Short-eared Owl out on a tree limb

Crazy, crazy weather! We have only just come out of an awful deep-freeze that lasted for many weeks. "The chance for some 20 degree weather extends across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan early next week including the city of Calgary, where some daily temperature records are in jeopardy. The record to beat on Monday and Tuesday is 18.3°C and 18.9°C, which were both set on March 18 and 19 back in 1928." From the Weather Network on 16 March 2019.

I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on Flickr soon - decided to grab three photos to post this morning after all. Will return when I don't have to keep going into my archives. As I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I added under a previously posted photo from the same day.

"Yesterday, 14 February 2019, I was so lucky. Friend, Pam, phoned to see if I'd like to go with her for a quick drive east of the city. I hadn't been expecting to get out for a few days, as I had a cortisone injection in my left hip the previous day and one is supposed to rest for a few days. Another 10 days and I get a shot in the other hip. I wasn't going to drive anywhere, but being driven and no walking sounded just too nice to turn down. We also both knew that snow was in the forecast for the next two or three days.

We were very lucky with an owl sighting when one flew to a fairly close fence post - and just stayed there. Looked like a bit of its most recent snack of Meadow Vole was still on the tip of its beak. I would think the owl in this photo was a different individual. Nice to see one in a tree, even if the branches were rather uninterestingly straight.

The temperature was a few degrees "less cold" than the previous 12 or so days. However, it was still SOOOO cold, so photos were taken with gloved hands. Two weeks of deep freeze has not been enjoyable, to say the least. This morning, 15 February, it is "only" -20C (windchill -25C) and snow fell overnight.

Many thanks, Pam, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."