Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: with Meadow Vole

Flickr is acting up again, 31 January 2017 - a problem today (for others as well as myself) with views and stats. Some people's images are not being seen, and consequently a much smaller number of views under each photo. There is always something not working correctly! It is being looked into by Flickr staff, apparently. On 29 January 2017, I left home hoping to see one species of owl and came home having seen a different species instead! There was no sign of the first kind of owl, despite quite a few other pairs of eyes that had been searching. I don't normally drive from one location to another one that is a long way away, but I did yesterday, and I am so glad I did. I am not disclosing the area, especially after what some photographers have been doing recently to get close photos of a Barred Owl. While most photographers are respectful of wildlife, there are always a few who will do anything to get a closer shot. When I reached my destination, I slowed down, starting to check the trees and fence line. Then I spotted a car parked further up the road and found that there were a couple of photographers who had already found the owl. In the short time I was there, this beautiful Northern Hawk Owl was busy hunting, flying from tree to tree and along the fence line. I saw the owl dive into the snow twice - not sure if it caught a Meadow Vole the first time or not, as I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, but I did see it with a Meadow Vole dangling from its beak the second time. Sorry for the little rodent, but glad that the owl had a tasty snack. EXIF data: Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm. The last time I was lucky enough to see one of these gorgeous birds of prey was on 8 February 2016, just about a year ago. It was just the same thrill seeing the one yesterday! "The type of prey the Hawk-Owl catches will determine its eating strategy. For mammalian prey the ritual is generally the same: the Northern Hawk-Owl will eviscerate its prey, eats the head first (especially for prey like the red squirrel, whose head is fairly large), and then—when tackling larger prey—it will eat the organs and cache the remains; with smaller prey, the owl will simply swallow the body whole." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl "The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_hawk_owl/lifehistory

I'm slipping in this distant, poor quality photo as my third image this morning - too grainy to see in larger size! Just wanted it as a record of seeing the owl with a Meadow Vole that day - taken just before the rest of the Vole was swallowed in one big gulp. I decided to drive NW of the city on 11 February 2016, to make a second visit to see if there was any sight of the Northern Hawk Owl. It looked like the three hours of driving round trip, plus driving several of the backroads nearby a few times, were going to be in vain. Sure, the sun was shining, the sky a deep blue and some of the scenery was beautiful, but, let's be honest, it would have been disappointing to not see any owls, of any species. After a great deal of patience, managed only because friend, Bonnie, had also decided to go there that day, we finally were in luck. At the time the owl was spotted by another photographer (thanks so much, Harshad!) who was further down the road from us, I had just said to Bonnie that I had spent enough time up there and really wanted to do the long drive home before it got dark, because of poor night vision. There were just the three of us when Harshad saw the owl on top of a distant tree. During the afternoon, though, various people came and went. No owl baiters turned up, thank goodness, unlike on my first visit. That day, one of the photographers who was already there got rid of them very quickly, as soon as they arrived. Part way through my visit, I enjoyed such an interesting chat with someone who happened to be driving down one of the backroads in the opposite direction to me. Stirling Clark is a carpenter, who makes beautiful furniture (and other things) in the Finish style. He has 20+ years of experience with Finish carpentry, door and trim installation, built in custom cabinetry, hardwood floor installation, stairs and railings, outdoor decks, siding, renovations and new construction, and general carpentry. His (other) passion is photography, enjoying nature, landscapes and wildlife. He told me that he had a Northern Hawk Owl visit him at his carpentry workshop recently - quite a treat. A pleasure to meet you, Stirling! www.stirlingclark.ca/carpentry.html www.stirlingclark.ca/photography.html "The type of prey the Hawk-Owl catches will determine its eating strategy. For mammalian prey the ritual is generally the same: the Northern Hawk-Owl will eviscerate its prey, eats the head first (especially for prey like the red squirrel, whose head is fairly large), and then—when tackling larger prey—it will eat the organs and cache the remains; with smaller prey, the owl will simply swallow the body whole." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl "The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_hawk_owl/lifehistory

Just over a month ago, on 13 January 2015, I spent time with friends again, down in Fish Creek Park. As usual, for most of the time, this tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl sat very high up in very tall trees. Patience is definitely needed when hoping to get photos of this beautiful little bird - it tends to sit in the same place for an hour or even two. If it wasn't for other people to chat with, I know I could never stand there, watching and waiting for so long if I was by myself! This is a 48x zoomed image, Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm. This photo was taken just after the ferocious little hunter flew down and caught a Meadow Vole, part of which you can see. "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl

Yesterday afternoon, 13 January 2015, I spent time with friends again, down in Fish Creek Park. As usual, for most of the time, this tiny, popcan-sized owl sat very high up in very tall trees. Patience is definitely needed when hoping to get photos of this beautiful little bird - it tends to sit in the same place for an hour or even two. If it wasn't for other people to chat with, I know I could never stand there, watching and waiting for so long if I was by myself! THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS FOR HELPING TO MAKE THE LOSS OF MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, FIONA, EASIER TO BEAR! YOU HAVE ALL MADE SO MUCH DIFFERENCE THE LAST 10 DAYS! I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. This photo was taken when the ferocious hunter flew down to the path, caught a Meadow Vole, and then flew up into a much smaller Spruce tree. "The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl

I posted a similar photo the other day, but this one is a zoomed in shot, also taken on 20 November 2014. I had been on a birding walk in the morning. The weather has been reasonably mild recently, with sunshine and blue skies, though winter has returned since Wednesday evening. The only bird photo I got was of a male Hairy Woodpecker After the walk, I paid another visit to where the Long-tailed Weasel can sometimes be seen. Various friends were there, too, and we were treated to a few good photo opps, including with some of the eight or so Meadow Voles it caught while we were there. It is an amazing hunter, moving so rapidly over the uneven, snowy ground and tangles of dead plants and fallen logs. "Counting its tail, a large Long-tailed Weasel male, the largest of the three species in Canada, stretches nearly half a metre (20 in) in length, yet can slip into a hole just 3 cm (1.25 in) across. This enables it to enter small rodent tunnels used by mice and voles. In summer, it enters ground squirrels burrows in search of its favourite food. Average males measure 406 mm (16 in), their tail is 135 mm (5.25) long and they weigh 225 g (12.6 oz). Males are approximately 25 per cent larger than females, which on average weigh only 102 g (5.7 oz). When winter approaches, within 30 days it grows a coat of white, giving it perfect camouflage against the snow -- all except for the tip of its tail, which stays black. A hungry predator, such as a hawk or owl, aims for that black tip, enabling the weasel to escape. Towards spring, between late February and April, in only 25 days, it reverses the process, acquiring the cinnamon-brown topcoat it will use all summer. This includes brown feet, unlike the other two species which retain white feet. The underside is usually buff-coloured." (Taken from the old weaselhead.org website). Meadow Voles: "Especially because they are so abundant in the habitats where they are found, meadow voles have crucial ecosystem roles. Many predator species rely on voles to make up a significant portion of their diet, especially owls, small hawks and falcons. In addition, meadow voles consume large quantities of grass and recycle the nutrients held in the grass through their droppings. They also help to aerate and turn the soil through their digging activities." From BioKIDS Inquiry website. www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Microtus_pennsylvanicus/ This morning (28 November 2014), the temperature is -19C (windchill -31C). Snow for the rest of today and at least part of tomorrow. It will drop to -22C tonight (windchill -33C) and is expected to be the same tomorrow morning. After that, it should gradually warm up over the next few days.

Yesterday morning, 20 November 2014, saw me out on a bird walk in the morning. The weather has been reasonably mild recently, with sunshine and blue skies. The only bird photo I got was a male Hairy Woodpecker, which I’m posting today, partly for comparison with the Downy Woodpecker photo I posted yesterday. After the walk, I paid another visit to where the Long-tailed Weasel can sometimes be seen. Various friends were there, too, and we were treated to a few good photo opps, including with some of the eight or so Meadow Voles it caught while we were there. It is an amazing hunter, moving so rapidly over the uneven, snowy ground and tangles of dead plants and fallen logs. I took a number of closer shots, so thought I would leave this more distant photo uncropped. "Counting its tail, a large Long-tailed Weasel male, the largest of the three species in Canada, stretches nearly half a metre (20 in) in length, yet can slip into a hole just 3 cm (1.25 in) across. This enables it to enter small rodent tunnels used by mice and voles. In summer, it enters ground squirrels burrows in search of its favourite food. Average males measure 406 mm (16 in), their tail is 135 mm (5.25) long and they weigh 225 g (12.6 oz). Males are approximately 25 per cent larger than females, which on average weigh only 102 g (5.7 oz). When winter approaches, within 30 days it grows a coat of white, giving it perfect camouflage against the snow -- all except for the tip of its tail, which stays black. A hungry predator, such as a hawk or owl, aims for that black tip, enabling the weasel to escape. Towards spring, between late February and April, in only 25 days, it reverses the process, acquiring the cinnamon-brown topcoat it will use all summer. This includes brown feet, unlike the other two species which retain white feet. The underside is usually buff-coloured." (Taken from the old weaselhead.org website). Meadow Voles: "Especially because they are so abundant in the habitats where they are found, meadow voles have crucial ecosystem roles. Many predator species rely on voles to make up a significant portion of their diet, especially owls, small hawks and falcons. In addition, meadow voles consume large quantities of grass and recycle the nutrients held in the grass through their droppings. They also help to aerate and turn the soil through their digging activities." From BioKIDS Inquiry website. www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Microtus_pennsylvanicus/ Yesterday evening, I went to an excellent talk on Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park / Áísínai'pi National Historic Site, which is about a three and a half hour drive south of Calgary. I’ve only ever been there once and that was 30+ years ago. A fascinating landscape to see and photograph. Rattlesnakes, too! A 3:55 min video about Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park / Áísínai'pi National Historic Site from Alberta Parks: youtu.be/_zsdWv0mQMI