Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: snowy branches

Yesterday was a cold but beautiful day. Went on a three-hour walk at Votier's Flats, Fish Creek Park, in the morning, and we saw some good birds, including several of these beautiful Pine Grosbeaks - this one is a female, while the males are red. I think the back view is the best angle, with those black and white wings. We were very lucky that three of them flew into a Saskatoon bush near the path, as usually we see these birds at a great distance. Other birds we saw were two very distant Bald Eagles, a juvenile Northern Goshawk, a Wilson's Snipe, a Pileated Woodpecker, an American Dipper, plus all the usual. From Fish Creek Park, I went straight to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. I don't usually go "chasing" after a rather more special bird that has been reported, but I will sometimes do so if it's an owl : ) Someone had photographed a little Northern Saw-whet Owl there recently, so I thought it was worth going to see if there was any sign of it. Ha, no there wasn't, but instead I found myself staring into a big, round, yellow eye, deep within a Spruce tree. Yep, a Great Horned Owl. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Grosbeak/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Grosbeak 12:00 noon : Hold Your Clicks a Moment .....

This is the pair of Great Horned Owls that lives down at Sikome, in Fish Creek Park. I've been "following" them for several years now - always a joy to see. They weren't in their usual winter tree, but in another one close by. Even so, they were not easy to spot from so far away, hidden deep within the snow-covered branches of this Spruce tree. Often, you find these owls closer to the trunk, which makes it even more difficult to find them. They really do have amazing camouflage. Yesterday was an absolute winter wonderland, despite being cold (-11C, windchill -18C) and lacking the sun. Hoar frost covered every tiny twig and blade of dried grass, and it was snowing all day long. Today is an even more overcast, grey day with more snow falling, useless for photos, so maybe I can get on with all my overseas Christmas letters and cards!