FINALLY, I was able to take my daughter out for the day yesterday, 17 June 2021, after a year and a half of keeping separate because of COVID-19. Only once during that time, have we met up for an afternoon of being out in the country. Both of us have done all we could to avoid the risk of catching COVID and, worst of all, passing it on to others. My daughter has been fully vaccinated for a few months (Health Care worker) and I had my second shot two months ago. My opinion is simply that if one really cares about people, one doesn't take risks.

Anyway, we had such an amazing day yesterday! Heading south of the city and eventually turning eastwards, we covered quite a large area, some of which I had driven before, but other places were new to both of us. Twelve hours of driving and 490 km were hot and tiring, made more challenging by the fairly strong wind. Two or three minutes before I arrived home after dropping my daughter back home, the orange Low Gas light came on, on the dashboard of my car. I hadn't expected the drive to consume almost the whole of a full tank of gas, but I am just so thankful that I didn't run out when we were in the middle of nowhere.

My daughter deserves credit for most of the bird finds! She has 'eagle eyes' and I appreciate that so much. One of the highlights for us was a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were mainly hidden in tall grass. They were wandering about, keeping an eye on a tiny Curlew chick.

Another totally unexpected thing happened when we were looking at a cluster of small trees. My daughter had noticed that there were two deer walking around the base of the trees, so we pulled over. Everything suddenly 'exploded', and a pair of Great Horned Owls and one owlet burst out of the leaves and perched on different branches. We took a few quick shots and then left them, not wanting to cause them any extra stress.

We had quite a few sightings of Hawks throughout the day. Some stayed, others flew. Both species of Kingbird were seen, Eastern and Western. A Mourning Dove standing on a picnic table was good to see, plus an American Robin, a Great Blue Heron and various 'usual' species were seen along the back roads. Two Swainson's Hawks were nesting, with one nest having three little ones that we could see from a huge distance.

Another special sighting was a Shrike that was originally perched high up in a distant tree. My daughter pointed out the small bird, but didn't know what it was. When I zoomed in, I was happy to see that it was a Shrike, sometimes known as the Butcher bird. A bit later, when I pulled over to wait for my daughter, the Shrike suddenly flew down and was eating some prey that it had skewered on the barbed-wire fence. Such a treat to see for the first time, and I was able to take a bit of video.

"The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptor’s habits. A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptor’s talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating. Their numbers have dropped sharply in the last half-century.

A Loggerhead Shrike can kill and carry an animal as massive as itself. It transports large prey in its feet and smaller victims in its beak." From AllAboutBirds.

The final treat of the day was when my daughter found a Common Nighthawk. We had checked a spot where I had seen them before, but we were out of luck. So happy to see one lone bird, after thinking that we were not going to see any.

A ghost town and various old barns that I had seen before, but wanted to show my daughter, added to a great day. Even yellow and pink Cacti flowers, that came as a surprise. So lucky to have such a great day.

© All Rights Reserved

FINALLY, I was able to take my daughter out for the day yesterday, 17 June 2021, after a year and a half of keeping separate because of COVID-19. Only once during that time, have we met up for an afternoon of being out in the country. Both of us have done all we could to avoid the risk of catching COVID and, worst of all, passing it on to others. My daughter has been fully vaccinated for a few months (Health Care worker) and I had my second shot two months ago. My opinion is simply that if one really cares about people, one doesn't take risks.

Anyway, we had such an amazing day yesterday! Heading south of the city and eventually turning eastwards, we covered quite a large area, some of which I had driven before, but other places were new to both of us. Twelve hours of driving and 490 km were hot and tiring, made more challenging by the fairly strong wind. Two or three minutes before I arrived home after dropping my daughter back home, the orange Low Gas light came on, on the dashboard of my car. I hadn't expected the drive to consume almost the whole of a full tank of gas, but I am just so thankful that I didn't run out when we were in the middle of nowhere.

My daughter deserves credit for most of the bird finds! She has 'eagle eyes' and I appreciate that so much. One of the highlights for us was a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were mainly hidden in tall grass. They were wandering about, keeping an eye on a tiny Curlew chick.

Another totally unexpected thing happened when we were looking at a cluster of small trees. My daughter had noticed that there were two deer walking around the base of the trees, so we pulled over. Everything suddenly 'exploded', and a pair of Great Horned Owls and one owlet burst out of the leaves and perched on different branches. We took a few quick shots and then left them, not wanting to cause them any extra stress.

We had quite a few sightings of Hawks throughout the day. Some stayed, others flew. Both species of Kingbird were seen, Eastern and Western. A Mourning Dove standing on a picnic table was good to see, plus an American Robin, a Great Blue Heron and various 'usual' species were seen along the back roads. Two Swainson's Hawks were nesting, with one nest having three little ones that we could see from a huge distance.

Another special sighting was a Shrike that was originally perched high up in a distant tree. My daughter pointed out the small bird, but didn't know what it was. When I zoomed in, I was happy to see that it was a Shrike, sometimes known as the Butcher bird. A bit later, when I pulled over to wait for my daughter, the Shrike suddenly flew down and was eating some prey that it had skewered on the barbed-wire fence. Such a treat to see for the first time, and I was able to take a bit of video.

"The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptor’s habits. A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptor’s talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating. Their numbers have dropped sharply in the last half-century.

A Loggerhead Shrike can kill and carry an animal as massive as itself. It transports large prey in its feet and smaller victims in its beak." From AllAboutBirds.

The final treat of the day was when my daughter found a Common Nighthawk. We had checked a spot where I had seen them before, but we were out of luck. So happy to see one lone bird, after thinking that we were not going to see any.

A ghost town and various old barns that I had seen before, but wanted to show my daughter, added to a great day. Even yellow and pink Cacti flowers, that came as a surprise. So lucky to have such a great day.

© All Rights Reserved

FINALLY, I was able to take my daughter out for the day yesterday, 17 June 2021, after a year and a half of keeping separate because of COVID-19. Only once during that time, have we met up for an afternoon of being out in the country. Both of us have done all we could to avoid the risk of catching COVID and, worst of all, passing it on to others. My daughter has been fully vaccinated for a few months (Health Care worker) and I had my second shot two months ago. My opinion is simply that if one really cares about people, one doesn't take risks.

Anyway, we had such an amazing day yesterday! Heading south of the city and eventually turning eastwards, we covered quite a large area, some of which I had driven before, but other places were new to both of us. Twelve hours of driving and 490 km were hot and tiring, made more challenging by the fairly strong wind. Two or three minutes before I arrived home after dropping my daughter back home, the orange Low Gas light came on, on the dashboard of my car. I hadn't expected the drive to consume almost the whole of a full tank of gas, but I am just so thankful that I didn't run out when we were in the middle of nowhere.

My daughter deserves credit for most of the bird finds! She has 'eagle eyes' and I appreciate that so much. One of the highlights for us was a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were mainly hidden in tall grass. They were wandering about, keeping an eye on a tiny Curlew chick.

Another totally unexpected thing happened when we were looking at a cluster of small trees. My daughter had noticed that there were two deer walking around the base of the trees, so we pulled over. Everything suddenly 'exploded', and a pair of Great Horned Owls and one owlet burst out of the leaves and perched on different branches. We took a few quick shots and then left them, not wanting to cause them any extra stress.

We had quite a few sightings of Hawks throughout the day. Some stayed, others flew. Both species of Kingbird were seen, Eastern and Western. A Mourning Dove standing on a picnic table was good to see, plus an American Robin, a Great Blue Heron and various 'usual' species were seen along the back roads. Two Swainson's Hawks were nesting, with one nest having three little ones that we could see from a huge distance.

Another special sighting was a Shrike that was originally perched high up in a distant tree. My daughter pointed out the small bird, but didn't know what it was. When I zoomed in, I was happy to see that it was a Shrike, sometimes known as the Butcher bird. A bit later, when I pulled over to wait for my daughter, the Shrike suddenly flew down and was eating some prey that it had skewered on the barbed-wire fence. Such a treat to see for the first time, and I was able to take a bit of video.

"The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptor’s habits. A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptor’s talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating. Their numbers have dropped sharply in the last half-century.

A Loggerhead Shrike can kill and carry an animal as massive as itself. It transports large prey in its feet and smaller victims in its beak." From AllAboutBirds.

The final treat of the day was when my daughter found a Common Nighthawk. We had checked a spot where I had seen them before, but we were out of luck. So happy to see one lone bird, after thinking that we were not going to see any.

A ghost town and various old barns that I had seen before, but wanted to show my daughter, added to a great day. Even yellow and pink Cacti flowers, that came as a surprise. So lucky to have such a great day.

© All Rights Reserved

FINALLY, I was able to take my daughter out for the day yesterday, 17 June 2021, after a year and a half of keeping separate because of COVID-19. Only once during that time, have we met up for an afternoon of being out in the country. Both of us have done all we could to avoid the risk of catching COVID and, worst of all, passing it on to others. My daughter has been fully vaccinated for a few months (Health Care worker) and I had my second shot two months ago. My opinion is simply that if one really cares about people, one doesn't take risks.

Anyway, we had such an amazing day yesterday! Heading south of the city and eventually turning eastwards, we covered quite a large area, some of which I had driven before, but other places were new to both of us. Twelve hours of driving and 490 km were hot and tiring, made more challenging by the fairly strong wind. Two or three minutes before I arrived home after dropping my daughter back home, the orange Low Gas light came on, on the dashboard of my car. I hadn't expected the drive to consume almost the whole of a full tank of gas, but I am just so thankful that I didn't run out when we were in the middle of nowhere.

My daughter deserves credit for most of the bird finds! She has 'eagle eyes' and I appreciate that so much. One of the highlights for us was a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were mainly hidden in tall grass. They were wandering about, keeping an eye on a tiny Curlew chick.

Another totally unexpected thing happened when we were looking at a cluster of small trees. My daughter had noticed that there were two deer walking around the base of the trees, so we pulled over. Everything suddenly 'exploded', and a pair of Great Horned Owls and one owlet burst out of the leaves and perched on different branches. We took a few quick shots and then left them, not wanting to cause them any extra stress.

We had quite a few sightings of Hawks throughout the day. Some stayed, others flew. Both species of Kingbird were seen, Eastern and Western. A Mourning Dove standing on a picnic table was good to see, plus an American Robin, a Great Blue Heron and various 'usual' species were seen along the back roads. Two Swainson's Hawks were nesting, with one nest having three little ones that we could see from a huge distance.

Another special sighting was a Shrike that was originally perched high up in a distant tree. My daughter pointed out the small bird, but didn't know what it was. When I zoomed in, I was happy to see that it was a Shrike, sometimes known as the Butcher bird. A bit later, when I pulled over to wait for my daughter, the Shrike suddenly flew down and was eating some prey that it had skewered on the barbed-wire fence. Such a treat to see for the first time, and I was able to take a bit of video.

"The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptor’s habits. A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptor’s talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating. Their numbers have dropped sharply in the last half-century.

A Loggerhead Shrike can kill and carry an animal as massive as itself. It transports large prey in its feet and smaller victims in its beak." From AllAboutBirds.

The final treat of the day was when my daughter found a Common Nighthawk. We had checked a spot where I had seen them before, but we were out of luck. So happy to see one lone bird, after thinking that we were not going to see any.

A ghost town and various old barns that I had seen before, but wanted to show my daughter, added to a great day. Even yellow and pink Cacti flowers, that came as a surprise. So lucky to have such a great day.

© All Rights Reserved

Wish I knew how to edit videos, so that the still shot seen at the beginning is reasonable, unlike with this video (and pretty much all my videos). Sorry about the clicking sound - not sure what was making this annoying sound. Any guesses as to what this "Butcher bird" was eating, after it skewered it on the barbed-wire? As you can tell, it was very windy.

"The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptor’s habits. A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptor’s talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating. Their numbers have dropped sharply in the last half-century.

A Loggerhead Shrike can kill and carry an animal as massive as itself. It transports large prey in its feet and smaller victims in its beak." From AllAboutBirds.

FINALLY, I was able to take my daughter out for the day yesterday, 17 June 2021, after a year and a half of keeping separate because of COVID-19. Only once during that time, have we met up for an afternoon of being out in the country. Both of us have done all we could to avoid the risk of catching COVID and, worst of all, passing it on to others. My daughter has been fully vaccinated for a few months (Health Care worker) and I had my second shot two months ago. My opinion is simply that if one really cares about people, one doesn't take risks.

Anyway, we had such an amazing day yesterday! Heading south of the city and eventually turning eastwards, we covered quite a large area, some of which I had driven before, but other places were new to both of us. Twelve hours of driving and 490 km were hot and tiring, made more challenging by the fairly strong wind. Two or three minutes before I arrived home after dropping my daughter back home, the orange Low Gas light came on, on the dashboard of my car. I hadn't expected the drive to consume almost the whole of a full tank of gas, but I am just so thankful that I didn't run out when we were in the middle of nowhere.

My daughter deserves credit for most of the bird finds! She has 'eagle eyes' and I appreciate that so much. One of the highlights for us was a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were mainly hidden in tall grass. They were wandering about, keeping an eye on a tiny Curlew chick.

Another totally unexpected thing happened when we were looking at a cluster of small trees. My daughter had noticed that there were two deer walking around the base of the trees, so we pulled over. Everything suddenly 'exploded', and a pair of Great Horned Owls and one owlet burst out of the leaves and perched on different branches. We took a few quick shots and then left them, not wanting to cause them any extra stress.

We had quite a few sightings of Hawks throughout the day. Some stayed, others flew. Both species of Kingbird were seen, Eastern and Western. A Mourning Dove standing on a picnic table was good to see, plus an American Robin, a Great Blue Heron and various 'usual' species were seen along the back roads. Two Swainson's Hawks were nesting, with one nest having three little ones that we could see from a huge distance.

Another special sighting was a Shrike that was originally perched high up in a distant tree. My daughter pointed out the small bird, but didn't know what it was. When I zoomed in, I was happy to see that it was a Shrike, sometimes known as the Butcher bird. A bit later, when I pulled over to wait for my daughter, the Shrike suddenly flew down and was eating some prey that it had skewered on the barbed-wire fence. Such a treat to see for the first time, and I was able to take a bit of video.

The final treat of the day was when my daughter found a Common Nighthawk. We had checked a spot where I had seen them before, but we were out of luck. So happy to see one lone bird, after thinking that we were not going to see any.

A ghost town and various old barns that I had seen before, but wanted to show my daughter, added to a great day. Even yellow and pink Cacti flowers, that came as a surprise. So lucky to have such a great day.

Tags:   Alberta Canada SE of Calgary video nature wildlife ornithology avian bird Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus perched barbed-wire feeding eating prey adult field outdoor spring 17 June 2021 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2021 © All Rights Reserved

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