Owls 3

I want to thank everyone who came to the service for my daughter, Fiona, on Sunday, 18 January 2015. It meant so much to me to see not only various family members, but also wonderful friends who share the passion of birding and photography with me, friends from where I have volunteered the last 16 years, Health Care friends and personal friends of my younger daughter, friends of my son, a lady who remembered Fiona from when she volunteered in the library, one of the ladies who played Scrabble with Fiona, a very thoughtful couple whose son was in hospital just over 30 years ago at the same time as Fiona had a major spinal fusion. Their son, Simon, shared the same genetic disorder as Fiona and very sadly passed away so many years ago. It was a joy to see a family friend who was in elementary school with my kids, all grown up and as thoughtful, supportive and compassionate as always. There were also quite a few men who belong to one of the Societies that Fiona’s Dad belongs to. My apologies to those I have missed mentioning, and I'm quite sure that I have– my mind is in somewhat of a fog. My thanks also go to two of my friends who had really hoped to attend, but for different reasons were unable to. Also to a friend who left a beautiful bouquet of flowers between my front door and screen door the day before. Totally unexpected and so much appreciated. And so importantly, Gordon, a long-time friend of Fiona and her Dad and with whom Fiona got on so well, who led the service so beautifully – which I knew he would and was why his name came to mind straight away when we knew that none of Fiona’s immediate family would be up to speaking. The other name that came straight to mind was Fiona’s best friend, the most loyal friend in the world, ever since elementary school. She had told us that she just didn’t think she’d be able to do all the talking, and so we were honoured that Gordon would do this for us. At the end of the service, after the slide-show that my son had put together so beautifully was shown, Gordon asked if anyone would like to come to the front and say a few words. Silence, and then a minute or two later, Fiona’s loyal friend to the very end made her way to the front, sobbing. Through her heart-breaking tears she told some wonderful little stories about Fiona and their friendship. A brilliant, gifted young woman brought to such heart-breaking tears at the loss of her friend. I will never forget how brave she was to go up to the front and speak right from the heart. This would have meant so much to Fiona. A special thank you to my son and my daughter for doing so much at this difficult time. So much careful planning and sorting through things, not just for the service, but everything else, too. Both Fiona's Dad and myself can't thank you enough. After the service, a few family members gathered at my son’s home, where my daughter-in-law and her mother and sisters had put out a beautiful display of food for us. A much-appreciated way to finish our little celebration of Fiona and the very special person she was. The hardest time, I think, is when everyone has gone their different ways home and one is left with the emptiness that creeps in. I have found that that is when everyone on Flickr who has left such supportive, comforting words and other friends who have e-mailed or phoned is so greatly appreciated. You have all made so much difference and I thank you for it. Now it is time to let the memories of Fiona’s smiling face and the joy of her personality gently sweep over us, letting us know that she may no longer be with us in person, but that our memories will keep her forever in our hearts. THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This photo of the tiny, popcan-sized owl in Fish Creek Park was taken on 11 January 2015. The owl is a lot smaller than the size that you see in my photo! I did remove an ugly-shaped branch that made the owl look as though it had been "skewered". Just couldn't avoid the large, blurred branch on the foreground, but at least it's pale. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id See this page on Flickr: flic.kr/p/qAVzNr

Yesterday, 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, desperately needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends who know me well have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. Normally, I never walk from the road on to the surrounding land, even when there is not a "No Trespassing" sign. There was a very short, rough road leading to where this beautiful Great Horned Owl, spotted by my daughter, was sitting, and we walked a few steps closer to it. She had already spotted a different GHO along one of the backroads and later on, she spotted our only Snowy Owl of the day. I was reminded exactly why I never set foot on someone's land - though I had taken even more steps on this track with friends for the Christmas Bird Count. Guilt came flooding in when a truck with two young guys came down the gravel road and turned in at this very spot! Needless to say, I apologized and told them that normally, I never do this. They were so pleasant and told us, no problem at all and to go much closer (which I didn't). People like this really help make one's day, so Thank You to these two guys - hope you see this photo of "your" owl : ) The rest of the day, my daughter and I drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found not just one beautiful, old barn, but two. The next photo shows just the inside of the second barn and I will continue the "story" under that photo. A similar story in one way, thanks to someone else's kindness. I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

"This Northern Pygmy-Owl appears to have eyes in the back of its head. But why? One theory is that large false eyes may create the illusion that the owl is much bigger than its 6 and 3/4-inch size. A more current theory is that the false eyes help protect the pygmy-owl's true eyes. Small birds will mob this diurnal owl, even striking it, directing some attacks at its eyes. If the large false eyes can take the brunt of these attacks, little harm will come to the Pygmy-Owl's vulnerable true eyes." From BirdNote. birdnote.org/show/pygmy-owls-false-eyes It has been amazing, watching this tiny, popcan-sized owl that has become a celebrity in my city. Much of the time, it sits at or near the top of very tall trees, often for an hour or two. Then it will fly and land high up in a different tree and do the same, and occasionally, if one is lucky, it might just fly down to a somewhat lower branch or very briefly to the bushes. If one is even luckier, it might fly down to the snow-covered ground and catch a Meadow Vole. "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl

This little, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl looks so cute and innocent, but in reality, it is a ferocious hunter that is capable of killing things that are the same size or even a bit bigger than itself. It is a celebrity in our city at the moment, bringing crowds of curious people and masses of huge camera lenses. Yesterday, 24 January 2015, I saw it again, after about 10 days of not seeing it - I had called in at the park very briefly on a couple of recent days, but heard that no one had seen the owl. All that changed yesterday, when it gave us some good chances to get photos. It really seems to be quite tolerant of people and even flew into some bushes near where everyone was standing. Only those who were willing or able to kneel or lie flat in the melting snow and puddles (which excluded me) got a really good view through the absolute tangle of thin branches. I managed to get a handful of shots, but was too tired and my eyes too blurry to edit any of them last night. So, instead, I am posting a photo taken on 12 January that I had already edited a few days ago. I did remove a few very distracting branches so that the focus was solely on this tiny bundle of feathers, who spends its daytimes watching and waiting for the slightest movement down below of yet another Meadow Vole. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl

This very uninspiring shot shows a pellet that the tiny Northern Pygmy-owl brought up when it was perched in the bushes close to where we were all standing. I couldn't see the owl's face at that very moment, but did see the pellet falling down to the ground. Someone placed a 10 cent coin by it for size. Saturday, 24 January 2015, was a great day for seeing the tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl in Fish Creek Park. For once, I was up really early so that I could go on a birding walk, which was being held at the same location. Other than the usual Black-capped Chickadee. Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers, the two main species that we saw were the Pileated Woodpecker (a male and a female together) and a very distant Cooper's Hawk. When we were at the furthest spot, we got news that the Northern Pygmy-owl had appeared. Needless to say, we joined the photographers who were all lined up with their enormous camera lenses pointed upwards. About three (!) hours after getting back to where the owl was and seeing it on several different branches that were not particularly easy to photograph, it suddenly flew down to the mass and tangle of bushes right where all the photographers were now standing. A few people knelt or lay down in the cold, melting snow so that they could get a better view through the thin branches. There was no way I could do that, so my view was not good. However, as far as actually seeing the owl at such close quarters was concerned, it was a great chance. All my photos, except this one and maybe two or three others, were no good at all and need to be deleted : ( It was amazing to see this tiny bird of prey up close, and it was really good to see how at ease it seemed. Can't remember if it had just caught a Meadow Vole before I took these photos or whether it caught one and then flew up into a thin, forked branch where it posed beautifully along with its catch. Haven't looked properly at the photos I took of this last pose, but hopefully one of them will be OK. After about four hours of standing around, it was time to go home, especially as I had originally arrived at the park for the 3-hour bird walk seven hours earlier! Some people do this all the time and I don't know how they are able to do so. It requires so much patience, and I'd never be able to do it if it weren't for friends to chat with while waiting and waiting. Usually, my visits are much shorter. "An owl pellet is a clod of fur or feathers and bone—the indigestible remains of the animals an owl has eaten. Because it swallows small prey whole and is able to digest only the fleshy parts, the owl regurgitates the remaining solid material as a compact pellet or casting. Where owls feed on insects, each regurgitated pellet contains the indigestible parts of the exoskeletons of numerous individual insects. Although birds of many species regurgitate pellets, pellets from large owl species are especially suited for study because they are big enough to be examined without a microscope, and they contain the entire skeletons of small animals the owl has eaten. (Pellets of other raptors, such as eagles and hawks, are less useful since these birds tear much of the flesh from their victims, and do not swallow bones.) Because owl pellets accumulate in predictable locations, they are readily available for collection and examination. Pellets last a long time in dry climates and in the protection of barns or other buildings. If they are soaked in warm water, carefully dissected, and examined under magnification, the identity of prey they contain can often be determined from the bones, teeth, and other remains. The remains hidden inside a pellet usually represent the entire skeleton of every animal the owl has eaten during a night of foraging. There are almost always remains of two or more animals in each pellet.” wdfw.wa.gov/living/owls.html

Saturday, 24 January 2015, was a great day for seeing the tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl in Fish Creek Park. For once, I was up really early so that I could go on a birding walk, which was being held at the same location. Other than the usual Black-capped Chickadee. Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers, the two main species that we saw were the Pileated Woodpecker (a male and a female together) and a very distant Cooper's Hawk. When we were at the furthest spot, we got news that the Northern Pygmy-owl had appeared. Needless to say, we joined the photographers who were all lined up with their enormous camera lenses pointed upwards. About three (!) hours after getting back to where the owl was and seeing it on several different branches that were not particularly easy to photograph, it suddenly flew down to the mass and tangle of bushes right where all the photographers were now standing. A few people knelt or lay down in the cold, melting snow so that they could get a better view through the thin branches. There was no way I could do that, so my view was not good. However, as far as actually seeing the owl at such close quarters was concerned, it was a great chance. All my photos, except this one and maybe two or three others, were no good at all and need to be deleted : ( In this shot, you can see one real eye and on the back of the head, one of its two "false" eyes. It was amazing to see this tiny bird of prey up close, and it was really good to see how at ease it seemed. Can't remember if it had just caught a Meadow Vole before I took these photos or whether it caught one and then flew up into a thin, forked branch where it posed beautifully along with its catch. Haven't looked properly at the photos I took of this last pose, but hopefully one of them will be OK. After about four hours of standing around, it was time to go home, especially as I had originally arrived at the park for the 3-hour bird walk seven hours earlier! Some people do this all the time and I don't know how they are able to do so. It requires so much patience, and I'd never be able to do it if it weren't for friends to chat with while waiting and waiting. One of my three photos posted this morning shows a pellet that this tiny owl coughed up when it was perched in these bushes. I couldn't see the owl's face at that very moment, but did see the pellet falling down to the ground.

It snowed here overnight and is still snowing at 10:00 am this morning. We were all hoping that the last of the ice everywhere would get the chance to melt completely before any fresh snow fell to hide the ice. Looks like about 4" of the white stuff has accumulated so far. The temperature is -14C (windchill -19C) but it's supposed to get up to -11C (windchill -16C) this afternoon. We have been so spoilt for weeks now, with temperatures that have been wonderfully mild for mid winter. This photo was taken on 11 January 2015, when I called in at Fish Creek Park again for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. I was lucky with both. It was a Sunday and a lot of photographers had gathered to watch and photograph this tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl. I was impressed that all the photographers were very respectful of this tiny owl. Since then, there was one day when a couple of photographers with huge lenses were breaking and damaging the bushes because they wanted to get much closer to the owl's tree. Mind you, apart from a couple of very brief, low landings in bushes, the tiny owl stayed perched extremely high in tall trees. Thankfully, it was still within my camera reach and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places. Bright blue sky completed the picture, unlike the day before, which had been overcast and gloomy. In this photo, we were treated to a short preening session that resulted in a temporarily puffed ball of feathers. Later; I've added a previously posted photo from 2011 in a comment box below, showing a Northern Pygmy-owl in compressed mode.

Called in at the park yesterday afternoon, 30 January 2015, for maybe an hour. That was all I could stand, it was SO cold, plus most of the area was then in the shade. It was only -13C (windchill -15C), but it felt so much colder than that. I got there later than I had intended, as both my front car door locks had frozen solid and I had to wait for the lock de-icer spray to work. Friends who had been there for much longer told me that the tiny Northern Pygmy-owl had been high in the trees the whole time they had been there. While I was there, we had a few moments when the owl flew down into the bushes - a mass of tangled branches that result in a "messy" photo, but still better than none. If you are lucky, you can find a small hole with no branches in front of the owl. It snowed two nights ago, so it made a change to see the bird in a snowy setting. My point-and-shoot has 48X zoom - this shot was taken at Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm. "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl

Sometimes, you just can't get in the right position to get a photo of a Snowy Owl - this one only glanced in our direction a couple of times, but I thought the sun shining on it made it worth posting. This photo was taken NE of the city, on 20 December 2014. The winter of 2014/2015 has been really good for Snowy Owls, though various people have been reporting that recently, there seem to be far fewer to be seen. Back in December, I had been longing to get out there, especially to the E and NE of the city, to look for these spectacular birds of prey. I finally got out, after my youngest daughter asked if I wanted to go looking for Snowies on our Christmas get-together on 20 December 2014. She had never seen a Snowy Owl, so I was really, really hoping that we'd find one! As it turned out, we saw 10 definite individuals, plus two others that we weren't quite sure about - one certainly looked like a very distant Snowy and the other was possibly a repeat of an owl we had seen earlier in more or less the same area. Part way through the day, almost as if it were meant to happen, a car came from the opposite direction - it was my friends, Cathy and Terry! For the rest of our trip, we followed behind them, thoroughly enjoying every new find. Late afternoon, we went home different ways and my daughter and I saw our last two owls. My daughter was so thrilled to see these breathtaking birds and was already quite happy and content after seeing the very first, distant one. Three of the owls gave us close or reasonably close views, the rest were very distant. The owl in this photo is a male, as it is almost pure white. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/snowy_owl/lifehistory en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowy_owl After these wonderful sightings, we returned to Calgary and went back to my daughter's place to exchange Christmas gifts. I reckon the Snowy Owls were the "best" gifts she received that day : )