Owls 3

I have missed so many owls this winter (2016/2017), as I just haven't had the chance to get out there and look for them (or anything else). Last night, I came across this distant photo from just over a year ago, taken on 25 January 2016, east of the city. Ha, this is all I got, after zooming in 48 times - Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm! Still feel very lucky to even just see a Short-eared Owl or any kind of owl. On that day, I decided I would go back and see if one of the Short-eared Owls 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. That winter turned out to be a good winter for this species, as they were being seen at all sorts of locations, which was exciting. This winter (2016/2017), too, lots of people have been finding them and getting nice, close shots. Hope they return next winter - maybe I'll finally be able to get a few decent shots. "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'M TAKING A BREAK! I think this may be the last photo I post for perhaps a couple of weeks or so. Many of the photos I've recently been posting have been from my archives and I feel like I keep posting photos of the same few subjects - like this owl, lol! I've barely been out anywhere for many weeks and for quite a while, I've been finding it hard to keep motivated - which probably means that those of you who visit my photostream very often, are also feeling a little (or very!) bored : ) So, very unusual for me, I'm taking a short break, and will post when I have taken photos of different things that feed my heart and soul - and hopefully yours, too. ************************************************************************************** On 29 January 2017, I left home hoping to see one species of owl and came home having seen a different species instead! There was no sign of the first kind of owl, despite quite a few other pairs of eyes that had been searching. I don't normally drive from one location to another one that is a long way away, but I did this day, and I am so glad I did. When I reached my second destination, I slowed down, starting to check the trees and fence line. Then I spotted a car parked further up the road and found that there were a couple of photographers who had already found the owl. In the short time I was there, this beautiful Northern Hawk Owl was busy hunting, flying from tree to tree and along the fence line. I saw the owl dive into the snow twice - not sure if it caught a Meadow Vole the first time or not, as I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, but I did see it with a Meadow Vole dangling from its beak the second time. Sorry for the little rodent, but glad that the owl had a tasty snack. The last time I was lucky enough to see one of these gorgeous birds of prey was on 8 February 2016, NW of the city, just over a year ago. It was just the same thrill seeing the one in this photo! "The type of prey the Hawk-Owl catches will determine its eating strategy. For mammalian prey the ritual is generally the same: the Northern Hawk-Owl will eviscerate its prey, eats the head first (especially for prey like the red squirrel, whose head is fairly large), and then—when tackling larger prey—it will eat the organs and cache the remains; with smaller prey, the owl will simply swallow the body whole." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl "The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org

This little Great Horned Owl family - Mom and two owlets - was a long way off in the distance. Fully zoomed, Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm. I just thought they looked so sweet sitting close together in their very high nest. Decided to add half a dozen photos taken today, 30 April 2017, on a day trip to Frank Lake and area with friends. Just little snapshot captures, to remind me of a few things that we saw. Most of the birds were so distant, that I couldn't even see them without binoculars. However, I was very happy to see the owls (of course) and the Black-crowned Night-heron. A beautiful day, with some interesting clouds that eventually brought rain for us, just as we were starting the drive back to the city. Heat distortion was a real pain - and there's nothing that one can do about it - and it was so windy.. Thanks so much for an enjoyable day, Tony! Well, it's after 11:00 pm and I have to be up by just after 2:00 am. Looks like this is going to have to be a night to stay up all night, otherwise I would most likely sleep right through three alarm clocks and a kitchen timer. Two friends and I have to be quite a long way out of the city to arrive at a destination before sunrise.

Added a filter in post-processing so that I could add this very poor capture to my albums. Taken looking into a dark barn, and I ended up with a black barn and a black owl silhouette. At least you can now tell it's an owl (Great Horned Owl). Decided to add half a dozen photos taken today, 30 April 2017, on a day trip to Frank Lake and area with friends. Just little snapshot captures, to remind me of a few things that we saw. Most of the birds were so distant, that I couldn't even see them without binoculars. However, I was very happy to see the owls (of course) and the Black-crowned Night-heron. A beautiful day, with some interesting clouds that eventually brought rain for us, just as we were starting the drive back to the city. Heat distortion was a real pain - and there's nothing that one can do about it. Thanks so much for an enjoyable day, Tony! Well, it's 11:00 pm and I have to be up by just after 2:00 am. Looks like this is going to have to be a night to stay up all night, otherwise I would most likely sleep right through three alarm clocks and a kitchen timer. Two friends and I have to be quite a long way out of the city to arrive at a destination before sunrise.

This morning, 26 May 2017, I posted 9 odds and ends of recently taken photos, which I should have uploaded last night. Now I have just uploaded the three photos meant for today, hoping that they will show up as my main images - two owl photos and a Sharp-tailed Grouse photo. I think I have just a few more recent photos that I want for my albums and then, hopefully, I will be able to get back to a few more of my Trinidad shots. I keep forgetting to post a few photos from 23 April 2017, when I drove to a local park to take a quick look at the owlets in this Great Horned Owl family. This year, I have hardly seen any of the owl families here in the city - just too busy with other things. I was happy that the owlets were still in the nest a month ago, but haven't been to see these particular owlets since they branched (and fledged?). A few days ago, on 23 May 2017, I did see two owlets sitting on a very high branch with Mom just a few feet away. These owls were a different family, but living in the same park. Our weather seems to have settled down for today, thank goodness. We had a storm two days ago, on 24 May, which brought strong winds and heavy rain, even snow in some places. Seems to have been a fair amount of damage done.

This morning, 26 May 2017, I posted 9 odds and ends of recently taken photos, which I should have uploaded last night. Now I have just uploaded the three photos meant for today, hoping that they will show up as my main images - two owl photos and a Sharp-tailed Grouse photo. I think I have just a few more recent photos that I want for my albums and then, hopefully, I will be able to get back to a few more of my Trinidad shots. I keep forgetting to post a few photos from 23 April 2017, when I drove to a local park to take a quick look at the owlets in this Great Horned Owl family. This year, I have hardly seen any of the owl families here in the city - just too busy with other things. I was happy that the owlets were still in the nest a month ago, but haven't been to see these particular owlets since they branched (and fledged?). A few days ago, on 23 May 2017, I did see two owlets sitting on a very high branch with Mom just a few feet away. These owls were a different family, but living in the same park. Our weather seems to have settled down for today, thank goodness. We had a storm two days ago, on 24 May, which brought strong winds and heavy rain, even snow in some places. Seems to have been a fair amount of damage done.