Picked for demonstration
Entrance to a ranch
Cattle drive
A view from the Porcupine Hills
Old times remembered
Great Gray Owl, focused
Cattle drive - and a few old barns and sheds
Stubble pattern
Northern Hawk Owl
Skull on a fence post
Logging piles in the Porcupine Hills
Upper Kananaskis Lake
Colour among the mosses and lichens
Greenish sky beneath a Chinook Arch
Bark patterns on a cut log
Wild Bergamot
Farm cat
Meadow Vole for a late lunch
Lovable Llama
Showing off its gills
Meerkat deep in thought
Always glad to see a Snowy
Mountain Chickadee
Moose in the mountains
A mix of textures
Mandrill
Burrowing Owl
Guardian of the path
Humboldt Penguin / Spheniscus humboldti
Chocolate Pansy / Chocolate Soldier / Junonia iphi…
Heart of a Snowdrop
Perch with a good view
Mountain Goat
Mongoose Lemur
Taveta Golden Weaver
Such a beautiful owl
Just needed colour
Peacefully waiting
Dreaming of spring
Great Gray Owl from 2013
Seedhead wisps
Typically Western
Quietly watching, always alert
Decorating the base of a tree
Mountain Chickadee / Poecile gambeli
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Eyes fixed on supper


On 29 January 2017, I left home hoping to see one species of owl and came home having seen a different species instead! There was no sign of the first kind of owl, despite quite a few other pairs of eyes that had been searching. I don't normally drive from one location to another one that is a long way away, but I did this day, and I am so glad I did. I am not disclosing the area, especially after what some photographers have been doing recently to get close photos of a Barred Owl. While most photographers are respectful of wildlife, there are always those who will do anything to get a closer shot or an in-flight capture. The EXIF data for this photo is Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm.
When I reached my second destination, I slowed down, starting to check the trees and fence line. Then I spotted a car parked further up the road and found that there were a couple of photographers who had already found the owl.
In the short time I was there, this beautiful Northern Hawk Owl was busy hunting, flying from tree to tree and along the fence line. I saw the owl dive into the snow twice - not sure if it caught a Meadow Vole the first time or not, as I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, but I did see it with a Meadow Vole dangling from its beak the second time. Sorry for the little rodent, but glad that the owl had a tasty snack.
The last time I was lucky enough to see one of these gorgeous birds of prey was on 8 February 2016, NW of the city, one year ago. It was just the same thrill seeing the one in this photo!
"The type of prey the Hawk-Owl catches will determine its eating strategy. For mammalian prey the ritual is generally the same: the Northern Hawk-Owl will eviscerate its prey, eats the head first (especially for prey like the red squirrel, whose head is fairly large), and then—when tackling larger prey—it will eat the organs and cache the remains; with smaller prey, the owl will simply swallow the body whole."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl
"The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org
When I reached my second destination, I slowed down, starting to check the trees and fence line. Then I spotted a car parked further up the road and found that there were a couple of photographers who had already found the owl.
In the short time I was there, this beautiful Northern Hawk Owl was busy hunting, flying from tree to tree and along the fence line. I saw the owl dive into the snow twice - not sure if it caught a Meadow Vole the first time or not, as I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, but I did see it with a Meadow Vole dangling from its beak the second time. Sorry for the little rodent, but glad that the owl had a tasty snack.
The last time I was lucky enough to see one of these gorgeous birds of prey was on 8 February 2016, NW of the city, one year ago. It was just the same thrill seeing the one in this photo!
"The type of prey the Hawk-Owl catches will determine its eating strategy. For mammalian prey the ritual is generally the same: the Northern Hawk-Owl will eviscerate its prey, eats the head first (especially for prey like the red squirrel, whose head is fairly large), and then—when tackling larger prey—it will eat the organs and cache the remains; with smaller prey, the owl will simply swallow the body whole."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl
"The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org
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