Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: branchling

Happy Father's Day, everyone! Back to posting after missing yesterday. I was so absolutely tired the previous evening, that I just didn't manage to find and edit photos to post early yesterday morning. I know part of the reason is lack of sleep, but I have felt overwhelmingly tired since getting back from Trinidad & Tobago. I need to get more sleep and then see if that helps. If not, I guess it is always possible that I picked up something during our trip. These are two of three Great Horned Owl owlets, seen yesterday, 17 June 2017, when five of us went east of the city for the day, to visit our friend, Shirley, at her seasonal trailer. A third owlet was perched on a nearby branch and Mom was in the same tree. Dad was keeping watch over his beautiful family from a nearby tree. Apparently, there had been a fourth owlet, but it died the other day. I always find it amusing to see how different young owls are from each other. It makes them look like they have very different personalities. Just a few seconds ago, I looked at the somewhat darker patch low down in front of the owl on the right and discovered that this owlet is grasping a small bird in its talons! Fancy that! Most of our birding was done at and near Shirley's trailer site, including seeing this wonderful owl family, two Killdeer and their nests, a Baltimore Oriole, and (finally!) a Brown Thrasher. I had hoped for several years to see one of these birds, so it was a real treat to see a 'lifer'. It was far away and so high up, but I managed to get a couple of shots just for the record. As we were walking around the grounds, two ladies stopped us and showed us some baby birds that they had had to remove from the engine of their vehicle, as they needed to drive. They wondered if we knew what kind of birds they were, but we were unable to help. I posted a photo of them this morning, just in case someone can ID them. The ladies had a bird house that they were going to put the babies into, hoping that the parents would hear them calling and be able to continue feeding them. Thank you so much, Shirley, for inviting us all out to visit you while you were there for the weekend! It was such a pleasure to see some of "your" birds that you enjoy so much. Such a great variety of species! Wow, what a lunch we had, sitting at a table under the Tree Swallow tree, with a very vocal American Robin just a few feet away. How DO birds manage to sing non-stop?! Hot chili made by Shirley, and a whole array of delicious salads and desserts left me feeling full till the early evening. Many thanks, Anne B, for picking up three of us and for driving us east across the prairies. Hugely appreciated!

Brrr ....! I turned on my heating this afternoon (4 September 2015), when the temperature outside was 6C (feeling like 2C apparently). Yesterday, I took my winter jacket to have a long tear on one sleeve repaired, so I guess the weather thought it would be funny to give us temperatures that are more like winter for a few days : ) It's such a gloomy, overcast day, with four more like it in the forecast. Then back to much nicer weather, thank goodness. On 10 August 2015, I drove to where one of the Osprey families in the city had their nest, built on a high, wooden platform. Luckily, I got there when the family was reasonably active - by the time I left, the three youngsters had settled down into the nest and disappeared from sight. The light was harsh and it was a really hot day. This photo is fully zoomed (48x, and according to the EXIF data, the Focal Length (35mm format) is 1200 mm), I always stay far away so as not to stress any of the birds - also, those talons look really big and really sharp, and I still remember reading a number of years ago that Ospreys will attack anything or anyone that gets near their nest. When I arrived, one of the adults had been perched on the end of the wooden bar on the right. When it flew off in search of food, a third young one that had been near the adult, very gingerly made its way the few inches to where the adult had been standing, turned around and, after some wing stretches and flapping, very carefully returned to its original spot (just off my photo to the left). Some of the time, I could see one or both of the adults flying around, very high up. They returned to the nest with food a couple of times, but I was too slow to catch these moments properly. "Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey

A week ago, on 10 August 2015, I drove to where one of the Osprey families in the city had their nest, built on a high, wooden platform. Luckily, I got there when the family was reasonably active - by the time I left, the three youngsters had settled down into the nest and disappeared from sight. This photo is fully zoomed (48x, and according to the EXIF data, the Focal Length (35mm format) is 1200 mm), as I always stay far away so as not to stress any of the birds - also, those talons look really big and really sharp, and I still remember reading a number of years ago that Ospreys will attack anything or anyone that gets near their nest. One of the adults had been perched on the end of this wooden bar. When it flew off in search of food, this young one that had been near the adult, very gingerly made its way the few inches to where the adult had been standing, turned around and, after some wing stretches and flapping, very carefully returned to its original spot. I also got a shot of one of the other nestlings when, with a powerful flap of its wings, it became airborne for a few seconds. Some of the time, I could see one or both of the adults flying around, very high up. They returned to the nest with food a couple of times, but I was too slow to catch these moments properly. "Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey

I hadn't been downtown for many years, but yesterday, I had the chance to meet several friends for a birding walk at Pearce Estate, along the Bow River. After the walk, we carpooled to nearby downtown, hoping to find the Great Horned Owl family that people have been seeing. It was a much longer walk than I was expecting, but we were so lucky to find them, and not where I had been expecting them to be. As is often the case, Mom (?) and the three owlets were high up in different trees, not posing too well for most of the time, and not in good light. This owlet, that looked like the "middle child" of the family, did eventually sit up, so I was able to get this and a few other shots. The ice in that area was so treacherous, so I moved as little as possible, and extremely cautiously. A real treat to see this little family, though, and so early in the year! Mom must have laid the eggs around 1st January, as the owlets were pretty much adult-sized and either branched or fledged. Most unusual - wonder why this happened. We were half expecting the family to have moved from this particular area, but were so relieved to find that they hadn't. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for giving me a ride to downtown and back to my car! Without it, I would not have had the chance to see these precious little owls. Thanks also for the coffee and a treat afterwards - amazing how much better coffee tastes after walking for a few hours! It really hit the spot : )

This afternoon, I called in at my local park and searched for the two Great Horned Owlets. When I went down in the pouring rain yesterday, all I could find was Dad, but no sign of Mom or the young ones. I had the feeling that the babies had fledged and become branchlings, but could see no sign of them. Photographer Phil told me that he had seen them out of the nest yesterday (or was it the day before?), so my gut feeling was correct. I was about to go home today, after a fruitless - or should I say, owless? - search, when my eyes caught sight of two very fluffy "behinds", LOL! They were perched way, way up in a tall tree, motionless (asleep, I suspect). After a while, they began to move and I managed to get a few distant photos. They must be around six weeks old, I think. Very unsteady on their feet when moving along the branch and I witnessed a few balance problems. At one point, I even let out a very loud gasp. Very cute to see. Oh, and Phil, they are MY owls, not YOURS, LOL! Thanks for your comment on my previous owlet image that had the long narrative (about malicious gossip) below it - hilarious, and I'm still smiling! Thanks for SHARING your information - the more eyes, the better : )

Let me introduce you to one of the two Great Horned owlets at Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park! Presumably, this is the older one, and s/he has now left the nest and ventured up the branch to higher "ground". Adorable to watch and always amusing when they lift up a foot and appear to examine their talons, as if wondering what it is, LOL. Would love to have been there when this large baby climbed upwards for the very first time. Balance still needs to be worked on, ha, ha.

This is one of the two Great Horned Owlets from Sikome, Fish Creek Park. I dashed over there yesterday evening, after getting a phone call from a thoughtful friend (thanks so much, Phil!), and managed to get a couple of shots that are just about worth keeping. This little guy/gal had apparently been active, but when I arrived, it hauled itself up this tree and decided it would stay there : ) Couldn't find a clear view, unfortunately. Its sibling, who had also fledged, was much higher up in a nearby tree, and Mom and Dad were of course in other nearby trees. What beautiful creatures they are!

Most of the time that I was watching this little branchling, its sibling and their Mother in Fish Creek Park yesterday, all three had their backs turned towards me. Once in a while, I was in luck and managed to catch a glimpse of the front side. I called in again to see them late this afternoon, after my volunteer shift, but all three Great Horned Owls were back in the nest and you could only see one of the youngsters properly. Was out this morning for about two and half hours, botanizing the Upper Plateau of Edworthy Park. Feels so good to finally see an occasional spring wildflower in bloom. Posting so late today: and lack of sleep, plus warmth, bright sun, and unaccustomed exercise have totally worn me out today. Didn't help that a Robin woke me up about 3:30 a.m. this morning (after just one hour of sleep) and then proceeded to sing its little heart out for two hours, outside my bedroom window, until I eventually managed to get back to sleep. When my alarm went off one hour later, it was still singing, lol. Sigh .... Jim (Garnite) - here's a little feathery friend of mine, helping to send lots of warm, fuzzy vibes to you, lots of healing thoughts. Sounds like you are still headed in the right direction. Thinking of you and Linda!