https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/31372 https://cdn.ipernity.com/p/101/C3/7B/293827.buddy.jpg https://www.ipernity.com/tag/293827/keyword/31372 Thu, 28 May 2026 05:13:34 +0000 Thu, 28 May 2026 05:13:34 +0000 https://www.ipernity.com https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49658512 tag:ipernity.com,2019-07-18,doc-49658512 Thu, 18 Jul 2019 16:20:54 +0000 2019-07-11T14:52:19-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49658512"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/85/12/49658512.1f60d867.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission." People are remembering this exciting, successful event this week. I was trying to remember where I was when this all took place, so I checked. In the week before, we flew from Seria, Brunei, Borneo, back to England for a short while. On the journey from Borneo, we spent 6th - 13th July in Hong Kong, then in Rome, Italy, from 14th - 18th July, arriving in Birmingham, England, at my parents' house on 18th July. We ended up in Holland in October 1969 and returned to Borneo about a week before Christmas 1969. So, I am guessing that we were with my parents when the Moon Landing took place. My parents never had a TV, and I can't remember if we watched it at any friend's house. So much packing, travelling and chaos : )<br /> <br /> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> On 11 July 2019, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Total distance driven was 461 km, leaving home at 8:45 am and arriving back home 12 hours later, at 8:45 pm. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, to make sure I don't lose the courage to do this.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was a beautiful, sunny day, with plenty of white clouds Unlike when I did this drive in August 2018, there was no smoke from any wildfires, thank goodness. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing some on the way south and a few on the way home. I did spot one Ferruginous Hawk, but it was perched on a very distant fence post. I'm also wondering if one of the 'hawks' was actually an immature Golden Eagle - seen in photo #4 posted this morning. I saw it from a fair distance and I remember thinking what a large hawk it was. Stopping at an angle in the middle of the road, I managed to get one shot before it took off and a couple just as it was doing so. <br /> <br /> A couple of Common Nighthawks also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally in 2017, I managed to find four of them. In 2018, I was able to find just one. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. Very strange looking birds, and always a thrill to see one.<br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> My actual destination on 11 July 2019 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre 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. <br /> <br /> I love the changing scenery as one drives south, and my drive was timed perfectly to catch the golden Canola fields. Maybe half way, I pulled over to take a few photos of an old barn and there was a truck just pulling away. I thought the guy might have been taking photos, too. We got talking and one of the things we both said was that we had never seen a blue field of Flax Later in my drive, guess what I found : ) Looked beautiful, with blue on one side of the road and a field of yellow Canola on the opposite side. <br /> <br /> This was definitely a rewarding day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day!</div> Great Horned Owl - rehab <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49658512"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/85/12/49658512.1f60d867.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">"July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission." People are remembering this exciting, successful event this week. I was trying to remember where I was when this all took place, so I checked. In the week before, we flew from Seria, Brunei, Borneo, back to England for a short while. On the journey from Borneo, we spent 6th - 13th July in Hong Kong, then in Rome, Italy, from 14th - 18th July, arriving in Birmingham, England, at my parents' house on 18th July. We ended up in Holland in October 1969 and returned to Borneo about a week before Christmas 1969. So, I am guessing that we were with my parents when the Moon Landing took place. My parents never had a TV, and I can't remember if we watched it at any friend's house. So much packing, travelling and chaos : )<br /> <br /> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> On 11 July 2019, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Total distance driven was 461 km, leaving home at 8:45 am and arriving back home 12 hours later, at 8:45 pm. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, to make sure I don't lose the courage to do this.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was a beautiful, sunny day, with plenty of white clouds Unlike when I did this drive in August 2018, there was no smoke from any wildfires, thank goodness. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing some on the way south and a few on the way home. I did spot one Ferruginous Hawk, but it was perched on a very distant fence post. I'm also wondering if one of the 'hawks' was actually an immature Golden Eagle - seen in photo #4 posted this morning. I saw it from a fair distance and I remember thinking what a large hawk it was. Stopping at an angle in the middle of the road, I managed to get one shot before it took off and a couple just as it was doing so. <br /> <br /> A couple of Common Nighthawks also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally in 2017, I managed to find four of them. In 2018, I was able to find just one. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. Very strange looking birds, and always a thrill to see one.<br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> My actual destination on 11 July 2019 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where a photo was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre 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. <br /> <br /> I love the changing scenery as one drives south, and my drive was timed perfectly to catch the golden Canola fields. Maybe half way, I pulled over to take a few photos of an old barn and there was a truck just pulling away. I thought the guy might have been taking photos, too. We got talking and one of the things we both said was that we had never seen a blue field of Flax Later in my drive, guess what I found : ) Looked beautiful, with blue on one side of the road and a field of yellow Canola on the opposite side. <br /> <br /> This was definitely a rewarding day, full of sightings of all kinds. My favourite kind of day!</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49403300 tag:ipernity.com,2019-06-12,doc-49403300 Wed, 12 Jun 2019 19:33:21 +0000 2019-03-26T18:58:49-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49403300"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/00/49403300.a5169c38.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Just added the final 23 images taken on DAY 8, 26 March 2019, at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, South Texas. Too many problems with uploading today - usually, photos upload quickly and without issues for me. Sorry, so many blurry photos in this batch, but a lot of things were far away, or taken on a drive-by, or, in the case of this amazing little owl, taken in the evening just when it was getting/got dark and from a long way off. We had been told about this pair and after spending a few hours at the Santa Ana NWR, we made the drive to this special, undisclosed location. This was such a huge thrill, to see a pair of the smallest owls in the world, the Elf Owl. When we arrived, it was beginning to get dark. This owl was already in its cavity and then its mate flew to it, and then both owls flew off into the trees. <br /> <br /> "The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the owl family Strigidae, that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the world's lightest owl, although the long-whiskered owlet and the Tamaulipas pygmy owl are of a similarly diminutive length.[2] It is also the world's smallest owl.[3] The mean body weight of this species is 40 g (1.4 oz). These tiny owls are 12.5 to 14.5 cm (4.9 to 5.7 in) long and have a wingspan of about 27 cm (10.5 in).[4] Their primary projection (flight feather) extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bow-legged. They can often be heard calling to one another just after dusk or at sunset. Their call is a high-pitched whinny or chuckle. The male and female dart around trees and call back and forth.<br /> <br /> Elf owls usually choose abandoned, north-facing woodpecker cavities in saguaro cacti, sycamores, cottonwoods, and other hardwood trees, to raise their young. During dusk and just before dawn are the times this owl is most active, however, hunting is performed mostly during nocturnal hours.<br /> <br /> The Elf Owl migrates to the southwest United States; California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, in the spring and summer for breeding. In the winter, it is found in central and southern Mexico. Migrant elf owls return north in mid-April to early May. Resident populations occur in a couple of places in south central Mexico and along the Baja peninsula." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_owl</a></div> Day 8, tiny Elf Owl / Micrathene whitneyi - smallest owl in the world! <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/49403300"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/00/49403300.a5169c38.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Just added the final 23 images taken on DAY 8, 26 March 2019, at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, South Texas. Too many problems with uploading today - usually, photos upload quickly and without issues for me. Sorry, so many blurry photos in this batch, but a lot of things were far away, or taken on a drive-by, or, in the case of this amazing little owl, taken in the evening just when it was getting/got dark and from a long way off. We had been told about this pair and after spending a few hours at the Santa Ana NWR, we made the drive to this special, undisclosed location. This was such a huge thrill, to see a pair of the smallest owls in the world, the Elf Owl. When we arrived, it was beginning to get dark. This owl was already in its cavity and then its mate flew to it, and then both owls flew off into the trees. <br /> <br /> "The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the owl family Strigidae, that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the world's lightest owl, although the long-whiskered owlet and the Tamaulipas pygmy owl are of a similarly diminutive length.[2] It is also the world's smallest owl.[3] The mean body weight of this species is 40 g (1.4 oz). These tiny owls are 12.5 to 14.5 cm (4.9 to 5.7 in) long and have a wingspan of about 27 cm (10.5 in).[4] Their primary projection (flight feather) extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bow-legged. They can often be heard calling to one another just after dusk or at sunset. Their call is a high-pitched whinny or chuckle. The male and female dart around trees and call back and forth.<br /> <br /> Elf owls usually choose abandoned, north-facing woodpecker cavities in saguaro cacti, sycamores, cottonwoods, and other hardwood trees, to raise their young. During dusk and just before dawn are the times this owl is most active, however, hunting is performed mostly during nocturnal hours.<br /> <br /> The Elf Owl migrates to the southwest United States; California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, in the spring and summer for breeding. In the winter, it is found in central and southern Mexico. Migrant elf owls return north in mid-April to early May. Resident populations occur in a couple of places in south central Mexico and along the Baja peninsula." From Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307970 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-17,doc-48307970 Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:28:48 +0000 2016-03-20T10:25:20-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307970"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/70/48307970.6788aa7c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March 2016, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city again to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!"<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Great Gray Owl - from my archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307970"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/70/48307970.6788aa7c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March 2016, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city again to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!"<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307928 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-17,doc-48307928 Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:27:58 +0000 2019-02-14T16:36:47-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307928"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/28/48307928.d9b10d5c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."</div> Short-eared Owl out on a tree limb <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307928"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/28/48307928.d9b10d5c.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307920 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-17,doc-48307920 Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:27:07 +0000 2019-02-07T15:01:23-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307920"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/20/48307920.4059904a.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> "My actual reason for driving east of the city today, 7 February 2019, was to go and introduce myself to one of the local landowners in that area. About a week ago, her Grandson had been curious about what we were doing, parked along the side of the road. He told me that his Grandmother was really nervous, wondering what we were up to. Understandably so, as there is plenty of crime in rural areas. I had reassured him that anyone in any cars were birders/photographers, interested only in seeing and photographing the special owls that were on their land. He invited me to go in and meet his Grandma, but I had to explain to him that my night vision for driving is bad and that I needed to try and get back to the city before it got dark (ended up driving in the dark!). I told him that I would call in another day and I wanted to make sure that I did this. So, today was the day. Last night, I had printed out a photo I had taken a week ago of one of these Short-eared Owls, perched on a post in their field. Also printed a Snowy Owl and a Great Horned Owl for them, and we had an enjoyable chat about the different kinds of owl. I do hope this lady feels safer now that she knows exactly what we are all doing.<br /> <br /> It was SO cold out there today, thanks to our ongoing deep freeze. Despite being just a few degrees 'warmer' (i.e. less cold) today, it was bitterly cold. Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning. Again ..... <br /> <br /> Had a short search for Snowy Owls, but came up empty-handed. However, I did see a gorgeous Prairie Falcon."</div> Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48307920"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/79/20/48307920.4059904a.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> "My actual reason for driving east of the city today, 7 February 2019, was to go and introduce myself to one of the local landowners in that area. About a week ago, her Grandson had been curious about what we were doing, parked along the side of the road. He told me that his Grandmother was really nervous, wondering what we were up to. Understandably so, as there is plenty of crime in rural areas. I had reassured him that anyone in any cars were birders/photographers, interested only in seeing and photographing the special owls that were on their land. He invited me to go in and meet his Grandma, but I had to explain to him that my night vision for driving is bad and that I needed to try and get back to the city before it got dark (ended up driving in the dark!). I told him that I would call in another day and I wanted to make sure that I did this. So, today was the day. Last night, I had printed out a photo I had taken a week ago of one of these Short-eared Owls, perched on a post in their field. Also printed a Snowy Owl and a Great Horned Owl for them, and we had an enjoyable chat about the different kinds of owl. I do hope this lady feels safer now that she knows exactly what we are all doing.<br /> <br /> It was SO cold out there today, thanks to our ongoing deep freeze. Despite being just a few degrees 'warmer' (i.e. less cold) today, it was bitterly cold. Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning. Again ..... <br /> <br /> Had a short search for Snowy Owls, but came up empty-handed. However, I did see a gorgeous Prairie Falcon."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300604 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-16,doc-48300604 Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:44:01 +0000 2014-08-28T13:18:53-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300604"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/06/04/48300604.405b0e98.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. 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.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Burrowing Owl, ENDANGERED - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300604"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/06/04/48300604.405b0e98.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. 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.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300556 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-16,doc-48300556 Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:41:23 +0000 2014-08-28T18:07:40-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300556"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/05/56/48300556.adc3c019.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. 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.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Burrowing Owl, ENDANGERED - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48300556"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/05/56/48300556.adc3c019.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">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.<br /> <br /> I am going to be taking a break from posting photos on ipernity and Flickr soon - might or might not post anything after today. 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.<br /> <br /> "There are 43 images in my Burrowing Owl album - this photo shows one of the first and only Burrowing Owls that I have ever been fortunate enough to see in the wild. To say that it was a thrill is an understatement! These endangered owls are tiny and so difficult to see, especially when they are down in the grasses. They are a true delight when or if they are seen on a fence post, so that the whole of the bird can be seen, not just a bright yellow eye peering out between the blades of grass. We saw two different individuals, possibly three, and for a brief moment both were perched on distant fence posts at the same time. Most of the time, though, they were mainly hidden in the grass, so my photos tend to be of "eyes". Such a great pity that this is an endangered species! For years, I had longed to see a wild Burrowing Owl, but never thought it would actually happen! It was SO windy while we were there - could barely stand upright, despite leaning against the car. We would very quickly discover why it was this windy.<br /> <br /> During a three-day trip with a couple of friends, we saw so many things, I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will simply mention some of the things and then add more detail to each photo as I add them to my photostream. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. <br /> <br /> The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit, lol! We drove eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. Then an enormous storm cloud moved in. It was like nothing we had ever seen before - a menacing shelf (?) cloud that was travelling fast and furious. Despite trying our best to get away from it, it eventually engulfed our car, surrounding us with more or less zero visibility, pounding hail, thunder and lightning. There was nothing to do but stop the car and sit tight, hoping that the hail would not break the car windows and that this severe thunderstorm would not develop into a tornado! This storm was very scary, but at the same time, exciting (only because all turned out OK in the end!). Our road trip sure went out with a bang! Someone from the Alberta Tornado Watch told me that this particular storm was a Mesocyclone.<br /> <br /> So, a few of the things we saw - fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the Burrowing Owls, a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse (uncommon in Waterton Lakes National Park). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators."<br /> <br /> "As a result of the Burrowing Owl's ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298396 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-15,doc-48298396 Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:16:00 +0000 2017-05-28T12:16:54-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298396"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/96/48298396.8f5fdf7d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "If I remember correctly, the last Great Gray Owl I saw was on 1 June 2016, so it had been roughly a year since then - till yesterday! What a great day our group of four people had, taking part in the annual May Species Count, 2017. We travelled in just one car, which worked out well. On the 2016 May Species Count, we had been unable to find a Great Gray, but I drove back to the area the following day, and found two of them. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken of them, each owl is just as exciting as the very first.<br /> <br /> The owl in this photo was on a fence post when we first saw it. As is usually the case with these owls, it was focused on finding a Meadow Vole for a snack and in fact did catch one while I was watching. It moved to a few different fence posts in its search. Once it had caught its prey, it ate it there, down on the ground - with its back to us, of course. I was kind of hoping it would fly back up to the fence with it, but it didn't. <br /> <br /> While I was taking photos, various people came along the road, a couple in cars, but most were cyclists out for a long ride on such a beautiful, sunny day. The owl basically ignored everyone, giving just a quick glance at us every once in a while. Their concentration never fails to leave me in awe.<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl</a><br /> <br /> I've just seen the exact number of species we saw yesterday - 72! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired! In fact, so tired that, despite a day mostly at home yesterday, I was still so tired by the evening that I just couldn't look for and edit any photos for today : ) Most unusual for me - I usually fight tiredness, but definitely failed yesterday. <br /> <br /> Then today, 30 May 2017, I was out for the day south of the city with my Daughter (a belated day out for my birthday and Mother's Day), to Nanton and a few roads nearby and then making our way to Frank Lake and finally ending up at the Saskatoon Farm, where we decided to have an early supper. My favourite kind of day, so thank you, Rachel, as always!!"</div> Great Gray Owl - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298396"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/96/48298396.8f5fdf7d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "If I remember correctly, the last Great Gray Owl I saw was on 1 June 2016, so it had been roughly a year since then - till yesterday! What a great day our group of four people had, taking part in the annual May Species Count, 2017. We travelled in just one car, which worked out well. On the 2016 May Species Count, we had been unable to find a Great Gray, but I drove back to the area the following day, and found two of them. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken of them, each owl is just as exciting as the very first.<br /> <br /> The owl in this photo was on a fence post when we first saw it. As is usually the case with these owls, it was focused on finding a Meadow Vole for a snack and in fact did catch one while I was watching. It moved to a few different fence posts in its search. Once it had caught its prey, it ate it there, down on the ground - with its back to us, of course. I was kind of hoping it would fly back up to the fence with it, but it didn't. <br /> <br /> While I was taking photos, various people came along the road, a couple in cars, but most were cyclists out for a long ride on such a beautiful, sunny day. The owl basically ignored everyone, giving just a quick glance at us every once in a while. Their concentration never fails to leave me in awe.<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl</a><br /> <br /> I've just seen the exact number of species we saw yesterday - 72! Amazing, really. Three pairs of great eyes - plus me : ) Part of our Count covers some of my favourite roads, so it is not surprising that I enjoy it so much. Once the Count had finished, I drove a few of the roads again on my way home, mainly focusing on two pairs of Mountain Bluebirds that I had enjoyed watching last year. Needless to say, I went home feeling very happy after a long day of birding, and oh, so tired! In fact, so tired that, despite a day mostly at home yesterday, I was still so tired by the evening that I just couldn't look for and edit any photos for today : ) Most unusual for me - I usually fight tiredness, but definitely failed yesterday. <br /> <br /> Then today, 30 May 2017, I was out for the day south of the city with my Daughter (a belated day out for my birthday and Mother's Day), to Nanton and a few roads nearby and then making our way to Frank Lake and finally ending up at the Saskatoon Farm, where we decided to have an early supper. My favourite kind of day, so thank you, Rachel, as always!!"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298394 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-15,doc-48298394 Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:14:49 +0000 2015-01-14T15:02:51-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298394"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/94/48298394.8307bdc5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "On 14 January 2015, I called in at Fish Creek Park for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. I was lucky with both. People had already found one of the little owls. Somehow, everyone seemed able to manoeuvre their tripods and enormous lenses each time the owl moved to a different branch or a new tree. I love my easy little point-and-shoot : ) Some of my photos were taken at Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm, so the owl looks closer than it really was. We were all treated to some good views, and it was fascinating to watch the owl get ready to fly down to the snow-covered ground when it saw some movement. It goes through some interesting body behaviour in the seconds before that rapid dive. I can't remember if it did actually dive down this time. <br /> <br /> I was impressed that all the photographers were very respectful of this tiny owl, as this certainly doesn't always happen. Some of its time was spent perched extremely high in tall trees. Usually, it was just about within my camera reach and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, they seem very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate when people are present." <br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a></div> Northern Pygmy-owl - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48298394"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/83/94/48298394.8307bdc5.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo, taken on the same day. <br /> <br /> "On 14 January 2015, I called in at Fish Creek Park for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. I was lucky with both. People had already found one of the little owls. Somehow, everyone seemed able to manoeuvre their tripods and enormous lenses each time the owl moved to a different branch or a new tree. I love my easy little point-and-shoot : ) Some of my photos were taken at Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm, so the owl looks closer than it really was. We were all treated to some good views, and it was fascinating to watch the owl get ready to fly down to the snow-covered ground when it saw some movement. It goes through some interesting body behaviour in the seconds before that rapid dive. I can't remember if it did actually dive down this time. <br /> <br /> I was impressed that all the photographers were very respectful of this tiny owl, as this certainly doesn't always happen. Some of its time was spent perched extremely high in tall trees. Usually, it was just about within my camera reach and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, they seem very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate when people are present." <br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293328 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-14,doc-48293328 Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:34:18 +0000 2016-03-20T10:22:29-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293328"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/28/48293328.4b943a6d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl, perched on top of a small tree. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March 2016, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Great Gray Owl - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293328"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/33/28/48293328.4b943a6d.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl, perched on top of a small tree. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "After a long day out at Frank Lake on Saturday, 19 March 2016, and then checking the upcoming weather forecast, Sunday, 20 March, looked like it was going to be the only decent day of the coming week. Of course, we all know that weather forecasts can change. So, my alarm clocks were all set ridiculously early, though I still left home a bit later than I had intended, and I took myself NW of the city to see if I could see an owl. <br /> <br /> Just a handful of friends were there and we got a few moments of great views of this Great Gray Owl, including when it was down on the ground during a failed attempt to catch a Meadow Vole. I think it took all of us by surprise when it flew and landed near to us. During the rest of the time, I did see an owl fly off into the trees a couple of times, but the rest of the time was spent waiting and chatting with my friends. Patience .....<br /> <br /> While we were waiting, someone spotted a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird way down the road. I am pretty sure I had caught a quick glimpse of another Bluebird on my drive to my destination. Also, I seem to remember catching a quick sight of another one recently, but can't for the life of me remember where or when. It's always such a thrill to see a Bluebird, especially the very first of the season. That flash of bright blue takes one's breath away. Two beautiful birds to see on this first day of spring!<br /> <br /> "Although the Great Gray Owl is the tallest American owl with the largest wingspan, it is just a ball of feathers. It preys on small mammals and has relatively small feet. Both the Great Horned and Snowy owls weigh half again as much, and have larger feet and talons. The oldest recorded Great Gray Owl was at least 18 years, 9 months old and lived in Alberta." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293210 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-14,doc-48293210 Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:33:29 +0000 2015-01-14T15:13:59-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293210"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/10/48293210.97aae9df.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "Just over four years ago, on 14 January 2015, I called in at one of our city parks for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. Maybe even an owl. I was lucky with both and people had already found one of the little owls. It was an amazingly therapeutic outing - my daughter had died just 11 days before and it was so comforting to be with friends.<br /> <br /> Usually, the owl was just about within my camera range and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, these tiny owls seem to be very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate, when people are present. <br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl</a>"</div> Northern Pygmy-owl - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48293210"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/32/10/48293210.97aae9df.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera so, like I have been doing the last few days, I will add the description that I wrote under a previousy posted photo, taken during the same sighting of this gorgeous Great Gray Owl. Having posted photos of five different owl species in the last couple of days, I thought I would add two more species today.<br /> <br /> "Just over four years ago, on 14 January 2015, I called in at one of our city parks for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. Maybe even an owl. I was lucky with both and people had already found one of the little owls. It was an amazingly therapeutic outing - my daughter had died just 11 days before and it was so comforting to be with friends.<br /> <br /> Usually, the owl was just about within my camera range and we were all lucky enough to see it perched in a variety of places, including some closer views. Any very close photos that are on my photostream, taken on various days, were taken when the owl unexpectedly flew right to where people were standing, seemingly without any stress. You would think that the owls would move away to a different area if they were bothered by the presence of people. Instead, these tiny owls seem to be very tolerant, and continue to hunt, stash food (Meadow Voles) and even mate, when people are present. <br /> <br /> "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.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl</a>"</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48287590 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-13,doc-48287590 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 02:47:19 +0000 2018-08-21T13:36:01-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48287590"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/75/90/48287590.51d78054.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera at the moment, so I have added another three photos from my archives. I am adding the description from a previously posted photo taken on the same day.<br /> <br /> "On 21 August 2018, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Yes, it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks, as the hay bale they were standing on was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it. <br /> <br /> A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier in the year than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I did get a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. <br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> A Horned Lark, a Western Meadowlark juvenile, and a Vesper Sparrow gave me the chance for a photo or two, and a lone hawk I spotted way in the distance was a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as these hawks are so few and far between.<br /> <br /> My actual destination on 21 August 2018 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where it was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre 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."</div> Great Horned Owl / Bubo virginianus <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48287590"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/75/90/48287590.51d78054.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to get out with my camera at the moment, so I have added another three photos from my archives. I am adding the description from a previously posted photo taken on the same day.<br /> <br /> "On 21 August 2018, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there.<br /> <br /> Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Yes, it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography. <br /> <br /> It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks, as the hay bale they were standing on was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it. <br /> <br /> A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier in the year than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I did get a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. <br /> <br /> "On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id</a><br /> <br /> "North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-track-nighthawks-from-northern-alberta-to-brazil-1.4026199" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...</a><br /> <br /> A Horned Lark, a Western Meadowlark juvenile, and a Vesper Sparrow gave me the chance for a photo or two, and a lone hawk I spotted way in the distance was a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as these hawks are so few and far between.<br /> <br /> My actual destination on 21 August 2018 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where it was taken. <br /> <br /> This Centre 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."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269742 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-11,doc-48269742 Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:08:58 +0000 2012-05-28T17:38:30-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269742"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/42/48269742.9e9cece0.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to go out taking photos, so I dug into my archives again. I am posting the description I added under a previously posted photo taken on the same day, 28 May 2012. On a different day, I was priviledged to actually hold this youngster, when a friend, a raptor bander, came to band it. What an experience that was! I believe the last time I saw a Northern Hawk Owl was on 30 January 2017.<br /> <br /> "From the archives! I took lots of photos of this priceless Northern Hawk Owlet and other owls last year, but still haven't really gone through my images properly. So, the occasional one from almost a year ago might still pop up now and again on my photostream. This was the first day out of the nest for this little owlet : ) I believe the last time I saw a Northern Hawk Owl was on 29 January, 2017.<br /> <br /> We have been in a deep-freeze the last few days with windchill temperatures down to -40C. Far too cold to risk going out anywhere, including trying to take photos. The blizzard we had on Monday caused snowdrifts everywhere, and it would be all too easy to get ones car stuck in deep snow. So, into the photo archives I keep going!<br /> <br /> This Northern Hawk Owlet, with the piercing eyes, was the cutest little thing. We were so privileged to be able to watch this family of three on a number of occasions. This particular day, 28 May 2012, was the owlet's first day out of the nest and we watched as it climbed over the rough ground and on to fallen logs and eventually clawed and flapped its way up this short, very thin tree and perched on the curved top. Some time later, Mom flew in with a Meadow Vole for the hungry youngster."</div> Northern Hawk Owl juevnile - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269742"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/42/48269742.9e9cece0.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to go out taking photos, so I dug into my archives again. I am posting the description I added under a previously posted photo taken on the same day, 28 May 2012. On a different day, I was priviledged to actually hold this youngster, when a friend, a raptor bander, came to band it. What an experience that was! I believe the last time I saw a Northern Hawk Owl was on 30 January 2017.<br /> <br /> "From the archives! I took lots of photos of this priceless Northern Hawk Owlet and other owls last year, but still haven't really gone through my images properly. So, the occasional one from almost a year ago might still pop up now and again on my photostream. This was the first day out of the nest for this little owlet : ) I believe the last time I saw a Northern Hawk Owl was on 29 January, 2017.<br /> <br /> We have been in a deep-freeze the last few days with windchill temperatures down to -40C. Far too cold to risk going out anywhere, including trying to take photos. The blizzard we had on Monday caused snowdrifts everywhere, and it would be all too easy to get ones car stuck in deep snow. So, into the photo archives I keep going!<br /> <br /> This Northern Hawk Owlet, with the piercing eyes, was the cutest little thing. We were so privileged to be able to watch this family of three on a number of occasions. This particular day, 28 May 2012, was the owlet's first day out of the nest and we watched as it climbed over the rough ground and on to fallen logs and eventually clawed and flapped its way up this short, very thin tree and perched on the curved top. Some time later, Mom flew in with a Meadow Vole for the hungry youngster."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269740 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-11,doc-48269740 Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:07:15 +0000 2014-10-23T12:23:43-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269740"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/40/48269740.11ad4688.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to go out taking photos, so I dug into my archives again. I am adding the description from another photo I took at the same time and posted ages ago.<br /> <br /> "Yesterday afternoon, 23 October 2014, I finally did a drive south of the city and found an old barn that I really wanted to see, plus a few others. The photos of this barn that I had found on the Internet must have been taken by trespassing, or possibly before a No Trespassing sign was placed there, or even wth permission, as I could only get a view of the back of the barn from the road, lol! On this drive, or rather when looking at Google Earth the previous evening, I discovered that as well as having no sense of direction, I also have no sense of distance! <br /> <br /> Then I went in search of two grain elevators joined together by a long, low building. The most northerly one is one of the oldest in Alberta (built in 1905 I think, but certainly before 1909). I had pulled over and parked, taken a few shots right into the sun unfortunately and was just checking them back in the car. I was conscious of a man in a bright orange sweater approaching close to my car. When he stopped by my car, I opened the door – he seemed a bit puzzled as to what I was doing there, so I explained that I was photographing the elevators. Ha, it was the private owner of the elevators!!! I read on the Internet just now that he has a furniture manufacturing company in the long, low building that joins the two elevators together. I asked him if there was a better place to photograph them, and he said to take the previous little road. Much better! Some nice old train cars parked near them, too. I didn't realize that I was parked on private ground when the owner was talking with me! <br /> <br /> After the elevators, I explored a few other roads further south and ended up not far from the Saskatoon Farm. Called in and had quiche again : )<br /> <br /> Yesterday had started well, too. I found an e-mail from a friend, saying that they had just seen a Barred Owl in one of the local parks. I got over there just before noon and bumped into a few of my friends who had just finished a walk. Two of them said they would come with me and look for it again – and we found it!! This was the first 100% wild Barred Owl I’d ever seen. I had seen a family of them near Edmonton, when we went to see ones that had been banded. They were wild birds, but I still hoped to one day see a completely wild one (no nesting box). Yesterday’s owl was beautiful – crummy light, with a mix of harsh sunlight and dark shadows, but I did find one to post today. It was taken after the owl flew down to the ground from one tree, was out of sight briefly, and then we saw it in a somewhat closer tree.<br /> <br /> "The Barred Owl’s hooting call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” is a classic sound of old forests and treed swamps. But this attractive owl, with soulful brown eyes and brown-and-white-striped plumage, can also pass completely unnoticed as it flies noiselessly through the dense canopy or snoozes on a tree limb. Originally a bird of the east, during the twentieth century it spread through the Pacific Northwest and southward into California." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl</a></div> Barred Owl in FCPP - from the archives <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48269740"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/97/40/48269740.11ad4688.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">No time to go out taking photos, so I dug into my archives again. I am adding the description from another photo I took at the same time and posted ages ago.<br /> <br /> "Yesterday afternoon, 23 October 2014, I finally did a drive south of the city and found an old barn that I really wanted to see, plus a few others. The photos of this barn that I had found on the Internet must have been taken by trespassing, or possibly before a No Trespassing sign was placed there, or even wth permission, as I could only get a view of the back of the barn from the road, lol! On this drive, or rather when looking at Google Earth the previous evening, I discovered that as well as having no sense of direction, I also have no sense of distance! <br /> <br /> Then I went in search of two grain elevators joined together by a long, low building. The most northerly one is one of the oldest in Alberta (built in 1905 I think, but certainly before 1909). I had pulled over and parked, taken a few shots right into the sun unfortunately and was just checking them back in the car. I was conscious of a man in a bright orange sweater approaching close to my car. When he stopped by my car, I opened the door – he seemed a bit puzzled as to what I was doing there, so I explained that I was photographing the elevators. Ha, it was the private owner of the elevators!!! I read on the Internet just now that he has a furniture manufacturing company in the long, low building that joins the two elevators together. I asked him if there was a better place to photograph them, and he said to take the previous little road. Much better! Some nice old train cars parked near them, too. I didn't realize that I was parked on private ground when the owner was talking with me! <br /> <br /> After the elevators, I explored a few other roads further south and ended up not far from the Saskatoon Farm. Called in and had quiche again : )<br /> <br /> Yesterday had started well, too. I found an e-mail from a friend, saying that they had just seen a Barred Owl in one of the local parks. I got over there just before noon and bumped into a few of my friends who had just finished a walk. Two of them said they would come with me and look for it again – and we found it!! This was the first 100% wild Barred Owl I’d ever seen. I had seen a family of them near Edmonton, when we went to see ones that had been banded. They were wild birds, but I still hoped to one day see a completely wild one (no nesting box). Yesterday’s owl was beautiful – crummy light, with a mix of harsh sunlight and dark shadows, but I did find one to post today. It was taken after the owl flew down to the ground from one tree, was out of sight briefly, and then we saw it in a somewhat closer tree.<br /> <br /> "The Barred Owl’s hooting call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” is a classic sound of old forests and treed swamps. But this attractive owl, with soulful brown eyes and brown-and-white-striped plumage, can also pass completely unnoticed as it flies noiselessly through the dense canopy or snoozes on a tree limb. Originally a bird of the east, during the twentieth century it spread through the Pacific Northwest and southward into California." From AllAboutBirds.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_owl</a></div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48259320 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-10,doc-48259320 Sun, 10 Mar 2019 15:50:16 +0000 2019-02-14T16:58:48-06:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48259320"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/93/20/48259320.941a5a0f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="182" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Did everyone remember to set their clocks forward an hour? I totally forgot - a good job I didn't have an appointment or something. This morning, too, I have had the Blue Screen of Death twice! Both times, I was on Facebook. Again hardly any photos being posted by My Contacts on Flickr.<br /> <br /> This was a totally accidental shot, taken on 14 February 2019, with my old Canon SX60, which I hadn't used for ages. When I took the first few shots, I could tell something was happening inside my camera, rather like a camera set on burst (which I never use). However, this was different and when I reviewed the photos, I discovered that I must have caught the dial somehow and it was on a different setting. The result was a set of six completely different images, every one now deleted except for two of them. <br /> <br /> This encounter was one that gave us the opportunity to take some reasonable photos. I was so happy, as I had longed to see a Short-eared Owl on a close fence post for several years. Can't say I'm exactly enjoying posting any owl photo though, after the last eight or nine unpleasant days, but I do want to add any OK images to my albums. In case any local photographers just happen to read this, apparently the RCMP have been called out to the area several times because of the number of people and cars. I haven’t been out there since 27 February.<br /> <br /> This is what I wrote under a previously posted photo taken at the same time:<br /> <br /> "On 14 February, 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.<br /> <br /> We were very lucky with an owl sighting and this one flew to a fairly close fence post - and just stayed there. Looks like a bit of its most recent snack of Meadow Vole was still on the tip of its beak. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam H, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."<br /> <br /> Our deep-freeze, that has lasted many weeks, has finally broken! Today, 9 March 2019, the temperature is -4C (windchill) -8C. This coming week, highs are supposed to be 0C and above. We might get some snow on a couple of the days.</div> Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48259320"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/93/20/48259320.941a5a0f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="182" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Did everyone remember to set their clocks forward an hour? I totally forgot - a good job I didn't have an appointment or something. This morning, too, I have had the Blue Screen of Death twice! Both times, I was on Facebook. Again hardly any photos being posted by My Contacts on Flickr.<br /> <br /> This was a totally accidental shot, taken on 14 February 2019, with my old Canon SX60, which I hadn't used for ages. When I took the first few shots, I could tell something was happening inside my camera, rather like a camera set on burst (which I never use). However, this was different and when I reviewed the photos, I discovered that I must have caught the dial somehow and it was on a different setting. The result was a set of six completely different images, every one now deleted except for two of them. <br /> <br /> This encounter was one that gave us the opportunity to take some reasonable photos. I was so happy, as I had longed to see a Short-eared Owl on a close fence post for several years. Can't say I'm exactly enjoying posting any owl photo though, after the last eight or nine unpleasant days, but I do want to add any OK images to my albums. In case any local photographers just happen to read this, apparently the RCMP have been called out to the area several times because of the number of people and cars. I haven’t been out there since 27 February.<br /> <br /> This is what I wrote under a previously posted photo taken at the same time:<br /> <br /> "On 14 February, 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.<br /> <br /> We were very lucky with an owl sighting and this one flew to a fairly close fence post - and just stayed there. Looks like a bit of its most recent snack of Meadow Vole was still on the tip of its beak. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam H, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."<br /> <br /> Our deep-freeze, that has lasted many weeks, has finally broken! Today, 9 March 2019, the temperature is -4C (windchill) -8C. This coming week, highs are supposed to be 0C and above. We might get some snow on a couple of the days.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48252644 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-09,doc-48252644 Sat, 09 Mar 2019 22:34:32 +0000 2019-02-14T17:24:30-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48252644"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/26/44/48252644.6531968f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Today, I wasn't going to post any photos, but decided to edit and upload four in between doing (far more) important and very urgent things. Just needed a break.<br /> <br /> Thank goodness for zoom : ) This encounter was one that gave us the opportunity to take some reasonable photos. I was so happy, as I had longed to see a Short-eared Owl on a close fence post for several years. Can't say I'm exactly enjoying posting any owl photo after the last eight or nine unpleasant days, though, but I do want to add the few OK images to my albums. In case any local photographers just happen to read this, apparently the RCMP have been called out to the area several times because of the number of people and cars. I haven’t been out there since 27 February.<br /> <br /> This is what I wrote under a previously posted photo taken at the same time:<br /> <br /> "On 14 February, 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.<br /> <br /> We were very lucky with an owl sighting and this one flew to a fairly close fence post - and just stayed there. Looks like a bit of its most recent snack of Meadow Vole was still on the tip of its beak. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."<br /> <br /> Our deep-freeze, that has lasted many weeks, has finally broken! Today, 9 March 2019, the temperature is -4C (windchill) -8C. This coming week, highs are supposed to be 0C and above. We might get some snow on a couple of the days.</div> Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48252644"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/26/44/48252644.6531968f.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">Today, I wasn't going to post any photos, but decided to edit and upload four in between doing (far more) important and very urgent things. Just needed a break.<br /> <br /> Thank goodness for zoom : ) This encounter was one that gave us the opportunity to take some reasonable photos. I was so happy, as I had longed to see a Short-eared Owl on a close fence post for several years. Can't say I'm exactly enjoying posting any owl photo after the last eight or nine unpleasant days, though, but I do want to add the few OK images to my albums. In case any local photographers just happen to read this, apparently the RCMP have been called out to the area several times because of the number of people and cars. I haven’t been out there since 27 February.<br /> <br /> This is what I wrote under a previously posted photo taken at the same time:<br /> <br /> "On 14 February, 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.<br /> <br /> We were very lucky with an owl sighting and this one flew to a fairly close fence post - and just stayed there. Looks like a bit of its most recent snack of Meadow Vole was still on the tip of its beak. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."<br /> <br /> Our deep-freeze, that has lasted many weeks, has finally broken! Today, 9 March 2019, the temperature is -4C (windchill) -8C. This coming week, highs are supposed to be 0C and above. We might get some snow on a couple of the days.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48225184 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-08,doc-48225184 Fri, 08 Mar 2019 17:40:53 +0000 2019-02-14T17:21:28-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48225184"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/51/84/48225184.ce68c324.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This was just a brief encounter and I only got maybe two or three dozen photos. I was so happy, though, as I had longed to see a Short-eared Owl on a close fence post for several years. Can't say I'm exactly enjoying posting any owl photo after the last eight or nine unpleasant days, though, but I do want to add the few OK images to my albums. In case any local photographers just happen to read this, apparently the RCMP have been called out to the area several times because of the number of people and cars. I haven’t been out there since 27 February.<br /> <br /> This is what I wrote under a previously posted photo taken at the same time:<br /> <br /> "On 14 February, 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.<br /> <br /> We were very lucky with an owl sighting and this one flew to a fairly close fence post - and just stayed there. Looks like a bit of its most recent snack of Meadow Vole was still on the tip of its beak. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."</div> Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48225184"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/51/84/48225184.ce68c324.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">This was just a brief encounter and I only got maybe two or three dozen photos. I was so happy, though, as I had longed to see a Short-eared Owl on a close fence post for several years. Can't say I'm exactly enjoying posting any owl photo after the last eight or nine unpleasant days, though, but I do want to add the few OK images to my albums. In case any local photographers just happen to read this, apparently the RCMP have been called out to the area several times because of the number of people and cars. I haven’t been out there since 27 February.<br /> <br /> This is what I wrote under a previously posted photo taken at the same time:<br /> <br /> "On 14 February, 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.<br /> <br /> We were very lucky with an owl sighting and this one flew to a fairly close fence post - and just stayed there. Looks like a bit of its most recent snack of Meadow Vole was still on the tip of its beak. <br /> <br /> 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. <br /> <br /> Many thanks, Pam, for the invite and this absolute treat! So much appreciated."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48219266 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-07,doc-48219266 Thu, 07 Mar 2019 16:57:03 +0000 2019-01-30T16:38:14-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48219266"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/92/66/48219266.0e015173.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">At the moment, I am just too tired and mentally/emotionally exhausted from the last eight days to reword a description for this photo. Instead, I will simply copy and paste what I wrote on a previousy posted (on 31 January) image taken at the same time. This is one of a few photos that came out OK - the rest were horribly blurry from the heat coming from a vehicle that I had to stand against, and need to be deleted. Three cars were parked here, including mine, and we were not on the 'main' road. By the way, if anyone reads this, apparently the Police have been called out to the area a few times, i.e. don't stop/park!<br /> <br /> "There were a few reasons why I needed/wanted to get out for a drive yesterday, 30 January 2019. I am wondering if the fact that I have had house mice is having an ill effect on my health. I have spent so much time the last few weeks, trying to declutter and get rid of a lot of stuff, and I'm not sure if I have disturbed the mouse spray and been breathing it in. You can't vacuum when you've had mice, so I haven't been doing that, but you still disturb things when sorting and moving belongings. I always have a cough - for years, and they couldn't find out the cause - but it has been worse recently. Anyway, I thought I would get out into the fresh air for a few hours today. Also, the forecast was for clouds and I thought this might be easier to drive in. The sun recently has been so glaringly bright and it affects my eyes. Note to self - must get my eyes checked sometime this year!<br /> <br /> So, on this cloudy, low-light day, I made my way east of the city, hoping to maybe see an owl of some sort. I quickly checked to see if any Short-eared Owls were to be seen, though I knew it was probably too early in the day for them to be out. No sign of one at all. Time to drive a few back roads in case there was a Snowy Owl in sight. Some of the roads I travelled were ones that I hadn't driven before, which was good for me. Though I have been east of the city many times over the years, I have still only driven a few of the roads myself. I was fortunate to find two Snowy Owls; first a beautiful, streaked female, and then on a different road, a handsome male who flew off when I was still half a mile down the road.<br /> <br /> There was still time to go back to look for a Short-eared Owl and this time, there were several of them. Most of the time, they were either flying far away or landing in the middle of a huge field. However, at the end, one did land on a post and stayed there for quite some time. Awkward to photograph, though, when there are other cars and photographers. I couldn't see anything at first, as there were two cars in front of me. In the end, I got out of my car and carefully stood between the two vehicles - couldn't see well around the first car and couldn't move out any further otherwise I would have blocked a friend's long lens behind me. I suspected that my photos were blurry because of the front car and for my last few photos, I moved around and stood away from the heat rising from the vehicle. That made a difference - now I have several somewhat sharper images, and an awful lot of blurry shots to delete. Sigh ....<br /> <br /> A young relative of one of the landowners came across the field and I had quite a long, interesting talk with him. He wondered what all the cars in the area were doing and I explained about the owls and that we were all birders/photographers. He said his grandmother was so worried and stressed out - quite afraid. I told him that I am always concerned when photographers do this, as I know it must make some landowners nervous (understandably, with the crime rate in rural areas), and told him to please apologize to his grandma, and to also reassure her that we are all good, harmless people, interested only in trying to get photos of the owls.<br /> <br /> Another reason to get out yesterday was that we are about to have a drastic change in our weather! For weeks now, we have been enjoying much milder winter weather, but on Sunday, 3 February, the forecast is for a high of -22C (windchill -31C). A high of -24C for Monday."</div> Short-eared Owl - from January <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48219266"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/92/66/48219266.0e015173.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="240" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">At the moment, I am just too tired and mentally/emotionally exhausted from the last eight days to reword a description for this photo. Instead, I will simply copy and paste what I wrote on a previousy posted (on 31 January) image taken at the same time. This is one of a few photos that came out OK - the rest were horribly blurry from the heat coming from a vehicle that I had to stand against, and need to be deleted. Three cars were parked here, including mine, and we were not on the 'main' road. By the way, if anyone reads this, apparently the Police have been called out to the area a few times, i.e. don't stop/park!<br /> <br /> "There were a few reasons why I needed/wanted to get out for a drive yesterday, 30 January 2019. I am wondering if the fact that I have had house mice is having an ill effect on my health. I have spent so much time the last few weeks, trying to declutter and get rid of a lot of stuff, and I'm not sure if I have disturbed the mouse spray and been breathing it in. You can't vacuum when you've had mice, so I haven't been doing that, but you still disturb things when sorting and moving belongings. I always have a cough - for years, and they couldn't find out the cause - but it has been worse recently. Anyway, I thought I would get out into the fresh air for a few hours today. Also, the forecast was for clouds and I thought this might be easier to drive in. The sun recently has been so glaringly bright and it affects my eyes. Note to self - must get my eyes checked sometime this year!<br /> <br /> So, on this cloudy, low-light day, I made my way east of the city, hoping to maybe see an owl of some sort. I quickly checked to see if any Short-eared Owls were to be seen, though I knew it was probably too early in the day for them to be out. No sign of one at all. Time to drive a few back roads in case there was a Snowy Owl in sight. Some of the roads I travelled were ones that I hadn't driven before, which was good for me. Though I have been east of the city many times over the years, I have still only driven a few of the roads myself. I was fortunate to find two Snowy Owls; first a beautiful, streaked female, and then on a different road, a handsome male who flew off when I was still half a mile down the road.<br /> <br /> There was still time to go back to look for a Short-eared Owl and this time, there were several of them. Most of the time, they were either flying far away or landing in the middle of a huge field. However, at the end, one did land on a post and stayed there for quite some time. Awkward to photograph, though, when there are other cars and photographers. I couldn't see anything at first, as there were two cars in front of me. In the end, I got out of my car and carefully stood between the two vehicles - couldn't see well around the first car and couldn't move out any further otherwise I would have blocked a friend's long lens behind me. I suspected that my photos were blurry because of the front car and for my last few photos, I moved around and stood away from the heat rising from the vehicle. That made a difference - now I have several somewhat sharper images, and an awful lot of blurry shots to delete. Sigh ....<br /> <br /> A young relative of one of the landowners came across the field and I had quite a long, interesting talk with him. He wondered what all the cars in the area were doing and I explained about the owls and that we were all birders/photographers. He said his grandmother was so worried and stressed out - quite afraid. I told him that I am always concerned when photographers do this, as I know it must make some landowners nervous (understandably, with the crime rate in rural areas), and told him to please apologize to his grandma, and to also reassure her that we are all good, harmless people, interested only in trying to get photos of the owls.<br /> <br /> Another reason to get out yesterday was that we are about to have a drastic change in our weather! For weeks now, we have been enjoying much milder winter weather, but on Sunday, 3 February, the forecast is for a high of -22C (windchill -31C). A high of -24C for Monday."</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48209974 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-05,doc-48209974 Tue, 05 Mar 2019 06:48:47 +0000 2019-02-27T16:18:24-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48209974"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/74/48209974.71400394.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The Long-eared Owl is nocturnal and roosts in trees during the daytime, which is exactly where this one was when I first saw it. Though these owls are secretive, this one was so easy to find because of the huge crowd of photographers who, unfortunately, were already there.<br /> <br /> "The Long-eared Owl has erect blackish ear-tufts, which are positioned in the centre of the head. The ear-tufts are used to make the owl appear larger to other owls while perched. The female is larger in size and darker in colouration than the male." From Wikipedia.</div> Long-eared Owl <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48209974"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/74/48209974.71400394.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="180" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">The Long-eared Owl is nocturnal and roosts in trees during the daytime, which is exactly where this one was when I first saw it. Though these owls are secretive, this one was so easy to find because of the huge crowd of photographers who, unfortunately, were already there.<br /> <br /> "The Long-eared Owl has erect blackish ear-tufts, which are positioned in the centre of the head. The ear-tufts are used to make the owl appear larger to other owls while perched. The female is larger in size and darker in colouration than the male." From Wikipedia.</div> Anne Elliott https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48209962 tag:ipernity.com,2019-03-04,doc-48209962 Mon, 04 Mar 2019 17:52:02 +0000 2019-02-07T15:02:11-07:00 nobody@ipernity.com (Anne Elliott) <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48209962"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/62/48209962.036ebd41.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A brief update on the Facebook issue: the photographer responsible for the posting has now deleted the post and all the angry, accusing comments left by people who changed the subject from road safety to people going out to photograph owls far too often, taking too many photos, etc., etc.. Thank goodness, I can now try and forget the whole thing, though it really doesn't make me look forward to going anywhere to take photos.<br /> <br /> On the day I took this photo, my actual reason for driving east of the city was to go and introduce myself to one of the local landowners in that area. About a week before, her Grandson had been curious about what people were doing, parked along the side of the roads. He told me that his Grandmother was really nervous and afraid, wondering what we were up to. Understandably so, as there is so much crime in rural areas. I had reassured him that anyone in any cars were photographers, interested only in seeing and photographing the special owls that were on their land. He invited me to go in and meet his Grandma, but I had to explain to him that my night vision for driving is bad and that I needed to try and get back to the city before it got dark (ended up driving in the dark!). I told him that I would call in another day and I wanted to make sure that I did this. So, the night before I returned, I had printed out a photo that I had taken a week ago of one of these Short-eared Owls, perched on a post in their field. Also printed a Snowy Owl and a Great Horned Owl for them, and we had an enjoyable chat about the different kinds of owl. I do hope this lady feels safer now that she knows exactly what everyone is doing. Farmers in the area are not happy with the situation, though.</div> Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus <p class="who"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/home/293827">Anne Elliott</a> has posted:</p><p class="preview"><a href="https://www.ipernity.com/doc/293827/48209962"><img src="https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/99/62/48209962.036ebd41.240.jpg?r2" width="240" height="181" alt=""/></a></p><div class="description">A brief update on the Facebook issue: the photographer responsible for the posting has now deleted the post and all the angry, accusing comments left by people who changed the subject from road safety to people going out to photograph owls far too often, taking too many photos, etc., etc.. Thank goodness, I can now try and forget the whole thing, though it really doesn't make me look forward to going anywhere to take photos.<br /> <br /> On the day I took this photo, my actual reason for driving east of the city was to go and introduce myself to one of the local landowners in that area. About a week before, her Grandson had been curious about what people were doing, parked along the side of the roads. He told me that his Grandmother was really nervous and afraid, wondering what we were up to. Understandably so, as there is so much crime in rural areas. I had reassured him that anyone in any cars were photographers, interested only in seeing and photographing the special owls that were on their land. He invited me to go in and meet his Grandma, but I had to explain to him that my night vision for driving is bad and that I needed to try and get back to the city before it got dark (ended up driving in the dark!). I told him that I would call in another day and I wanted to make sure that I did this. So, the night before I returned, I had printed out a photo that I had taken a week ago of one of these Short-eared Owls, perched on a post in their field. Also printed a Snowy Owl and a Great Horned Owl for them, and we had an enjoyable chat about the different kinds of owl. I do hope this lady feels safer now that she knows exactly what everyone is doing. Farmers in the area are not happy with the situation, though.</div> Anne Elliott