A male and female (or juvenile) Red Crossbill forage for grit along the roadside. The birds store grit in their gizzards and it helps them break down much of their food such as conifer seeds.
Image created in Algonquin Provincial Park on February 26, 2024.
Tags: Algonquin Provincial Park Animal Avian Eastern Ontario Eating Grit Female Male Red Crossbill Winter
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The loud cry of this Blue Jay cut through the still morning air.
Image created on the Sarsparilla Trail in Ottawa, Ontario on February 16, 2024.
Tags: Animal Avian Blue Jay Calling Eastern Ontario Sasparilla Trail Snow Winter
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Late in the afternoon I saw a large 'Parliament" of Short-eared Owls, last week, near Kingston, Ontario. My friend Danny counted 30 owls in total that were visible at one time. He repeated his count 3 times and came up with 30 birds each time.
I was busy trying to photograph them but, they spent most of their time flying far off in the farm fields so getting a decent image was very hard.
Image created on January 29, 2024
Tags: Amherst Island Animal Avian Bird of Prey Eastern Ontario Inflight Raptor Short-eared Owl Winter
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This Short-tailed Weasel (a.k.a. 'Ermine' in winter) was moving quickly amongst the fallen trees, after catching this mouse (White-footed or Deer Mouse?). I was struggling to photograph it in a clear setting.
I saw it jump onto the far end of this downed tree and start to run along the trunk. I positioned myself to get a head on shot. Unfortunately there was an out of focus branch between me and the weasel. Despite that I still like the eye contact in this shot.
Image created on Dec 27, 2023 in west Ottawa. Cropped for composition.
Tags: Animal Eastern Ontario Ermine Mammal Mustelid Mustelidae Ottawa Sasparilla Trail Short-tailed Weasel Winter With mouse
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A Mourning Dove flares its wings, trying to keep its balance, while on an ice-covered branch.
I think that Mourning Doves are an often overlooked photo subject but they can be very beautiful. Although there is a busy background in this photo, I still think that it works.
Image created on January 24, 2024 in west Ottawa.
Tags: Animal Avian Eastern Ontario Mourning Dove Sasparilla Trail Wing flap Sequence Winter
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