One of my few Snowy Owls of 2016
Frosted grasses
Winter wonderland on Plateau Mountain
Down by the river on a frosty morning
Lying on a bed of hoarfrost
Birders on an Audubon Christmas Bird Count
When the world turns white
Delicate hoarfrost
Frosted chin whiskers
Horse and hoar frost
The beauty of hoar frost
Wearing a heavy coat of hoar frost
A fence without an owl
Winter on the prairies
Winter wonderland with a bonus
High wire act
White beauty
Old barns in heavy frost
On a bitterly cold, hoar frosty day
A splash of much-needed red
Guarding the barn
Diamond-studded
Delicate hoar frost
Hoar frost
A curtain of hoar frost
Hoar frost on barbed-wire
Hoar frost everywhere you look
Fog is not good for birding
Delicate winter beauty
Frosted snow
A black and white world
Here today, gone tomorrow
Edged in frost
Winter spikes and curves
Frozen lace
Common Tansy in winter
Moose youngster
Ice is nice
Fragile frost formation
Winter magic down by the creek
Little bird in a big world
The magic of ice
Known as dedication :)
Birders birding
Footsteps
Bowing their frosty heads
White-tailed buck in a winter wonderland
You can imagine what WE looked like : )
Nothing like a red barn in winter
Who needs lace curtains?
Winter magic
Frosted
Colour in a colourless world
Winter in all her beauty
Before the end
Barbed-wire in disguise
Living in a white world
The beauty of winter
Frosted history
Jack Frost was keeping busy
Transformation
Are you ready for spring?
Frosted
Magical
Like gazing through a window
The other side of the fence
Frosted
Crystalized leaf
A fresh coat of white
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Short-eared Owl
On 25 January 2016, after staying away from the Short-eared Owls for a week, I decided I would go back and see if one of them might just happen to land on something a little bit closer. Also, the weather forecast for the day was for sunshine and cloud, but the forecast for later in the week was for more snow.
I had somewhat better luck this day, but the owls were still some distance away, so I had to fully zoom (48x), which resulted in photos that could have done with being sharper. Needless to say, though, I was thrilled to get a few better looks at these beautiful owls. When this owl landed on this fence post way down the road, there was already one car that happened to be parked right there. I was able to inch my way closer, holding my breath, but needed to be so careful not to flush the owl. The photographer in front knew he had the best possible spot and he wasn't going anywhere : ) This was such a beautiful sight with the snowy, frosty setting. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, as they are being seen at all sorts of locations, which is exciting. Or shoild I say, they WERE being seen - seems like they haven't been seen for a while now (added 11 February 2016).
"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
"The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is a species of typical owl (family Strigidae). Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may not be visible. Asio flammeus will display its tufts when in a defensive pose. However, its very short tufts are usually not visible. The short-eared owl is found in open country and grasslands.
The short-eared owl is a medium-sized owl measuring 34–43 cm (13–17 in) in length and weighing 206–475 g (7.3–16.8 oz). It has large eyes, a big head, a short neck, and broad wings. Its bill is short, strong, hooked and black. Its plumage is mottled tawny to brown with a barred tail and wings. The upper breast is significantly streaked. Its flight is characteristically floppy due to its irregular wingbeats. The short-eared owl may also be described as "moth or bat-like" in flight. Wingspans range from 85 to 110 cm (33 to 43 in). Females are slightly larger than males. The yellow-orange eyes of A. flammeus are exaggerated by black rings encircling each eye, giving the appearance of them wearing mascara, and large, whitish disks of plumage surrounding the eyes like a mask." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-eared_owl
"Short-eared Owls are one of few North American owl species that can be sexed easily by plumage colouration. Females have pale brown undersides with heavy dark vertical barring. Their facial discs are also washed with the same pale brown. Males have nearly white undersides and paler facial discs. The barring is usually lighter and less dense." From the Owl Foundation.
www.theowlfoundation.ca/SpeciesInfo/speciesseow.htm
I had somewhat better luck this day, but the owls were still some distance away, so I had to fully zoom (48x), which resulted in photos that could have done with being sharper. Needless to say, though, I was thrilled to get a few better looks at these beautiful owls. When this owl landed on this fence post way down the road, there was already one car that happened to be parked right there. I was able to inch my way closer, holding my breath, but needed to be so careful not to flush the owl. The photographer in front knew he had the best possible spot and he wasn't going anywhere : ) This was such a beautiful sight with the snowy, frosty setting. This does seem to be a good winter for this species, as they are being seen at all sorts of locations, which is exciting. Or shoild I say, they WERE being seen - seems like they haven't been seen for a while now (added 11 February 2016).
"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
"The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is a species of typical owl (family Strigidae). Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may not be visible. Asio flammeus will display its tufts when in a defensive pose. However, its very short tufts are usually not visible. The short-eared owl is found in open country and grasslands.
The short-eared owl is a medium-sized owl measuring 34–43 cm (13–17 in) in length and weighing 206–475 g (7.3–16.8 oz). It has large eyes, a big head, a short neck, and broad wings. Its bill is short, strong, hooked and black. Its plumage is mottled tawny to brown with a barred tail and wings. The upper breast is significantly streaked. Its flight is characteristically floppy due to its irregular wingbeats. The short-eared owl may also be described as "moth or bat-like" in flight. Wingspans range from 85 to 110 cm (33 to 43 in). Females are slightly larger than males. The yellow-orange eyes of A. flammeus are exaggerated by black rings encircling each eye, giving the appearance of them wearing mascara, and large, whitish disks of plumage surrounding the eyes like a mask." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-eared_owl
"Short-eared Owls are one of few North American owl species that can be sexed easily by plumage colouration. Females have pale brown undersides with heavy dark vertical barring. Their facial discs are also washed with the same pale brown. Males have nearly white undersides and paler facial discs. The barring is usually lighter and less dense." From the Owl Foundation.
www.theowlfoundation.ca/SpeciesInfo/speciesseow.htm
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