High wire act
Find the owl
Triple treat
A tiny owl from the past
On a bitterly cold, hoar frosty day
Nature Calgary 2016 calendar
The only one
One of 9 Great Horned Owls
So far away, but better than nothing
Beware!
Great Gray Owl in early morning light
The challenge of bird photography
For Chiara
Puffed up for warmth
Look, Mom, I can fly!
Yellow, glassy eyes
Northern Pygmy-owl from January
Adventurous little owlet
Deep inside a dark barn
Preening her feathers
How sweet is this?
Tired out Mom
Remembering happy times
Follow the fence line
Short-eared Owl
Sheltering in the trees
One of yesterday's treats
Just in time
Winter wonderland with a bonus
Hiding
On a distant fence post
Vole brains for her afternoon snack
Yesterday's treat
Much better than a utility pole
Short-eared Owl
On the hunt
Pretty good camouflage
Swivel-head
One year ago
A photographer's nightmare
A quick glance
Northern Hawk Owl with Meadow Vole
One of yesterday's Snowy Owls
Focused, listening, watching
Northern Pygmy-owl, one year ago
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Fond memories of a popcan-sized owl
All three photos posted this morning are from my archives. Our forecast is for snow today, so I thought I would post photos with colour.
Almost a year ago, on 24 February 2015, I called in at Fish Creek Park to see if anyone had been able to find the tiny (less than 6" in length) Northern Pygmy-owl(s). I was in luck and, although the light was bad, the little owls put on quite a performance. This included a few things that I had missed on other days, such as perched on a fence post and both owls very briefly sitting on a branch, side by side (got a couple of really bad shots from behind, but I did post ne ages ago, just for the record). There were long periods of waiting in between the various bits of activity, so one needs a huge amount of patience : )
This photo was taken shortly before I left the park, after watching and waiting and hoping that this little female would eventually fly down and catch a Meadow Vole. Instead, she simply flew over to a fence post, which in itself was a real treat. I love the background colour from patches of dead leaves still hanging on the bushes.
"Northern Pygmy Owls are 'sit and wait' predators, that hunt mainly by vision, diving down onto prey on the ground and driving the talons into the prey's throat. They will also attack birds in shrubs, crashing into the hapless victims. Most prey is carried off in the feet to feeding sites. Birds are usually plucked before being consumed. They often eat only the brains of birds and the soft abdomen of insects. One of these little owls can carry prey weighing up to 3 times its own weight.
The Northern Pygmy Owl feeds on a wide range of small prey including small mammals, birds, and reptiles and amphibians. Voles make up the bulk of their diet, with birds comprising most of the rest (mainly songbirds, but as large as a California Quail). Other small mammals include shrews, mice, chipmunks, bats, moles, young rabbits, and weasels. Insects may be very important when they are most abundant. Other prey taken are toads, frogs and small lizards and snakes.
During winter, surplus prey is cached in a cavity, often in large quantities. Summer caches are usually much smaller.
Pellets are very small, averaging about 3cm long. They are formed only occasionally as these owls don't consume large amounts of fur, feathers, or bone. The pellets tend to fall apart shortly after ejection." From OwlPages.
www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Glaucidium&species=ca...
Almost a year ago, on 24 February 2015, I called in at Fish Creek Park to see if anyone had been able to find the tiny (less than 6" in length) Northern Pygmy-owl(s). I was in luck and, although the light was bad, the little owls put on quite a performance. This included a few things that I had missed on other days, such as perched on a fence post and both owls very briefly sitting on a branch, side by side (got a couple of really bad shots from behind, but I did post ne ages ago, just for the record). There were long periods of waiting in between the various bits of activity, so one needs a huge amount of patience : )
This photo was taken shortly before I left the park, after watching and waiting and hoping that this little female would eventually fly down and catch a Meadow Vole. Instead, she simply flew over to a fence post, which in itself was a real treat. I love the background colour from patches of dead leaves still hanging on the bushes.
"Northern Pygmy Owls are 'sit and wait' predators, that hunt mainly by vision, diving down onto prey on the ground and driving the talons into the prey's throat. They will also attack birds in shrubs, crashing into the hapless victims. Most prey is carried off in the feet to feeding sites. Birds are usually plucked before being consumed. They often eat only the brains of birds and the soft abdomen of insects. One of these little owls can carry prey weighing up to 3 times its own weight.
The Northern Pygmy Owl feeds on a wide range of small prey including small mammals, birds, and reptiles and amphibians. Voles make up the bulk of their diet, with birds comprising most of the rest (mainly songbirds, but as large as a California Quail). Other small mammals include shrews, mice, chipmunks, bats, moles, young rabbits, and weasels. Insects may be very important when they are most abundant. Other prey taken are toads, frogs and small lizards and snakes.
During winter, surplus prey is cached in a cavity, often in large quantities. Summer caches are usually much smaller.
Pellets are very small, averaging about 3cm long. They are formed only occasionally as these owls don't consume large amounts of fur, feathers, or bone. The pellets tend to fall apart shortly after ejection." From OwlPages.
www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Glaucidium&species=ca...
ROL/Photo, Frode, , Chrissy and 6 other people have particularly liked this photo
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