Grey Eagle Buzzard ( South America)
Swainson's Hawk juvenile
Drying the feathers
Canada Geese on ice at Pine Coulee Reservoir
Popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl, from January 2015
Chicken held by a magic circle
Rooster bicycle
Western Family, 1950
Western Family, 1956
Hadada Ibis
Another surprise on another gloomy day
Common Redpoll / Acanthis flammea
It's the little guy/gal again
Evening Grosbeaks, male and female
Purple Honeycreeper male
red kite at Cuxham
Northern Shrike
White-tailed Ptarmigan
white swan in autumn
Swan Family at Isis Bridge
Red-bellied woodpecker
White-tailed Ptarmigan camouflage
Quietly Perching.
A change from a world of white
Time to rest
Wilson's Snipe
ATC "Eggshell"
Hooded mergansers on a foggy morning
Great blue heron on a foggy morning
House Sparrow at the Saskatoon Farm
Ruddy Turnstone, Tobago
White-necked Jacobin, Asa Wright, Trinidad
Helmeted Guineafowl
Explored - Seeadler (Wilhelma)
Taubenfamilie auf der Anzeige
Accidental Photograph
Common Redpolls / Acanthis flammea
White-headed buffalo weaver
One of a pair
Shadows
Couple of Coots / Fulica americana
Red eyed ghanja bird
Bicycle chickens
American Tree Sparrow / Spizelloides arborea
H F F
Vautour Moine et Vautour Fauve
Yesterday's absolute treat - the size of your fist…
At the Saskatoon Farm
Superb Starling (Explored)
Just hanging
Weaver nest
White-browed sparrow weaver
Eastern phoebe
Mute Swan
Black crowned crane
Seagulls taking a bath
And the cow will sit with the seagulls
Storks
The ever-friendly Black-capped Chickadee
And down(y) he flew
Male Williamson's sapsucker.
Taubenfamilie auf der Anzeige
Taubenfamilie auf der Anzeige
Taubenkinder auf der Anzeige
Rufous-vented chachalaca, Blue Waters Inn, Tobago
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216 visits
Barn Owl
To me, these owls always look as if their face has been sewn up, right down the centre. Such strange looking birds.
This particular Barn Owl resides at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, southern Alberta. We do not get Barn Owls in the wild in Alberta. This is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too. I didn't see a Turkey Vulture or a Golden Eagle this time, and I didn't notice any Harris's Hawks, either.
"Barn Owls have a notable shreee scream, ear-shattering at close range. They also hiss like snakes. When captured or cornered, they throw themselves on their backs and flail with sharp-taloned feet, an effective defence." The Barn Owl flies silently. Its ears are placed asymmetrically for maximum hearing, so the owls do not require sight to hunt. They can target and dive down to sink their talons through snow, grass or brush and seize rodents with deadly accuracy. Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, they consume more rodent pests than possibly any other creature. This makes the Barn Owl one of the most economically valuable wildlife animals to farmers (not in Alberta). Farmers often encourage Barn Owls to stay around by providing nest sites. They are fairly sedentary and nocturnal" From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_owl
This summer, we had practically no 'normal' summer days. They were 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 3 August 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.
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, except for photos at the Centre.
This particular Barn Owl resides at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, southern Alberta. We do not get Barn Owls in the wild in Alberta. This is a wonderful place that rehabilitates and releases (whenever possible) various birds of prey - hawks, owls, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures,and Golden Eagles. Some of these birds act as Wildlife Ambassadors, too, including educating the public away from the Centre. Sometimes, a bird is used as a foster parent, too. I didn't see a Turkey Vulture or a Golden Eagle this time, and I didn't notice any Harris's Hawks, either.
"Barn Owls have a notable shreee scream, ear-shattering at close range. They also hiss like snakes. When captured or cornered, they throw themselves on their backs and flail with sharp-taloned feet, an effective defence." The Barn Owl flies silently. Its ears are placed asymmetrically for maximum hearing, so the owls do not require sight to hunt. They can target and dive down to sink their talons through snow, grass or brush and seize rodents with deadly accuracy. Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, they consume more rodent pests than possibly any other creature. This makes the Barn Owl one of the most economically valuable wildlife animals to farmers (not in Alberta). Farmers often encourage Barn Owls to stay around by providing nest sites. They are fairly sedentary and nocturnal" From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_owl
This summer, we had practically no 'normal' summer days. They were 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 3 August 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.
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, except for photos at the Centre.
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