Yesterday, 17 December 2013, it was a long day of Christmas Bird Count south of the city. A group of nine of us, travelling in two vehicles, covered part of the huge circle around High River. A few others from Calgary, plus quite a few people from the town, covered the rest. We were so lucky with the weather - the temperature actually got up to 9C! (Ha, as I'm typing, it's -9C with a windchill of -14C, and the Snowfall Warning that is in effect is proving to be 100% accurate!). We left Calgary at 7:15 a.m. yesterday, but by the time we arrived at Frank Lake, our first destination, the sunrise was just beginning. On this count last year, every plant and blade of dry grass was covered in wonderful hoar frost - not so lucky this time. Snow depth was from bare ground to 15 cm, with drifts to 100cm, and there was no open water at the lake. From the report: 6 kms on foot; 75kms by car; 3 hrs on foot, 5 hours by car.

The day was spent driving the backroads, and calling in at various homesteads and farms. We had three species of owl, which, as you can imagine, delighted everyone in my group. We had hoped to see a Snowy Owl, but no luck this year. My group had 19 species of bird by the end of the day - we finished driving around 3:00 p.m..Noticeably lacking were small birds, such as Snow Buntings - so I had to make do with owls, lol!

The final list for our group, covering two areas, was:

Mallard-12/ 0= 12
Northern Pintail-1 f./ 0= 1
Common Goldeneye-4/0= 4
Gray Partridge-17/30= 47
Ring-necked Pheasant-3/0= 3
Bald Eagle-1ad/1ad= 2
Northern Harrier-1/ 0= 1
Great Horned Owl-4/1= 5
Long-eared Owl-2/0= 2
Short-eared Owl-2/0= 2
Rock Pigeon-47/7= 54
Downy Woodpecker-1/ 0= 1
Northern Flicker-1/0= 1
Black-billed Magpie-7/24= 31
Common Raven-2/1= 3
Horned Lark-2/0= 2
Black-capped Chickadee-0/1= 1
American Tree Sparrow-6/0= 6
House Sparrow-35/140= 175

The absolutely gorgeous Long-eared Owl, seen in the photo above, was on someone's private land. We were given permission to wander around, searching the trees and open area. A few people had gone ahead of me just a matter of steps, when suddenly, to my amazement and total delight, I noticed this little owl hiding deep within a Spruce tree : ))) Couldn't believe my eyes! I've seen three of these Crow-sized owls before, but each time is as exciting as if it were the very first time. Actually, we had already seen another Long-eared Owl earlier in the day! You won't believe this, but two trees away from this Spruce tree - the trees were all squashed together and looked more like one huge tree - there was a beautiful Great Horned Owl! Of course, we were all hoping that the GHO wouldn't take the smaller owl for its supper! Oh, did I mention that two Short-eared Owls were spotted by someone in the first car, hidden amongst the dead grasses? They were sitting there, facing each other, and I managed to just get a couple of rather poor photos. Another thrill of the day : )

At the end of the day, some of the people involved in this count stayed for a pot-luck supper. Thanks so much to everyone who organized this annual Count and worked so hard with preparing for the meal. We always enjoy this time at the end of a long day, chatting about what we'd all been seeing in the various segments of the huge circle. Special thanks to Greg Wagner, who organized the whole event - well done, as usual, Greg : ) Thanks so much, Lorrie and John, for driving some of us the whole day and for picking me up and bringing me home - really appreciate your coming well out of your way to do this!

Tags:   Alberta Canada High River Christmas Bird Count 2013 nature ornithology avian bird birds bird of prey owl Long-eared Owl Asio otus previously Strix otus perched tree Spruce tree head shot close-up Explore interestingness#327 explore2013December19 annkelliott Anne Elliott

© All Rights Reserved

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.

Tags:   Alberta Canada southern Alberta near Lethbridge Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre nature ornithology avian bird birds fauna owl Long-eared Owl Asio otus bird of prey rare to uncommon captive injured rehabilitation eartufts front view single bird image photograph digital color image outdoors Panasonic DMC_FZ28 FZ28 Lumix P1070286 FZ28 annkelliott

© All Rights Reserved

When I went to the Calgary Zoo on Monday 14th January, I noticed a different owl in the aviary that is home to the Great Gray Owls, Barred Owls and a couple of Snowy Owls. I had wondered if it might be a puffed up Long-eared Owl, but the ear tufts looked too far apart, more like a Great Horned Owl. Note later: this is definitely a Long-eared Owl : )

Tags:   Calgary Alberta Canada Calgary Zoo nature bird Owl Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1040025 FZ18 annkelliott Bird of prey AnimalPlanet AnAwesomeShot Long-eared Owl Asio otus

© All Rights Reserved

Another shot of the Long-eared Owl we were privileged to see, showing a sideways view of its light brown facial disc and mottled brown plumage. The ears mentioned in this owl's name are only ear tuft feathers. It was being harrassed constantly by American Robins.

Tags:   Calgary Alberta Canada nature wildlife wild ornithology bird birds fauna Bird of prey raptor Owl Long-eared Owl Asio otus Panasonic DMC-FZ18 FZ18 Lumix P1180189 FZ18 annkelliott

© All Rights Reserved

In Alberta, these owls are rare to uncommon from March to November - a few overwinter. This was the second one I have been privileged to see in the wild! Absolutely made my day : ). It was being harrassed constantly by American Robins and their noise gave away the owl's location each time. Find the Robins, find the Owl : )

Tags:   Calgary Alberta Canada nature fauna bird birds wildlife ornithology Owl Long-eared Owl Asio otus Bird of prey raptor Panasonic DMC-FZ18 FZ18 P1180192 FZ18 Lumix annkelliott BlueRibbonWinner Explore interestingness#123 explore2008June8 i500

© All Rights Reserved