Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#324

I rarely see Western Meadowlarks, so I'm always happy when I do spot one. I hoped it might turn around to face me, but no, I was out of luck. Fortunately, it did turn its head so that at least a bit of bright yellow could be seen. On 28 July 2014, I drove along some of the dusty, gravel backroads SE of the city. It was another really hot day, so I just had to get out of the house and into the air-conditioning of my vehicle. Some of the fields were still pure gold, but others seemed to have already lost their colour. Birds seen that afternoon/evening included a Barn Swallow, a young Marsh Wren that was enjoying a dust bath, a single young Sora, several Coots including one young one, two or three different species of shore bird (will eventually post photos, but I may not have the IDs), American Avocets, a couple of Swainson's Hawks, a lone White-faced Ibis on one of the small sloughs in the area. and this Western Meadowlark. "The buoyant, flutelike melody of the Western Meadowlark ringing out across a field can brighten anyone’s day. Meadowlarks are often more easily heard than seen, unless you spot a male singing from a fence post. This colorful member of the blackbird family flashes a vibrant yellow breast crossed by a distinctive, black, V-shaped band. Look and listen for these stout ground feeders in grasslands, meadows, pastures, and along marsh edges throughout the West and Midwest, where flocks strut and feed on seeds and insects." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/western_meadowlark/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_meadowlark

Sorry - still haven't quite run out of photos of this beautiful Northern Hawk Owl from March 21st : ) I love to see its piercing eyes staring down at the ground, watching and listening for movement of little Meadow Voles. Have to take myself off for a few hours today, as my very painful arms need a break from the computer mouse.

This Barred Owl was sitting in a tree right by the path in the aviary at the Calgary Zoo. I was probably about 8' away from it, with nothing between it and me. A great feeling. We do get these owls in the wild in Alberta, but I haven't yet seen one. A few steps further along the path and I came upon a gorgeous Great Grey Owl sitting on top of a thin, dead tree trunk right out in the open. It proceeded to preen itself, which was quite a sight. Will be posting a photo.