Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Bubo scandiaca

This photo was taken just as the sun was going down, but I thought I would try it anyway. I lightened the very dark image, but it was quite blurry. Better than nothing, though : ) This was the last of the Snowy Owls that we saw on Friday, 4 January 2013, on our way back to Calgary after a long day of searching for birds for the Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Christmas Bird Count. This was the last Count I took part in - the very last one was the following day. Our territory (section of the huge circle) for the Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Bird Count was on the north side of the Red Deer River, including the Tyrrell Museum area. This is Dinosaur country, the wonderful Badlands of Alberta! We drove some of the residential alleys looking for birds at feeders as well as in trees, and walked along the edge of the river at McMullen Island (it only becomes an island when the river level rises). The Red Deer River was completely frozen; 12 inches of snow cover. The day started off cloudy, clearing to beautiful sunshine, calm and a temperature of -14C soaring to 6C (yes, that's +6C!). Left my house at 5:40 a.m. and got home maybe 7:45 p.m. (?) Total kms-73; Total kms by car-68; Total kms on foot-5. Total hours-7; Total by car-4.5; Total on foot-2hrs; In cafe-0.5 hrs.. Just in case anyone is interested in what species the four of us found, this is the list for the day: Rock Pigeon-1 Eurasian Collared Dove-24 Great Horned Owl-1 Snowy Owl-1 Downy Woodpecker-5, Hairy Woodpecker-4 Northern Flicker-4 Pileated Woodpecker-1 Blue Jay-4 Black-billed Magpie-38 Black-capped Chickadee-17 White-breasted Nuthatch 3. Bohemian Waxwing-96 White-winged Crossbill-2 Common Redpoll-139 House Sparrow-42 We actually saw a total of six Snowy Owls, but only one actually in our Count area. As far as photos for the day are concerned, all I managed bird-wise was a Eurasian Collared Dove, a Red Crossbill and a couple of Snowy Owl photos. However, the scenery covered in snow was beautiful (and, as usual, my photos don't even begin to do it justice).

Poor quality, but posted so that I can add to my Snowy Owl Set - one of the Snowy owls we saw on 4 January 2013, when four of us drove eastwards to take part in the annual Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Christmas Bird Count.

This was the sixth and last Snowy Owl that our small group of four came across on 4 January 2013. Only one of the Snowy Owls was actually within our territory on the Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Christmas Bird Count, so even though we couldn't count the other five, we had the joy of simply seeing them (some were far away). Our territory was north of the River, including the Tyrrell Museum area. The owl in my image was the last owl we saw, on our way back to Calgary, taken when sunset was not far away. Had to brighten the image a fair bit.

I would never have seen this magnificent Snowy Owl if friends, Dorothy and Stephen, hadn't invited me to go with them on a spur-of-the-moment drive east of the city yesterday. So, thanks to them, I got the chance to take photos of this female (or juvenile) and three other Snowies that we found. The first Owl was perched on an electricity power line, way down the road and unfortunately was mobbed by a whole flock of small birds (Snow Buntings or Common Redpolls) making it fly way off across a field. The second one was so far away, sitting on the ground in a huge field that was a mix of snow and golden stubble. I just happened to notice the tiniest white speck - probably not far off a kilometre away?) - with my naked eyes. We pulled over and, sure enough, it was a Snowy. I might post a photo I took, using 48 times zoom and then heavily cropped, to give an idea, for those who have never been on a Snowy Owl search, just how difficult these birds can be to find : ) The owl in my photo above was the third owl we saw - perched on the usual, ugly, electricity pole. Apart from maybe two or three quick turns of the head in our direction, it sat for the whole time with the back of its head towards us, ha. The fourth owl, seen on our way back home, must have been a young one, as it was so curious about us. It just had a young look to it and really was quite cute to watch. Though these Snowy Owls were simply amazing to see, as always, I was already on a natural high from seeing a few flocks of beautiful Snow Buntings and Common Redpolls, that were flying over the fields and landing briefly on and around the barbed-wire fence near the road. Both are such beautiful birds. Thanks so much, you guys, for this wonderful time!

Happy Birthday to my youngest daughter today! 12-12-12 is the last major numerical date using the Gregorian or Christian calendar for a long, long time. The next time three numbers will align as they did on 9-9-09, 10-10-10 and 11-11-11 will be on Jan. 1, 3001, or 1-1-1. This Snowy Owl was the fourth and last Snowy that friends and I saw on 7 December 2012, when we went for a drive east of the city, hoping to find even just one of these amazing owls. This one looked and acted like a juvenile, being quite curious about us in a rather cute way. Maybe a young male? Yes, blue sky would have been nice, but I'll take a white sky any day if it has a beautiful Snowy Owl in front of it : ) We have a white sky again today and it's snowing, again. Have to get over to my volunteer shift, so I'm really hoping that the roads won't be too bad. It's -10C, windchill -15C. So far, the forecast looks reasonable for the weekend, when I will have two full days of the annual Christmas Bird Counts, one in the city and the other in the mountains. What has Flickr done to the options at the top of the page - the word "Home" has been removed, and also the Search for a person. What on earth was wrong with how it was before??? These little changes are just so annoying - not to mention unnecessary!

A heavily cropped capture of this beautiful Snowy Owl, one of three sightings by eight of us on the annual High River Christmas Bird Count, on 18 December 2012. It was reported as being three sightings of the same owl, but I think a photo of one of the sightings shows a much lighter bird. The second photo, which I will post maybe tomorrow, was of an owl that was perched not on top of a power pole, but at the very top of one of the giant electricity pylons - so was barely little more than a white speck : ) Old Man WInter has returned. It's -18C this evening and forecast is for snow tonight and tomorrow. A windchilll of -33C (temperature -23C) tomorrow kind of makes me almost wish that the Drumheller and area (i.e. the Badlands, where the dinosaurs used to roam) Christmas Bird Count will be cancelled - doubt it, though. Just hope my car starts. I know for sure I won't be feeling like having to clear snow off my car and scrape ice off the car windows - especially around 5:15 in the morning!!! I like to think this is dedication - but really, it's madness, lol! 5-10 cm of snow from Friday overnight to Saturday overnight. A short while later, just got a phone call, saying that the trip has been cancelled due to concern about drifting snow and the possibility of one of the cars getting stuck (it has happened before several times and is not fun!). Now I don't have to sit here, wondering whether to go or not to go : ) An interesting webpage, with photos, about sexing and aging of Snowy Owls: www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/snowy.htm With the holiday season upon us, here is a reminder from YouTube, that I saw on Dan's Facebook page. Please Don't Drink and Drive! Warning - very graphic - but that is what is needed! And yet people continue to do so ... youtu.be/45oV6PssNu4

Posting for the record, not for technical quality, as it was cropped to almost nothing (after 48x zoom), lol. This bird was barely more than a speck in the distance, perched not on a tall power pole, but right at the very top of one of the gigantic power pylons that you see in the Frank Lake area. I've never seen a Snowy Owl that high up before. Photographed it for my own record, but I'm also curious as, on the final report, we had Snowy Owl-1 (seen 3 times). I'll add a different photo, taken at a slightly different location, in the comment box. Would really appreciate your opinion as to whether you think these are the same bird. I just wonder how much difference there would be in the light at such a height, that would make the owl appear paler. To me, they look like very different individuals.

Taken on a very overcast day, January 29th, when friends Ron and Trish very kindly invited me to go along with them to look for Snowy Owls NE and E of the city. The top of a power pole seems to be a favourite perching spot for these magnificent birds, unfortunately : ) Not sure if this is a female or a juvenile. An interesting webpage, about sexing and aging of Snowy Owls: www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/snowy.htm Stuck at home for the day, as my vehicle is getting a service today. Just after 8:00 a.m., my phone rang and I always dread hearing back from the service people, expecting a long list of repairs or needed replacements that they have "discovered", ha. This time, there was just one thing - the trailing arm bushings (i.e. axle) are badly cracked/torn. Also told that my tires are very worn, which I had expected, so I guess I had better do a bit of research and then head off in the next few days to a nearby place that I have used before - they have an excellent reputation. A good job that our roads have been clear of snow and ice most of the winter.

An absolute fluke - posted just for fun, not brilliant photography, lol! Taken on January 29th, when out east of the city with friends Ron and Trish.

Not the best photo, as it was taken on a very overcast day, and I couldn't get any colour from those gorgeous eyes. It also looks like the owl may have been down on some muddy ground, plus the insulator looks rusty. However, I don't get many Snowy Owl photos taken in the wild, so wanted to keep track of this one. Taken on January 29th 2012, east of Calgary. I'm adding a link to a beautiful video on the Snowy Owl from YouTube. Thanks, Darlisa, for adding it with your comment! Uploaded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. youtu.be/Ufkcx-UqljM

The forecast for yesterday was "cloudy periods", but overcast sky was all we got the whole time we were out NE and E of the city : ) I wasn't expecting any of my photos to turn out, so was happily surprised to find that they were sharp enough to use once brightened. A beautiful blue sky as a background would have been nice, of course, but I was still thrilled to not only see Snowy Owls but to get a few photos of them. Flickr friends Ron and Trish invited me to go on this drive with them and Ron, in true form, found 12 of these birds for us : ) About three of the birds were close enough and gave us just enough time to quickly take some photos - I would have been content with just one bird and one reasonable image! Thanks so much, both of you, for this special treat! Hope your colds clear up really soon! An interesting webpage, about sexing and aging of Snowy Owls: www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/snowy.htm Adding this at the end of the day: just found this link on my Daughter-in-law's Facebook page (thanks for posting it, Carrie) - a video of a horribly abused little dog, Edie, who was rescued from being put down. A real tear-jerker, for sure. Hard to understand how people can be this cruel to another living being - but incredible how just a moment's kindness can work miracles. Sadly, this is just one of endless videos that all share this common theme. Eldad (Hope for Paws, www.hopeforpaws.org/ ) has such a way with animals and there are many videos of his work. He is also on Flickr, www.flickr.com/photos/eldad75/ . www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.godvine.com/Meet-the-... UPDATE on tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl - a few of us went over to Carburn Park around lunch time today, but there was no sign of this owl in its usual place. Hope it hasn't left the area for good.