Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: rehabilitation

My thoughts are with all those living on the east coast and inland, who are facing or about to face the force of Hurricane Florence. What a relief to wake up (very late) this morning and discover that the forecast overnight snow flurries did not arrive here, at least not in my part of the city! Around 1:00 am this morning, the temperature was -1C (windchill -6C)! I am SO not ready for this! My actual destination on 21 August 2018 was the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge. I know some people feel that photographing birds that are not out in the wild is cheating. I kind of agree, though I think it's fine as long as someone says where it was taken. I have seen and photographed many wild Bald Eagles in their natural habitat, but I still love seeing them at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale - up close and personal, at least when zoomed. This adult had just done a flight display and had been given a hosepipe shower to cool him down. Poor guy, he seems to have lost his regal look. "Once a common sight in much of the continent, the bald eagle was severely affected in the mid-20th century by a variety of factors, among them the thinning of egg shells attributed to use of the pesticide DDT. Bald eagles, like many birds of prey, were especially affected by DDT due to biomagnification. DDT itself was not lethal to the adult bird, but it interfered with the bird's calcium metabolism, making the bird either sterile or unable to lay healthy eggs. Female eagles laid eggs that were too brittle to withstand the weight of a brooding adult, making it nearly impossible for the eggs to hatch. It is estimated that in the early 18th century, the bald eagle population was 300,000–500,000,[118] but by the 1950s there were only 412 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states of the US. Other factors in bald eagle population reductions were a widespread loss of suitable habitat, as well as both legal and illegal shooting. DDT was completely banned in Canada in 1989, though its use had been highly restricted since the late 1970s." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_eagle On the spur of the moment the previous night, I decided that I might just try and get up early the next morning and go for a drive. The smoke from the British Columbia wildfires hasn't been hanging around the last few days, so I knew I really should make the most of a clear day. It turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there. I left home at 9:00 am, just a bit later than I had hoped. Arrived back home somewhere around 8:30 pm. Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Unfortunately, I discovered that it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography. It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two of the hawks, as the hay bale was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it. A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I got a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail. A Horned Lark, a Vesper Sparrow, a Mourning Dove, and a Western Meadowlark gave me the chance for a photo or two and, to my delight, a hawk I spotted way in the distance did turn out to be a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as they tend to be few and far between.

I loved the chance to get some close shots of a little Burrowing Owl and all sorts of other Birds of Prey on two recent trips down south, to the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre. I know it's not the same as seeing birds in the wild, but it does give one the opportunity to really see what each bird looks like. I have never seen a Burrowing Owl in the wild - but it's something I would love to do.

The "surprised" expression on a Long-eared Owl's face always makes me smile : ) It is rare to see one of these here in the wild - have only seen either two or three. The one in my photo lives at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, southern Alberta, along with many other injured species. Taken through a chain link cage wall, hence the faded areas.

This tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl with an injured or amputated wing looked so "sad" when I saw it at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre on 16th May. I've only ever seen one of these owls in the wild, a few years ago. They like forested areas, including many wooded parks and ravines in the city, but they are heard more than seen.

This beautiful Barred Owl is one of the many injured birds being cared for at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, north west of Calgary and west of Innisfail. We were so lucky to be able to spend the day on 4th July botanizing the forest and meadows of the area. I still haven't seen this species of owl in the wild. Some of you may be having the same problems again with trying to type a description under your images. Every time a lowercase f is typed, you are sent straight to "on black" and you lose all your typing. Hope they fix this again soon! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_Owl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are just three of the 15 Great Horned Owls that are being rehabilitated at the moment at the Mediicine River Wildlife Centre, north west of Calgary, and west of Innisfail. We spent the day there on 4th July, botanizing their forest and meadows, as well as seeing some of the wildlife that had been brought to the Centre because of injury or being orphaned. The 15 owls were in a huge, almost barn-like enclosure (but without solid walls at the sides) outdoors in the forest. Some were at each end of the enclosure while we were inside, and occasionally one would fly to the opposite end. I do hope that every single owl recovers well and will be able to be released. "All birds admitted to MRWC must prove that they are avid flyers before their release into the wild." Taken from the MRWC's calendar.

The Golden Eagle really has amazing feather detail. This beautiful raptor was seen at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, southern Alberta, a week ago. I was there with a bunch of friends again today - and again, the weather was great. This time, I had the chance to have a Barn Owl on my (gloved) hand, as well as the tiny Burrowing Owl. Also got some better (but still rather distant) photos of a gorgeous Western Tanager flying around the grounds there.

One of the many owl species to be seen at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre near Lethbridge, southern Alberta. This owl looks almost headless when it's flying and it beats its long wings slowly and deeply as it flies. On the few occasions that I have seen Short-eared Owls in the wild, they have always been far away.

As you will no doubt guess, this close shot of a female Merlin was not taken in the wild, LOL! It was photographed at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, southern Alberta, on the second of two consecutive Saturdays this month. Had to take it through a chain link fence, which is partly why there are areas of the image that are pale. I do see Merlins in the wild, but had no idea that they looked quite like this. A beautiful bird of prey.

Enough wind to ruffle the pretty feathers of this male American Kestrel. Seen at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, southern Alberta. I only ever see these birds perched at a great distance in the wild, so I enjoyed seeing them up close on this visit, to see what they really look like. Very attractive, small birds of prey.

I LOVE owls - but for some reason, the Barn Owl freaks me out, LOL! Just something about its face. Maybe it says the same about me, ha, ha! This Barn Owl resides at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre for injured birds, about 10 minutes past Lethbridge in southern Alberta. Takes just over two hours to drive there. We don't get Barn Owls in the wild here, so it is a great chance to see them down at the Coaldale centre.

Laurien and Joe, this one is for you! This is the species of bird that was perched on the wire at Burnsmead this afternoon, though the bird in my photo was taken on Saturday at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre. I still have to download my (very distant) photos to my computer, but I did check, and it was definitely an American Kestrel that we saw. Not sure yet if it was a male (as in my image) or female. Is this more or less how you remember the "orange" colouring that you mentioned? It was so much fun to unexpectedly bump into you both down there! Finally, we've met : )