Five of us had such a great day two days ago. It was a bird outing at Bow Valley Provincial Park, west of Calgary, at the foot of the very eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. I knew that I would be looking for wildflowers, insects and so on, as well : ) When we got to the meeting place in the city, the leader pulled out a poster for the Parks Day event that also happened to be going on at the park at the same time. To my absolute delight, it mentioned a Bird of Prey exhibit! After our first walk, which was the Flowing Waters trail, we returned to where everyone had parked and we had an hour in which to wander round the various exhibits. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a row of owls of different sizes - a tiny Burrowing Owl (seen in my macro photo above), a Short-eared Owl, a Barn Owl (which we don't get in Alberta), a young Great Horned Owl with enormous eyes, a Turkey Vulture and a Golden Eagle! They were tethered along the edge of the trees and needless to say, there were plenty of other people taking photos, but despite the mix of shade and harsh sunlight, I got the chance to click to my heart's content : ) Thanks so much to the people down at the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (near Lethbridge, down towards the Canada/US border) for bringing your gorgeous birds of prey for us to see! I have been south to the Centre three times I think, and always long to go back again, but it's not somewhere I can drive to, so this was such a treat yesterday!
The Alberta Mycological Society of Alberta also had an exhibit set up, which unfortunately I ran out of time to look at more than briefly. Thanks to those who had travelled south from Edmonton and set up a huge display of mushrooms that they and others had found in the park the previous day. Normally, of course, picking of mushrooms is not allowed in any of the parks, but the Society gets permission to collect for this special Parks Day exhibit. I had to drag myself away, as those of you who know me might guess, lol, but it was time to go on our afternoon bird walk around the Many Springs loop. Almost the whole trail was open (following the Flood of the Century) except for the boardwalk areas, that were still under water. Walking cautiously on planks and rolling logs in water is not one of my favourite things, ha, and in the end I decided that it was just easier to walk through the few inches of water. The cold water felt quite refreshing, really. So, as you can imagine, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day - and was tired out from sun, exercise and sheer delight. Thanks so much, Andrew, for arranging this special day and for driving two of us there and back. You did an awesome job!
""As a result of its ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl
This afternoon, we are back to rain and thunder ....
Tags: Alberta Canada W of Calgary Bow Valley Provincial Park Parks Day 2013 exhibits from Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre nature ornithology avian bird birds bird of prey owl Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia Strigiformes Strigidae Athene adult macro close-up head shot Excellence AvianExcellence #GreatNature
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One of my favourites, this little Burrowing Owl was actually sitting on the ground amongst the plants. Usually, they are perched high up on the window ledges of the Conservatory cactus room.
"The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other dry, open area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated by prairie dogs. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the mid-day heat. Most hunting is still done at dusk or at night.
Burrowing owls are able to live for at least 9 years in the wild and over 10 years in captivity. They are often killed by vehicles when crossing roads, and have many natural enemies, including badgers, coyotes, and snakes. They are also killed by both feral and domesticated cats and dogs." From Wikipedia.
"As a result of its ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada Calgary Zoo Conservatory nature bird Bird of prey Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Panasonic FZ18 FZ18 P1030283 FZ18 annkelliott AnimalPlanet
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I happened to come across this photo of a little Burrowing Owl that I hadn't posted, so thought I'd upload today. It was taken on 23rd May 2009 at the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre, near Lethbridge, Southern Alberta. A delightful place to visit, and they do such a great job of rescuing and, whenever possible, releasing injured birds of prey. Those, whose injuries are too severe for them to be released back into the wild, remain at the Centre to educate children and adults. Such a thrill to see these birds up close.
This Centre is "Canada’s largest birds of prey facility. Situated on a 70-acre wetland area site, the centre is a celebration of nature featuring the hawks, falcons, eagles and owls of Alberta. Throughout the site and along the pathways, a number of birds of prey are sitting on their perches only feet away from visitors. These birds are all in various stages of training and receive lots of exercise in the daily flying programs. At the centre, they have one of North America's largest captive breeding populations for the endangered Burrowing Owl."
www.burrowingowl.com/
It rained a lot overnight and, so far, the day is overcast and lightless. Rain on and off today. I cancelled plans to go forest exploring ... sigh. Temperatures soared to a balmy 8C today and possible snow/frost are in the forecast for later this week. Oh, no : (
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This most appealing little owl is an endangered species. In the four western provinces of Canada, it is illegal to kill or disturb burrowing owls or their nests. I have never seen one in the wild but took this photo of one of the Burrowing Owls at the Calgary Zoo.
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada nature Calgary Zoo wildlife bird Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia captive P5120188 Olympus C750UZ annkelliott
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I think the little Burrowing Owls that live in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo are nesting or perhaps getting ready to nest? They are noisier than usual.
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada Calgary Zoo Conservatory nature bird birds Bird of prey Owl Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia Panasonic DMC-FZ18 FZ18 P1110542 FZ18 annkelliott
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