Snowshoe Hare in hiding
House Finch enjoying the sun's warmth
A face at the window, but not an owl : )
Roll on spring and summer!
Juvenile Herring Gull?
Bug convention
Stealthy Coyote
When the light catches
Seven-spotted Ladybug larva
Fluffed up for winter
One of yesterday's treasures
Summer's glow
Old and new on the prairies
Gotta love those Chickadees
A winter moment
Concentration
Little church in the foothills
One of these things is not like the others
Time for a snack
Winter shadows
-30C windchill ... need colour!
Mistaya Canyon, Icefields Parkway
Strawberries and cream fungus
Just for my records
Towards the sun
Love Alberta
Resting on a pylon
Couldn't resist RED
A beautiful setting
Herronton elevator
Brushstrokes in the sky
Little cutie from the archives
Yellow Straw Flower
Impressive
The classic Echinacea shot
Ice castle at Lake Louise, 2008
My very first Long-eared Owl, October 2006
Harsh reality
Summer sweetness
A good vantage point
Globe Thistle
Frosty Long-eared Owl
Forest display
Always a real treat
Lower Falls, Johnston Canyon, Kananaskis
See also...
See more...Keywords
Authorizations, license
-
Visible by: Everyone -
All rights reserved
-
424 visits
Waiting patiently


On 10 January 2014, I had to remove my vehicle from the parking lot for the whole day, so that snow removal people could remove some of the snow and ice. I decided that if I drove over to the west of the city and went for a walk, that would kill a few hours. A Great Gray Owl had recently been reported, so I knew I needed to keep my eyes open. Shortly after I started, I passed someone who had just seen the owl about 20 minutes earlier, so I felt hopeful that it was still there. Further into the park, several other people gradually appeared, and it's always useful to have extra pairs of eyes. Eventually, it was finally spotted, hidden within the trees - well hidden! While I was there, it flew along the outer edge of the trees and then in among the trees, giving us some good views each time. It's always fascinating to watch how focused these owls are when hunting - it did catch a Meadow Vole and flew up to a broken tree stump deep within the trees to feed on it. A few other attempts were made, but when it landed, it was out of sight, so I don't know if it caught some other prey or not. I was exhausted by the time I got home, mainly from walking through the deep snow. So glad I was "forced" out of my home, though, otherwise I wouldn't have made the effort to drive across the city. We don't normally get Great Gray Owls within Calgary - I think one was reported something like 17 years ago - so this was an absolute treat. The owl was seen on several days over a period of maybe 10 days or so, but I don't think it has been seen since then, so presumably it has moved on. Always a shame when this happens and lots of people still hadn't had the chance to see it - but that's birding for you! This one may be a juvenile.
A friend sent me the following information that she had received from Gus Yaki, a well-known Naturalist in the city. When asked about the possibility of the food supply having run out, he did not think the owl was feeding well because it was hunting during mid-day. It should have been hunting at dawn and dusk and sleeping during the day. He said they have excellent hearing. Also, he said he has not seen many small mammal tracks at this location and apparently the Meadow Voles have to surface to allow carbon dioxide to exit from their tunnels. He also said the owls see in ultraviolet which causes mouse urine to shine so they would see that." Thank you for passing on this interesting information, Bonnie.
A friend sent me the following information that she had received from Gus Yaki, a well-known Naturalist in the city. When asked about the possibility of the food supply having run out, he did not think the owl was feeding well because it was hunting during mid-day. It should have been hunting at dawn and dusk and sleeping during the day. He said they have excellent hearing. Also, he said he has not seen many small mammal tracks at this location and apparently the Meadow Voles have to surface to allow carbon dioxide to exit from their tunnels. He also said the owls see in ultraviolet which causes mouse urine to shine so they would see that." Thank you for passing on this interesting information, Bonnie.
, , LeapFrog and 2 other people have particularly liked this photo
- Keyboard shortcuts:
Jump to top
RSS feed- Latest comments - Subscribe to the comment feeds of this photo
- ipernity © 2007-2025
- Help & Contact
|
Club news
|
About ipernity
|
History |
ipernity Club & Prices |
Guide of good conduct
Donate | Group guidelines | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Statutes | In memoria -
Facebook
Twitter
Sign-in to write a comment.