This sparrow was looking for seed in the dirt and leaf litter, but it was not adverse to eating berries still left on the nearby shrubs. The beak is covered in berry juice, as are the feathers around the eye and a bit on the neck. In this image, it had hopped up on a rock to survey the area.

Tags:   onotrichia leucophrys white-crowned Sparrow avian bird passerine songbird fauna wild wildlife birdwatching nature Alberta rock perch white orange red black yellow

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This female red-winged blackbird is looking for insects on the female flowers of a willow shrub. She went from branch to branch and checked out most of the flower clusters on each. There was a hatch of small flying insects on that day, so the bird may have been checking for any that were hiding amongst the flowers. I did not actually see what she was consuming, if anything. The swallows were enjoying the swarms of insects, though, and catching many on the wing and on the surface of the nearby lake.

Tags:   red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus bird black feather spring Alberta yellow brown female perched red avian fauna wild wildlife nature willow

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This image was taken on a November day when I saw a number of great grey owls and was able to get a variety of decent images. Many have been posted already. I was in my car and about to take pictures of this beautiful creature perched on a post when it flew down to the ground, not far from my car. I had to recall my flexible teen years to maneuver the camera out the window on the passenger side while stretched out from the driver's seat. The bird was a bit ahead of the car, which made it even more fun.

I managed to get a few frames of the raptor mantling. Birds Wiki describes it this way: "Mantling is a behavior many birds of prey would assume after securing a kill. In this pose, the wings are spread over the prey item, exposing the bird's mantle, which gives the action its name. This behavior acts to prevent competitors from noticing the kill, thus reducing competition over it."

The owl came up empty-clawed though. After rummaging through the grass and not finding anything, it flew off.

Tags:   Strix nebulosa great gray grey owl rural Alberta amazing wildlife raptor bird predator nature beauty beautiful winter eyes yellow feathers detail portrait Canada daytime sky avian ornithology majestic plumage beak hunting behavior behaviour mantling

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This male grackle, I believe, is the mate of the female I posted a picture of yesterday. These guys, up close, are bright and shiny. The bird is doing some 'sky pointing', which is a behaviour male grackles engage in as part of the social interaction in the spring. Sometimes they are very erect when there is some competition nearby.

The eyes of these birds must be like fingerprints for humans. So much variation of the streaking around the iris.

Tags:   common grackle Quiscalus quiscula bird wild nature feathers Alberta colour color bronze blue blackbird Icteridae park bokeh avian fauna wildlife male sheen gloss eye beak plumage

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While visiting a marsh, a pair of grackles, that I assume are paired up to raise a family, were hanging out together a lot. Occasionally, the pair would land on the railing of the boardwalk and do grackle things. But this female had no fear and would walk along the rail towards me. I had no choice but to take a portrait shot! He plumage is similar in colour and pattern to the male, but a lot less intense and less shiny.

Tags:   common grackle Quiscalus quiscula bird wild nature feathers Alberta colour color bronze blue blackbird Icteridae park bokeh avian fauna wildlife female

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