Explore, Flickr

A fish has been spotted! The churning water at the base of the Weir creates bubbling, foamy water which leads to a whole variety of Pelican photo backgrounds.

Wish I had seen this bird out in the wild, though I have seen Great Greys in the countryside before but from a distance. Instead, I have had to make do so far with getting my closer shots at the Calgary Zoo. The aviaries there have Great Greys as well as other owls, with nothing between you and the birds. This owl was sitting in a tree inside one of the huge aviaries maybe 10 feet away from me. Quite an experience to find oneself looking into THESE eyes! Not a single slight movement was missed by these sharp eyes. This is a photo I posted when I first joined Flickr and I don't have any record of what # it reached in Explore. I do know that it was at #416 at one point. Thanks, everyone, for taking a look!

The Black-capped Chickadee is the most common bird to fly down to one's hand (my daughter's in this photo) here in Calgary. I have only had these, plus Boreal Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches on my hand but will hope for a White-breasted Nuthatch and maybe even a Downy Woodpecker this winter. Thanks everyone!

I happened to turn my head whilst talking to someone on a winter walk and found myself looking into the big round eyes of this tiny owl sitting on a nearby branch. Had to wipe the ice off my camera lens in order to try and get any photos. They are very poor quality but this is the only Northern Saw-whet Owl that I have ever seen. I believe the highest this photo got on Explore was #119 on 11th November 2006. Thanks, everyone!

Not a good quality photo, thanks to very poor lighting and ice on my lens! However, it was fascinating to watch this young, little Northern Saw-whet Owl keep a close eye on something moving on the ground - something that might taste good! I believe the highest this photo got on Explore was 259 on 2nd November 2006. Thanks everyone!

The weather was strange on the day I took this photo. The sky was dark grey yet the sun was throwing a golden light on the white feathers of this magnificent Snowy Owl. I'm not sure if it is a female or a young male. The adult males are white but females and young males have the dark streaking on them to varying degrees. I know this photo was #495 at one point, but have no record of whether it got any higher.

Thank you, little Chickadee, for making my day! When there is nothing else around, you and your friends are always there to greet me whenever I go for a walk.

This was such a magical hour, spent quietly watching and photographing this young Great Horned Owl. A few days ago, we noticed that their nesting tree stump had fallen or been blown to the ground. Hopefully, they will choose another tree in the same area for nesting next spring. (Note to self: I used a similar photo to this one for my 2008 calendar.)

I'm not sure whose eyes were bigger and rounder when we first found ourselves staring at each other! Magical!