03 Short-eared Owl / Asio flammeus
02 Mountain Lady's Slipper / Cypripedium montanum
01 Varied Thrush / Ixoreus naevius
Ice carving at Lake Louise
A local Great Horned Owl
Another day closer
Remembering the snow
Wild Blue Columbine / Aquilegia brevistyla
Hunting for Meadow Voles
Just a splash of colour
Datura flower?
The Famous Five from a distance
Stavely, Alberta, grain elevator
Farmyard scene on the prairie
A quick glance
Davisburg Community Church, Alberta
Mountain view on an owl-less day
One of my favourite barns
A little corner of Reader Rock Garden
Siberian Squill
One of a pair
Himalayan Blue Poppy
'Hiding' in the grass
McDougall Memorial United Church
A snack for his babies
Great Gray Owl with its catch
And they call this winter (in Alberta)?
Blink .... and spring will be here
Pine Grosbeak enjoying the sun
Sunlight on distant peaks
A cluster of red barns
McDougall Memorial United Church
Little church in the valley
Rough-Fruited Fairybells / Prosartes trachycarpa
Well camouflaged, except for those eyes
Tall Lungwort / Mertensia paniculata
Fort Macleod grain elevator, Alberta
Springtime colour
A few little wrigglers
Wild Blue Columbine / Aquilegia brevistyla
A view through the bushes
Smiling in the snow
Remembering a cold, frosty bird count
Yesterday's treat - a Great Gray Owl
Narrow strip of light
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Natural beauty


My alarm clocks were set for 5:30 eight mornings ago, 28 February 2016, and I was full of hope that for once, I would actually get out of the house good and early. I have such a problem getting myself out very early when I go off for a drive by myself. I think it was something like 8:30 am by the time I dragged myself off the computer and out the front door. To my horror, I discovered that my car door locks had frozen shut and my car was totally covered in a thick layer of extremely stubborn ice, that took me a long time to remove. Half an hour or so later, I was finally ready to start on my trip NW of the city.
It had been quite a long time since I saw my last Great Gray Owl. Some of my most recent sightings had been one that was in Fish Creek Park in Calgary for a while and my last photos of it were taken on 18 February 2014. There was also a Great Gray at Griffith Woods, Calgary, and some of my photos were taken on 10 February 2014. Saw another owl on our May Species Count out of the city on 25 May 2014. Many of my 'best' sightings and photos of Great Grays were taken NW of Calgary, the last dates being 28 March 2013 and 5 May 2013. So, after 25 May 2014 .... nothing! Seeing one four days ago was such a thrill. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken, each owl is as exciting and breath-taking as the very first.
"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.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl
When I first reached my approximate destination, I could see two or three cars way down the road, pulled over at the edge of the road. Often a good sign : ) Sure enough, friends had found an owl, It was on a distant barbed-wire fence post at first, then dove into the snow to try and catch a Meadow Vole. It then flew off into the trees with it and didn't return.
After a while, I drove some of the other roads in the area and later drove back to where the owl had been seen. Amazingly, assuming it was the same individual, it was in a distant tree, from where it hunted, moving to a different tree each time it made an unsuccesful dive. Eventually, it did catch a Vole. I left after a while, feeling that it was time to leave the owl 'in peace', and also knowing it was time for me to make the long drive home - approximately 246 km round trip. The excitement plus the long drive (on less than three hours' sleep) totally wore me out and I felt so tired the next day.
A good thing I went when I did, as we had fog, a bit of snow, hoarfrost and very slick roads overnight till the following afternoon. There were 234 reported accidents in the city during those hours, none with life-threatening injuries, thankfully.
It had been quite a long time since I saw my last Great Gray Owl. Some of my most recent sightings had been one that was in Fish Creek Park in Calgary for a while and my last photos of it were taken on 18 February 2014. There was also a Great Gray at Griffith Woods, Calgary, and some of my photos were taken on 10 February 2014. Saw another owl on our May Species Count out of the city on 25 May 2014. Many of my 'best' sightings and photos of Great Grays were taken NW of Calgary, the last dates being 28 March 2013 and 5 May 2013. So, after 25 May 2014 .... nothing! Seeing one four days ago was such a thrill. No matter how many times I see one of these owls and no matter how many hundreds/thousands of photos I've taken, each owl is as exciting and breath-taking as the very first.
"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.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/lifehistory
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_owl
When I first reached my approximate destination, I could see two or three cars way down the road, pulled over at the edge of the road. Often a good sign : ) Sure enough, friends had found an owl, It was on a distant barbed-wire fence post at first, then dove into the snow to try and catch a Meadow Vole. It then flew off into the trees with it and didn't return.
After a while, I drove some of the other roads in the area and later drove back to where the owl had been seen. Amazingly, assuming it was the same individual, it was in a distant tree, from where it hunted, moving to a different tree each time it made an unsuccesful dive. Eventually, it did catch a Vole. I left after a while, feeling that it was time to leave the owl 'in peace', and also knowing it was time for me to make the long drive home - approximately 246 km round trip. The excitement plus the long drive (on less than three hours' sleep) totally wore me out and I felt so tired the next day.
A good thing I went when I did, as we had fog, a bit of snow, hoarfrost and very slick roads overnight till the following afternoon. There were 234 reported accidents in the city during those hours, none with life-threatening injuries, thankfully.
, Malik Raoulda, have particularly liked this photo
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