Great Grey Owl Giving Me The Eye
It was a constant battle with harsh light last week. Hoping this great grey owl image is OK. I really like the wing position and the eye contact. Taken near Cochrane in Southern Alberta.
I was told by someone who used to live near Cochrane that this particular owl's name is "Lucky" and has been a regular around this area for a few years now.
Full Extension (Great Grey Owl)
Had quite a bit of fun photographing great grey owls in Southern Alberta this week. Light was not the best even early in the morning but we did what we could to make good images.
Skimming The Grass (Great Grey Owl)
In a farmer's field in Southern Alberta a great grey owl skims the grass as it hunts the fence line.
Full Wing Span (Great Grey Owl)
Here is another one a bit further along in the same sequence of photos showing the impressive wing span of the great grey owl.
Sidewinder (Great Grey Owl)
Found another image of the great grey owl in flight. A nice example of a reversed "C" wing position. Pretty good eye contact as well. Flickr folks please click twice for best detail.
Fence Sitter (Great Grey Owl)
This is the way we would typically find the great grey owls in Southern Alberta. Usually at the edge of a large field on a fence post hunting for voles. Sometimes they would fly into the field away from us but usually we had to back up as they would re-position themselves coming towards us as they worked the fence line.
Coming in For a Landing (Great Grey Owl)
Sorry, a rather large crop on this one. A great grey owl prepares to land on a small conifer in its favorite hunting area.
Tree Topper (Great Grey Owl)
The male great grey owl takes a moment to rest in the shade on a small conifer in the middle of the meadow.
I Found It! (Yellow-Headed Blackbird)
I really enjoyed my trip to Alberta last spring, especially our visits to Frank Lake just south of Calgary. I got home and was a bit bummed out though as I could not find this cool image I made of a male yellow-headed blackbird with a beak full of bugs. Well, after nine months of searching I had pretty much given up. Look what I found in an obscure place on my hard drive about an hour ago!
Yellow Head Iconic (Yellow-Headed Blackbird)
A typical position to find a yellow-headed blackbird in. Another image from Frank Lake in Southern Alberta. The background is natural although it looks like something out of "Generative Fill" in Photoshop. Just cropped with noise removal and sharpening added. Taken in morning sunlight, I think?
Frank Lake Archive (Yellow-Headed Blackbird)
Lots of images like this still left over to post. Here a male yellow-headed blackbird comes in for a landing in the tall marsh grass at Frank Lake south of Calgary.
Yellow Head Glide (Yellow-Headed Blackbird)
A male yellow-headed blackbird glides over the mud flats at Frank Lake in Southern Alberta.
Frank Lake Yellow-Headed Blackbird
Plenty of these guys around collecting bugs at the lake to feed their hungry chicks.
Grosbeak Environmental (Rose-Breasted Grosbeak)
Here is another image of the rose-breasted grosbeak from a bit further away. Interesting markings and colors for sure.
Bird on a Wire (Rose-Breasted Grosbeak)
Found this guy on the side of the road while photographing the great grey owls in Southern Alberta. Detected him originally with the Merlin sound app. Works pretty good! A lifer for me as we just don't seem to get them in costal BC.
Bird on a Wire #2 (Rose-Breasted Grosbeak)
A leftover from the springtime. Here is a landscape version. Photographed in the Water Valley area just north of Cochrane Alberta.
Moving Right Along (American Avocet)
An American avocet moves swiftly across an open area in search of cover. Got this image in a small pothole near Callahan's Pond just up the road from Frank Lake.
Better Background (American Avocet)
People seemed to like the last avocet flight shot so here is another one from a right to left banking sequence with some of the marsh reeds and prairie grass behind the bird.
Skimming the surface (American Avocet)
Here is an image with a bit of a background closer to the water. Taken just a bit down the road from Callahan's Pond near Frank Lake.
American Avocet in Flight
We did not see any avocets at Frank Lake until our second day and then they seemed to be everywhere.
Frank Lake White-Faced Ibis
We were lucky to get some close views of the white-faced ibis on the second day of our trip to Frank Lake. Colorful and unusual birds. Another lifer for me.
Coming in For a Landing (White-Faced Ibis)
A white-faced ibis comes in for a landing close to where I was standing after being flushed a bit further down the line.
Ibis Glide (White-Faced Ibis)
Sporting some pretty nice colors even on a cloudy day a white-faced ibis floats casually over the reeds at Frank Lake in Southern Alberta.
Into the light #2 (White-Faced Ibis)
I knew I had some images of the white-faced ibis in sunlight that I wanted to share with you. Just came across them now. This is what they look like with the sun on their wings. Pretty cool! Makes them look like they are made out of metal.
White-Faced Ibis
Took this image on our third day at Frank Lake. The only day that there was any cloud to help out with the light. Ironically I think we could have used just a bit more to make their feathers shine. A tricky bird to photograph to say the least.
Into The Light #1 (White-Faced Ibis)
I knew I had some images of the white-faced ibis in sunlight that I wanted to share with you. Just came across them now. This is what they look like with the sun on their wings. Pretty cool! Makes them look like they are made out of metal.
Female Wilson's Phalarope
These are cool little birds that zip around the lake edge feeding on aquatic insects. They are multipurpose feeders and can wade like a sandpiper or swim like a duck. Like the belted kingfisher, phalarope females have all the color. They are also quite comical as they have a call that sounds like a dog barking. It really threw me off for a while until I realized it was them making the noise.
Coming in For a Landing Stage Left (Wilson's Phalarope)
Just came across another couple of female Wilson's Phalarope flight shots that I thought might be nice to post and add to the album.
Coming in For a Landing (Wilson's Phalarope)
Got several images of this female Wilson's Phalarope as she circled in to land at a small pond right in front of me.
Phalarope Fly By (Female Wilson's Phalarope)
Just came across another couple of female Wilson's Phalarope flight shots that I thought might be nice to post and add to the album.
Watch Where You Are Putting Your Feet! (American White Pelican)
Hey Buddy! Can't you see we are trying to sleep here?
Pelicans Landing (American White Pelicans)
A pair of American white pelicans prepare to land on a small island in Frank Lake near High River Alberta.
Morning Ritual (American White Pelicans)
This image taken at Frank Lake early in the morning. The white pelicans like to get cleaned up before a day of fishing and soaring over the lake. Flickr folks please click twice for best detail.
Strange Beak Horn (American White Pelican)
During the mating season the male American white pelican develops a horn on their beak similar to a deer developing antlers.
Frank Lake Sora
Another image that slipped through the cracks. A Sora forages for food in the shallows at the edge of Frank Lake in Southern Alberta. We do get the Sora here on the coast of B.C. Just not quite as common as the Virginia Rail.
Frank Lake Blue-Winged Teal
I know we do get these out here on the coast but it is still a real pretty bird in flight.
Black-Necked Stilt in Morning Light
Every now and then the black-necked stilts would give us a fly-by at Frank Lake. Unusual and pretty little birds but I found if the light is not right they can be easily confused with American avocets when they fly.
Frank Lake Eared Grebes
Although we did not find any horned grebes at Frank Lake, there were a few of the eared grebes floating around. Here is an image of a mated pair in fairly close to the shore.
Forgot to mention, in Europe they are referred to as "Black-Necked Grebes".
