Bird Photos: One of my favorite things

I received a really nice email yesterday, from BirdNote, asking permission for further use of a photo that I had given them a long, long time ago. A photo that I'd almost forgotten I'd taken and sadly I believe I've lost somewhere along the way. [Actually, this is a great opportunity to speak out against relying on hard drives or CDs to keep your images safe. They fail. Use cloud based storage and professionally printed archival prints to keep your images safe]




The story behind the photo is that robins had nested in our front yard, and we had a fairly good view of the nest from our porch. But to get this particular image required me standing on a ladder, close enough to the tree to see into the nest but not so close as to annoy the parents. Isn't it adorable!

As well, Birdnote asked if I could provide them with a profile, to add to their list of contributors. That gave me the push I needed to create a collection of my favorite Alberta bird photos to date. The birds, bugs and animal visitors to our yard are my favorite (and constant) photo subjects but my organization of those photos is lacking. I've now got a gallery for favorite bird photos. I hope you enjoy them!


     

Photowalk Thursday: Snowy Owls at Beaver Hill Lake

Beaverhill Lake Heritage Rangelands is another easy day trip east of Edmonton, just past Tofield, and we often combine it with a trip to Elk Island National Park. The lake is large but shallow in most places, the hiking trails  are flat and easy and  there's a bird observatory on site. This is a renowned birding location, especially during the spring and fall migrations.

It's also a great place to spot snowy owls in the winter! January and February 2012 were wonderful times to go birding, as the weather was mild AND there was a snowy owl population explosion! We found snowy owls all around the lake, spotting 7 different birds one day. We came across the same adult bird on the southwest edge of the park on two different days. He was a very, very cooperative model.

We also encountered a group of migrating hawks - these guys were actually on their way to the arctic for the summer already! They were not so cooperative for the camera. 

Did you know that male snowy owls start life with barred feathers, and as they age they lose the bars and become white? Females and juveniles have barred feathers. 

We also came across this beautiful Great Horned Owl while hiking the paths near the bird observatory. Notice how he's sharing his branch with a chickadee?

The secret to seeing birds when you are out for a nature walk or country drive is to look up! And watch for unusual shapes or colors on fence posts and telephone poles!

Wildlife Wednesday

It's #wildlifewednesday on Google+, so I decided to share this photo there.

Our yard is bordered on the south by a creek bed, with a well established tree stand. We are pretty close to the North Saskatchewan River, and before all the farm land was paved, we had a lot of wildlife around. This breeding pair of Great Horned Owls returns each winter, but I've never found a nest. I did, long ago, see one in the daylight along with a fledging owlet. Most encounters I've had have been silhouettes at dusk. This past January I caught sight of one of the owls on a tree top, and thought there might be enough light left to grab a few shots. I stood with camera pointed toward one, when the other flew to the next tree top. As I moved my camera toward her, this happened. It was all over before I knew it (poor girl!). The whole series is in this gallery.