 May, which brought strong winds and heavy rain, even snow in some places. Seems to have been a fair amount of damage done.

Almost exactly ONE YEAR AGO, on 27 April 2014, I called in to see the family of Great Horned Owls in a local park and finally got to see the two owlets up on the rim of the nesting cavity. The last time I had seen them, just their heads were visible inside the nest. Various friends had been posting photos of these youngsters climbing up on top of the broken tree, so I knew that if I didn't go very soon, the owlets would have fledged to a different tree and then would be difficult or impossible to photograph. It turned out that these two fluffy owlets did fledge, a couple of days after I took this photo. The reason that I'm posting this photo is that, sadly, the Great Horned Owl pair that has nested at this location for quite a few years, has had an unsuccessful breeding season this year (2015). We aren't sure what happened, as we did see the male sitting in a tree near the nesting tree and we did see the top of the female's head fairly recently. Then, suddenly, I heard that people were seeing both adults sitting in nearby trees. I have only been down there maybe a couple of very brief times in at least the last couple of months. Maybe people who are there for many hours, day after day, actually saw something happen? Apparently, someone did report seeing three adults in that area recently. Or maybe the eggs did not successfully hatch, or maybe they did hatch and the tiny owlets picked up some infection from deep down in the nesting tree? Feel sad for the adult owls, and I know hundreds, if not thousands, of people will also be feeling sad and so disappointed. These owls have given us so much enjoyment over the years. Hopefully, next year, if the owls stay at this location, they will have a much more successful and happier breeding season. "With its long, earlike tufts, intimidating yellow-eyed stare, and deep hooting voice, the Great Horned Owl is the quintessential owl of storybooks. This powerful predator can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself, but it also dines on daintier fare such as tiny scorpions, mice, and frogs. It’s one of the most common owls in North America, equally at home in deserts, wetlands, forests, grasslands, backyards, cities, and almost any other semi-open habitat between the Arctic and the tropics. Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. You may see them at dusk sitting on fence posts or tree limbs at the edges of open areas, or flying across roads or fields with stiff, deep beats of their rounded wings. Their call is a deep, stuttering series of four to five hoots." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_horned_owl

I find my eyes go straight to the wide-open eyes of the biggest owlet in this photo. Be careful not to miss a younger one with just part of its little face showing above the nest edge : ) Somewhere, there is a third owlet that could not be seen just then - we only stayed a few minutes. I had only been to see these owls once before and at that time was only able to see one owlet. Maybe if/when I visit them again, all three owlets will be visible. Hopefully, I will see them again at a time when the light is much better, too. That day, 31 March 2015, I went on a birding walk with a group of friends, to Fish Creek Park. When owls are seen, they tend to be the highlight of a walk, and on this walk we were able to see six Great Horned Owls, 4 adults and 2 young ones. The other day, I posted a photo of Dad, who was sitting in a nearby Spruce tree, looking like he was fast asleep. As males always do, they perch and rest in a tree that has a good view of the nest, keeping watch over the female and the babies. Even though the male looks like he's fast asleep, he will be wide awake in a split second if anything, such as a Canada Goose, threatens the nest. "With its long, earlike tufts, intimidating yellow-eyed stare, and deep hooting voice, the Great Horned Owl is the quintessential owl of storybooks. This powerful predator can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself, but it also dines on daintier fare such as tiny scorpions, mice, and frogs. It’s one of the most common owls in North America, equally at home in deserts, wetlands, forests, grasslands, backyards, cities, and almost any other semi-open habitat between the Arctic and the tropics. Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. You may see them at dusk sitting on fence posts or tree limbs at the edges of open areas, or flying across roads or fields with stiff, deep beats of their rounded wings. Their call is a deep, stuttering series of four to five hoots." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_horned_owl

It was simply amazing while it lasted - but the few weeks were all over far too quickly : ) These two beautiful little Great Horned Owlets were practicing their balancing skills on the top edge of their nesting tree in Fish Creek Park, on 10 May 2013. They go from little balls of fluff to perching on this edge so quickly and then, blink, and they have gone, lol. Their baby-fluff pantaloons always make me smile, especially when seen from behind. What a sight! Most of the time, the light was not good, but on each evening, there was a bit of time when the sunlight was just beautiful. Can't begin to describe how thankful I was to have been there!

I took too many photos of these two Great Gray Owlets the day before yesterday and just haven't had time to go through them all - so, I quickly grabbed one of them for today. Heavily zoomed and cropped and not the best quality, but they were the cutest things to watch.

(Thanks to Meat Loaf, LOL!!) Aren't these little guys (Great Horned Owlets) just adorable? Photo taken yesterday. Mom had just flown off the nest to a nearby tree, to join Dad who was keeping guard - must be getting very cramped in the tree cavity by now : ) Talk about chromatic aberration (which I don't usually get)!!

This adult female Great Horned Owl and two of her owlets were up really high, surrounded by a tangle of thin branches, and in dreadful light and a strong wind, LOL. What looked like the youngest owlet was further along the branch, right next to the tree trunk. Still masses of baby fluff, which is always cute to see (except when it's very windy and you are trying to take a photo, ha). This is a family of owls that lives near the Calgary Zoo.

A couple of evenings ago, when I was watching the Great Horned Owl family in Fish Creek Park, one of the owlets coughed up a pellet. However, instead of spitting it out, it swallowed it again, then coughed it up again, swallow, and so on, over and over again, LOL. I don't think I've ever captured a pellet being coughed up before. I also captured some funny expressions while it was doing this, with its face all screwed up, but it makes the face take on an almost human look, which was a little creepy. After a long morning walk at Carburn Park today, I called in to see "my" owls and then took just a short walk and found another pair of Great Horned Owls that I had been told about. Saw two adults but no sign of any young ones. Warning: this is a VERY heavily cropped image, so don't bother looking at large size, LOL. "A pellet, in ornithology, is the mass of undigested parts of a bird's food that some bird species occasionally regurgitate. The contents of a bird's pellet depend on its diet, but can include the exoskeletons of insects, indigestible plant matter, bones, fur, feathers, bills, claws, and teeth .... Hawk and owl pellets are grey or brown, and range in shape from spherical to oblong or plug-shaped. In large birds, they are one to two inches long .... The hair, bones and other body parts (such as limbs, skin fragments, and even faeces) of rodents found in owl pellets may carry viable rodent viruses and bacteria. It is therefore advisable to sterilize pellets in a microwave oven before study. This is particularly important when using pellets at school." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellet_(ornithology)

The best shot of this Great Horned Owl family that I've been able to get so far, but really hope I'll see the young ones higher up on the nest or on a branch one of these days. Meanwhile, you can see Mom in the background with her little family. Most of the time I stood and watched them, the owlets were further down in the tree. When I looked at my photos after I got home, I was amazed at how much larger the older one (on the right) is, compared to the youngest one. Ever feel like you are being watched, LOL?

I was thrilled to bits to see Mom and her two babies at the Calgary Zoo a few days ago. These Great Gray Owls live in one of the aviaries at the Zoo - one of my favourite places to be, as there is a tiny path through the area and there are no fences between you and the owls. This pair of Great Grays nested on this rocky ledge just a few feet away from the path, but behind a couple of trees. There is an opening that you can see through, though the lighting is atrocious for taking photos. These babies are absolutely adorable - they have SO much character, as do all young creatures : ). I'll post a closer photo of just one of the little ones soon. I have seen a few Great Gray Owls in the wild, but I only have distant, poor quality photos of them. It's amazing to see these captive owls up so close.

I was really hoping that I'd see Mom in flight yesterday afternoon and that I'd be able to get an in-flight shot! I was so lucky! When I looked closely at this image, I couldn't believe my eyes at first - it looked like there were THREE owlets, not two, LOL! Not sure what the tallest "head" is. I wonder if it's a dead bird that Mom had brought back for her babies. When Mom had flown off the nest and into the grove of trees across the park road from the nesting tree, she was a few trees away from her mate, who always sits there to guard his family. Both adults started calling and I began to wonder if one of the owlets was ready to fly out of the nest. One of them certainly stretched up and out and looked as if it wanted to leave the nest. I would post a photo showing the whole tree and the road to give you an idea of how far away this nest actually is, but I really don't want to advertize the location any further.

Let me introduce you to "my" two little owlets, along with their mother. This photo was taken two days ago when there was a fair bit of activity at the nest. Today, there was absolutely nothing happening, LOL! I wonder how old these babies are. Maybe around three weeks?? They are certainly full of curiosity : ). These little things will somehow have to get down from this tall nesting tree, cross the park road, enter the grove of trees and somehow get up on to a very high branch.