Watching the watchers
One of three young owls
Great Horned Owl male
A lucky find
Swainson's Hawk / Buteo swainsoni
Anyone have a comb?
Who can resist a Burrowing Owl?
I fell in love ....
Time for a nap
Curious
Cooling down
Flight training with a Red-tailed Hawk
Talk about baby fluff!
Barn Owl
Spiked hairdo
Short-eared Owl
Sleepy Short-eared Owl
You looking at me, lady?
Swainson's Hawk juvenile
Swainson's Hawk juvenile
Juvenile Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Sweet young owl
Three years later ....
Red-tailed Hawk?
Great Horned Owl on a fence post
Yesterday's Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl juvenile
Merlin
Bald Eagle / Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Yesterday's Bald Eagle
Swainson's Hawk
A favourite subject with photographers
After a busy night of hunting
Yesterday's absolute treat - the size of your fist…
Shadows
One of a pair
Barn Owl
Swainson's Hawk juvenile
Popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl, from January 2015
Another surprise on another gloomy day
It's the little guy/gal again
Where countryside and civilization meet
Once was wild
Licorice Allsorts eyes
I spy with my little eye
A welcome addition to our Christmas Bird Count
Always a treat
Northern Pygmy-owl
A most welcome find
Snowy Owl number 5
Two male Snowy Owls in the same field
You never know where you'll see a Snowy Owl
Juvenile Northern Goshawk, feeding
Curious glance from a Great Horned Owl
Two Tropical Screech Owls, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
A cute, young face
Bald Eagle after a cooling hosepipe shower
Burrowing Owl in the wild
Great Gray Owl #1
Great Gray Owl #2
Great Gray Owl, watching and listening
Great Gray Owl hunting
Mom and her babies
Great Horned Owl and owlet
Northern Hawk Owl with woodland bokeh
A distant shot from my archives
Female Kestrel
Turkey Vulture talons
False eyes and real eyes
01 Barred Owl
02 Bald Eagle in late afternoon sun
Northern Pygmy-owl
Always glad to see a Snowy
Meadow Vole for a late lunch
Northern Hawk Owl
Great Gray Owl, focused
Eyes fixed on supper
Burrowing Owl
Perch with a good view
Such a beautiful owl
Peacefully waiting
Great Gray Owl from 2013
Quietly watching, always alert
Winner with its prey
Northern Hawk Owl
Snowy Owl along the fenceline
Northern Hawk Owl
A backward glance
Atop a utility pole
Meadow Vole for a tasty snack
Northern Hawk Owl
Two of a family of three
Northern Hawk Owl from 2016
Dark-eyed beauty
Yesterday's treat
The size of a popcan
Better than nothing - this is NOT my main photo!
Sleepy Great Horned Owl
Winter on the prairies
Great Gray Owl in early morning sunlight
Great Horned Owl
Ferocious hunter, but looking cute
Continuing the hunt
Northern Pygmy-owl
Snowy Owl in rehab
Turkey Vulture preening
Way, way up
Same tiny Northern Pygmy-owl
'Barn' Owl, alias Great Horned Owl
A welcome sight on a Christmas Bird Count
Yesterday's treat
Poor quality, but of interest
Barn Owl
That majestic look
Ever watchful
Snowy Owl harassed by Snow Buntings
Harris's Hawk
With a twinkle in its eye
Shooting in the rain
Peekaboo - whooo are yooo?
Time for an afternoon nap
Great Horned Owl male
A watchful eye
A distant Northern Pygmy-owl
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Yesterday's treat!
If I remember correctly, the last Great Gray Owl I saw was on 1 June 2016, so it had been roughly a year since then - till yesterday! What a great day our group of four people had, taking part in the annual May Species Count, 2017. We travelled in just one car, which worked out well. On the 2016 May Species Count, we had been unable to find a Great Gray, but I drove back to the area two days later, and found two of them. 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 just as exciting as the very first.
The owl in this photo was on a fence post when we first saw it. As is usually the case with these owls, it was focused on finding a Meadow Vole for a snack and in fact did catch one while I was watching. It moved to a few different fence posts in its search. Once it had caught its prey, it ate it there, down on the ground - with its back to us, of course. I was kind of hoping it would fly back up to the fence with it, but it didn't.
While I was taking photos, various people came along the road, a couple in cars, but most were cyclists out for a long ride on such a beautiful, sunny day. The owl basically ignored everyone, giving just a quick glance at us every once in a while. Their concentration never fails to leave me in awe.
"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
I'm still waiting for the exact number of species we saw yesterday - somewhere around 75, I believe! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired!
The owl in this photo was on a fence post when we first saw it. As is usually the case with these owls, it was focused on finding a Meadow Vole for a snack and in fact did catch one while I was watching. It moved to a few different fence posts in its search. Once it had caught its prey, it ate it there, down on the ground - with its back to us, of course. I was kind of hoping it would fly back up to the fence with it, but it didn't.
While I was taking photos, various people came along the road, a couple in cars, but most were cyclists out for a long ride on such a beautiful, sunny day. The owl basically ignored everyone, giving just a quick glance at us every once in a while. Their concentration never fails to leave me in awe.
"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
I'm still waiting for the exact number of species we saw yesterday - somewhere around 75, I believe! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired!
autofantasia, , Yves Saulnier, Ian Wood have particularly liked this photo
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