Album Owls 1 from Anne Elliott

Northern Pygmy-owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:28:06 +0000

I wonder how this tiny owl (the size of a pop-can or a person's fist!) is doing today. How our weather has changed. It's still lightly snowing this morning, with a few inches of snow already on the ground (which means on my car, ha). I have a volunteer shift this afternoon, so I have no choice but to face winter (unlike yesterday, when I stayed home in the warmth all day). We were so lucky to see this little owl in Fish Creek Park on November 13th. Lots of people go there in the hopes of finding it, and most never get the chance, so I feel extra fortunate. Good luck, if you are one of those hopeful people! This is quite a crop, by the way : )

In the distance

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:50:12 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A distant shot of the tiny, rare to uncommon (in Alberta) Northern Pygmy-owl, seen in Fish Creek Park on 13th November. We were lucky enough to see it again this morning, but it was way off in the distance, much too far for a photo. The weather is beautiful today - love it when the sun is shining and there is snow everywhere. We were so lucky with birds, too - not a huge number of them, but what we did see were great species - Northern Goshawk, Pileated Woodpecker, the Northern Pygmy-owl, Boreal Chickadees, Townsend's Solitaire, etc.

Long-eared Owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:26:51 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Not the sharpest photo, unfortunately, but I was SO thankful just to get anything of this rare to uncommon (in Alberta) owl.

My description that I added to a previously posted photo of this owl was:

"My little point-and-shoot camera just didn't do well yesterday morning, when we were SO lucky to see a Long-eared Owl in Fish Creek Park. It was high up in a Spruce tree, behind a tangle of branches, low light, camera pointed up towards the sky and too much towards the sun ... sigh. Almost every photo was very blurred - my camera had such a hard time focusing and even when the image looked fine in the view finder, the image still came out a blur. I did use flash on some shots, but I think it made things even worse : ) However, this was definitely a time to be very thankful for ANY photo (only about three) that came out well enough to keep - and post, LOL. This medium-sized species of Owl is rare to uncommon in Alberta, so this sighting was a real treat! 31–37 cm (12-15 in) in length with an 86–98 cm (34-39 in) wingspan. Thanks so much, Tony! Brilliant spotting, as usual.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-eared_Owl

Eyes bigger than its stomach

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:01:51 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Poor little Meadow Vole, but at least it will provide this beautiful popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl with supper.

Northern Pygmy-owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:23:49 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

One of my least favourite recent shots of this tiny Northern Pygmy-owl - they are the size of a popcan or a person's fist! However, despite the messy background, it does show the feather patterns - and a beak that has changed colour after a recent snack of Meadow Vole : ) I hope they've been able to find enough food the last few days, while we've been in a very unpleasant deep-freeze. Frozen meals are fine when you have a microwave, LOL. All my photos of this little bird of prey were taken in Fish Creek Park and are heavily cropped. If anyone is interested, I have 32 shots of these tiny, rare to uncommon in Alberta owls in my Northern Pygmy-owl Set.

www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/sets/72157625428490406/...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Pygmy-owl

For those of you who THINK you had cold weather today, read this, LOL!!!! Apparently, here in Calgary, we were the second coldest place on earth this morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I noticed this link on my son's Facebook page just now.

www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Calgary+coldest+place+Ea...

Partial compression

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:57:02 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A lot of birders never get to see a tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl go into compression mode. Well, most birders never get to see one of these owls, period : ) They are rare to uncommon in Alberta. When we were watching this one in Fish Creek Park a week ago, it started shrinking, but only got this far.

"Despite their small size, Northern Pygmy Owls are quite fierce, and will attack prey or drive off intruders several times their own size. When one of these owls is threatened, it will puff up its feathers and spread its tail to make itself look larger. When hiding, it tries to look thin, faces the danger, and closes its eyes into slits." From OwlPages.com.

Northern Pygmy-owl with Meadow Vole, false eyes on back of head

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:57:24 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Not the greatest photo, but it is a chance to show the back view of this tiny owl (the size of a popcan or a human's fist) not only with a Meadow Vole but also showing the "false eyes" on the back of its head. Heavily cropped : )

The demise of a Meadow Vole

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:48:11 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

We were SO lucky to see not just a Northern Pygmy-owl (rare to uncommon in Alberta), but to see it swoop down and catch this unfortunate little Meadow Vole. Witnessed at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on November 13th. This tiny owl is popcan-sized, about the size of a person's fist, and it is a vicious predator and will attack and kill prey that is larger than itself. Average length of a female Northern Pygmy-owl is 18.5 cm (7.3"), male: 16.5 cm (6.5"). A heavily cropped image : )

talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=164

"Measurements of average adult male Meadow Voles are: total length, 150 mm (6 in); tail, 37 mm (1.5 in); weight, 31.5 g (1 oz). Females are only slightly smaller."

talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=542

Looking for lunch

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:23:35 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Another photo of the tiny Northern Pygmy-owl that we saw at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on 13th November (oh, that was just yesterday, ha!) These little birds of prey are rare to uncommon in Alberta and are such a treat to see. No bigger than fist-sized, so this photo isn't that much smaller than life-sized. They are SO hard to find - usually, you can be made aware of one when a bunch of Chickadees start making a loud noise or else you happen to notice this owl in flight. They always seem to be so intent on looking and listening for a snack or meal. Vicious little raptors, but they look so cute : )

Northern Pygmy-owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:26:09 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Yesterday evening, I planned on this image being one of the ones to upload today. Little did I know that this morning, we would see either two Northern Pygmy-owls or the same one in slightly different locations. Such an incredible treat - and I give great thanks to various friends who have spotted this owl/these owls. Because they are only about the size of an adult's fist, they are so difficult to find! So, I will be patient, and post this image from November 11th and then post a couple of photos from today over the next few days. Hope you don't get fed up of seeing this little owl!

Northern Pygmy-owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:57:28 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Talk about being on a natural high right now!!! Though we had already seen one of these tiny, popcan-sized owls in Fish Creek Park on two occasions this fall, today was the first time to get a better look at it. This is a heavily cropped image, by the way! Rare to uncommon in Calgary, they have been seen in this park the last few years. I think it was three (?) winters ago, 3-4 of these tiny owls provided birders and photographers with many hours of pure delight and awe : ) They are such attractive little guys. A short while earlier, I was with friends and had seen this owl swoop down and catch a little Meadow Vole for lunch, hence its blood-stained beak. I'll have to check my photos and see if I managed to get a shot of this that is fit to be posted, ha. On our walk back to the parking lot, I couldn't stand it any longer - I just HAD to go back to the location to see if the owl was still there, LOL. That's when I got this shot. By the way, I did "remove" a very thin twig that just overlapped the owl's side. There is nothing that could compare to a natural high like this!! I've been SO lucky this week, what with the rare Long-eared Owl on 7th November and now today's little owl.

"This tiny owl of western North America may be found in the southern boreal forest and adjacent foothills and mountains of west-central Alberta. Heavy coniferous forests or mixed forests dominated by conifers where there are nearby meadows or other clearings are the preferred habitat for this diminutive owl.

Primarily a daytime feeder, this fierce little owl will take prey much larger than itself, including many birds and rodents.

A pair of Northern Pygmy-Owls seeks out an abandoned hairy woodpecker or flicker cavity in which to lay their three to six white eggs. After a 28-day incubation, the owlets spend another 27 or 28 days in the nest cavity before they are ready for their first flight." From talkaboutwildlife. There are also four of my older photos of a Northern Pygmy-owl on the talkaboutwildlife page.

talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=164

Long-eared Owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:49:56 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

My little point-and-shoot camera just didn't do well yesterday morning, when we were SO lucky to see a Long-eared Owl in Fish Creek Park. It was high up in a Spruce tree, behind a tangle of branches, low light, camera pointed up towards the sky and too much towards the sun ... sigh. Almost every photo was very blurred - my camera had such a hard time focusing and even when the image looked fine in the view finder, the image still came out a blur. I did use flash on some shots, but I think it made things even worse : ) However, this was definitely a time to be very thankful for ANY photo (only about three) that came out well enough to keep - and post, LOL. This medium-sized species of Owl is rare in Calgary, so this sighting was a real treat! 31–37 cm (12-15 in) in length with an 86–98 cm (34-39 in) wingspan. Thanks so much, Tony! Brilliant spotting, as usual.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-eared_Owl

A fine ambassador

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:41:22 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This is Otis the Great Horned Owl, a great wildlife ambassador, who lives at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre (north west of Calgary, and west of Innisfail). He is unable to be released because of injuries, so devotes his life to educating people. Taken indoors, which is never a strong point for me and my camera : )

3 out of 15

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 23:31:13 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

These are just three of the 15 Great Horned Owls that are being rehabilitated at the moment at the Mediicine River Wildlife Centre, north west of Calgary, and west of Innisfail. We spent the day there on 4th July, botanizing their forest and meadows, as well as seeing some of the wildlife that had been brought to the Centre because of injury or being orphaned. The 15 owls were in a huge, almost barn-like enclosure (but without solid walls at the sides) outdoors in the forest. Some were at each end of the enclosure while we were inside, and occasionally one would fly to the opposite end. I do hope that every single owl recovers well and will be able to be released. "All birds admitted to MRWC must prove that they are avid flyers before their release into the wild." Taken from the MRWC's calendar.

Barred Owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:35:22 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

This beautiful Barred Owl is one of the many injured birds being cared for at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, north west of Calgary and west of Innisfail. We were so lucky to be able to spend the day on 4th July botanizing the forest and meadows of the area. I still haven't seen this species of owl in the wild.

Some of you may be having the same problems again with trying to type a description under your images. Every time a lowercase f is typed, you are sent straight to "on black" and you lose all your typing. Hope they fix this again soon!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_Owl

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If you go down to the woods today ...

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:57:45 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

As you can see, I'm definitely not posting this image for its photographic merit, LOL, but just thought some of you might like to see what I saw two evenings ago, especially those of you who never get to see owls. I went down into a local park to a spot where I had seen this family of five Great Horned Owls before, but they were nowhere to be seen. I wasn't hopeful at all that I'd find them elsewhere, but, as luck would have it, I suddenly found myself looking up the hill at the three youngsters perched on this branch. I kept my distance and used my 18x zoom plus a crop, and the owls are still this far away : )

I SPY - an OWL!

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:37:23 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

We had only just begun climbing down into Horseshoe Canyon when I spotted (with the naked eye!) this young Great Horned Owl sitting on a distant hillside within the Canyon - this is an 18x zoom photo. Within the next few minutes, four owls were seen! I would never have expected to find Great Horned Owls in this kind of landscape - but it made my day. I only ever need one special sighting on any walk or outing, so all the other things we were about to see were simply an added bonus : )

Watching Mom preen

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:41:06 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Two of the three Great Horned Owlets from Fish Creek Park, huddled up on a very high branch with Mom. I know they look just above eye-level and close, thanks to 18x zoom plus cropping, but they really were near the top of a very tall tree in the park! The third and youngest owlet was in a nearby tree, alone. Taken 12th May - haven't managed to get over to see them recently.

Stepping carefully

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:13:24 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

Coughing up a pellet

nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:57:23 +0000

Anne Elliott has posted:

A couple of evenings ago, when I was watching the Great Horned Owl family in Fish Creek Park, one of the owlets coughed up a pellet. However, instead of spitting it out, it swallowed it again, then coughed it up again, swallow, and so on, over and over again, LOL. I don't think I've ever captured a pellet being coughed up before. I also captured some funny expressions while it was doing this, with its face all screwed up, but it makes the face take on an almost human look, which was a little creepy. After a long morning walk at Carburn Park today, I called in to see "my" owls and then took just a short walk and found another pair of Great Horned Owls that I had been told about. Saw two adults but no sign of any young ones. Warning: this is a VERY heavily cropped image, so don't bother looking at large size, LOL.

"A pellet, in ornithology, is the mass of undigested parts of a bird's food that some bird species occasionally regurgitate. The contents of a bird's pellet depend on its diet, but can include the exoskeletons of insects, indigestible plant matter, bones, fur, feathers, bills, claws, and teeth .... Hawk and owl pellets are grey or brown, and range in shape from spherical to oblong or plug-shaped. In large birds, they are one to two inches long .... The hair, bones and other body parts (such as limbs, skin fragments, and even faeces) of rodents found in owl pellets may carry viable rodent viruses and bacteria. It is therefore advisable to sterilize pellets in a microwave oven before study. This is particularly important when using pellets at school." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellet_(ornithology)