Tiny House Wren / Troglodytes aedon
Striped Coralroot / Corallorhiza striata
Baby fluff
American Goldfinch male
Great Gray Owl in a field of Dandelions
American Robin male
Le Conte's Sparrow
Flowers of spring
Tree Swallow female
Little treasures on a log
Herper friend with Wood Frog (and fly)
The old barn at the Ellis Bird Farm
Entrance to the Ellis Bird Farm
Purple Martins / Progne subis
A colourful little corner
Bee nesting box
Lots of 'bling'
Farm seed elevator, Ellis Bird Farm, Alberta
Purple Martin condominium
Made my day : )
Gaillardia on red
White-crowned Sparrow / Zonotrichia leucophrys
Collecting food for his babies
Busy Barn Swallow
Dame's rocket
I'm baaack ...
Red-necked Grebe
Great Horned Owl owlet, Ellis Bird Farm
Time to preen
Camouflaged Wood Frog
Treat of the day - Black Morel
Male and female Purple Martins / Progne subis
Wilson's Snipe hiding in the grass
Barn Swallow
Female Mountain Bluebird / Sialia currucoides
Cow Parsnip / Heracleum maximum
American Robin in the countryside
Such cute little hands and feet
Hollyhock buds
Way down the fence line
Mom and her new baby
Almost ready to fledge
Along a country back road
Eastern Kingbird
Needed a change of colour
Yesterday's treat - a Bobolink
I think he caught a beautiful Tiger Moth : )
Northern Shoveler pair
Why this bird is called a Grosbeak
Everyday beauty
Meadow Creek area, Benchlands
Spotted Coralroot / Corallorhiza maculata
There WAS a fence between us
Such good parents
Red-edged petals
Couldn't have chosen a better perch myself : )
Grasshopper Sparrow / Ammodramus savannarum - OR i…
Sleeping down at the pond
Such an elegant bird
Female Bobolink / Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Clay-colored Sparrow / Spizella pallida
A closer view - male Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird female with bokeh
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
A little fungi family
A house to match
Is this a Pink?
Haute cuisine - Frog's Legs for supper
Showing off for the females
Ring-necked Pheasant at the end of the day
On the fence
Finely iridescent
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Red Baneberry
Canada Goose
02 Tree Swallow trio
03 Blowing in the wind
Successful hunting
McDougall Memorial United Church
Dandelions - of course : )
Puffed up Tree Swallow
Front of an antique store
Wilson's Snipe, seen from afar
One of a pair
Much-needed colour
Fancy plumage
This Snipe 'doesn't have a leg to stand on'
The forest is alive with fungi, lichens and mosses
A little eye-catcher
The joy of spring
One of my favourite birds to photograph
Periwinkle / Vinca minor
Western Meadowlark
First day out in the big, wide world
Colour
Matching colours
A bird of many colours
Sparkling feathers
Busy parent
Nuttall's Sunflower / Helianthus nuttallii
Brown-headed Cowbirds
Ruddy Duck
Close-up of bee colony
The art of preening for a young owl
Early Cinquefoil
Perched in the sun
Sharp-tailed Grouse in the early morning sun
Hepatica
Watching closely
After the rain
Large Bee colony
A prairie song
One of my favourite spring garden flowers
Water patterns in matching colours
Always a good mother
Indian Breadroot
American Wigeon pair
Trying to impress the females
Still standing
Backlit beauties
Willet / Tringa semipalmata
Yellow-headed Blackbirds in every direction
Tree Swallow / Tachycineta bicolor
Hellebore beauty
American Wigeon male, resting on a log
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139 visits
One of yesterday's two Great Gray Owls
No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken of them, each owl is as exciting as the very first. I don't remember seeing a Great Gray Owl SW of the city since our May Species Count in 2014.
Before early 2016, the most 'recent' Great Grays that I had seen and photographed was one that was a rare visitor to the city - found in Fish Creek Park for a while and my last photos of it were taken on 18 February 2014. There was also a Great Gray at Griffith Woods, Calgary, and some of my photos were taken on 10 February 2014. Saw another owl on our May Species Count SW of the city on 25 May 2014. Many of my 'best' sightings and photos of Great Grays were taken NW of Calgary, the last dates being 28 March 2013 and 5 May 2013. So, after 25 May 2014 .... nothing until early 2016, and then YESTERDAY evening!!!
I decided that for once, I would go out in an evening to look for one of these magnificent birds of prey. Unfortunately, heavy black clouds were already starting to build, with patches of blue sky still showing. Once I hit the main highway, the rain started and continued till I got back home. I was determined to go and check out the various places where I had seen these owls just a few years ago. The two separate owls I found were not far from previous sightings - one along the main road and the other was flying over a distant field. Both were focused on hunting. The owl in this photo flew from post to post, searching for prey. Not a place I particularly wanted to stop, as a number of cars did drive by - had my blinkers turned on. Almost the whole time, I was sitting in my car, with rain pouring in through the open passenger window - but, hey, it's for an OWL! I did get out for maybe three or so minutes, as I know from too much experience that many shots taken from inside my car don't come out. Must have looked rather silly, standing in the rain, to people going by, lol.
Feeling so happy, I decided to drive a second time along a different area, just to check one last time before going home. That's when I noticed a large bird way off in the distance, flying over a field. I was amazed when it eventually flew to a tree within camera reach and then even more surprised when it flew to a fairly close fence post. The owls looked rather wet and a little wind-blown in most of my photos, but, needless to say, I went home feeling thrilled to bits. I don't remember ever seeing an owl shake the rain off its feathers just like a dog shakes off water.
"Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllABoutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl
Before early 2016, the most 'recent' Great Grays that I had seen and photographed was one that was a rare visitor to the city - found in Fish Creek Park for a while and my last photos of it were taken on 18 February 2014. There was also a Great Gray at Griffith Woods, Calgary, and some of my photos were taken on 10 February 2014. Saw another owl on our May Species Count SW of the city on 25 May 2014. Many of my 'best' sightings and photos of Great Grays were taken NW of Calgary, the last dates being 28 March 2013 and 5 May 2013. So, after 25 May 2014 .... nothing until early 2016, and then YESTERDAY evening!!!
I decided that for once, I would go out in an evening to look for one of these magnificent birds of prey. Unfortunately, heavy black clouds were already starting to build, with patches of blue sky still showing. Once I hit the main highway, the rain started and continued till I got back home. I was determined to go and check out the various places where I had seen these owls just a few years ago. The two separate owls I found were not far from previous sightings - one along the main road and the other was flying over a distant field. Both were focused on hunting. The owl in this photo flew from post to post, searching for prey. Not a place I particularly wanted to stop, as a number of cars did drive by - had my blinkers turned on. Almost the whole time, I was sitting in my car, with rain pouring in through the open passenger window - but, hey, it's for an OWL! I did get out for maybe three or so minutes, as I know from too much experience that many shots taken from inside my car don't come out. Must have looked rather silly, standing in the rain, to people going by, lol.
Feeling so happy, I decided to drive a second time along a different area, just to check one last time before going home. That's when I noticed a large bird way off in the distance, flying over a field. I was amazed when it eventually flew to a tree within camera reach and then even more surprised when it flew to a fairly close fence post. The owls looked rather wet and a little wind-blown in most of my photos, but, needless to say, I went home feeling thrilled to bits. I don't remember ever seeing an owl shake the rain off its feathers just like a dog shakes off water.
"Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllABoutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl
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