2312_2511 Merlin
Not far from the entrance to my favourite Canadian national park there is a fence line with a row of old, weathered posts. I recently mentioned to my filmmaker friend, George, that I haven't been seeing raptors on these posts in recent years. It used to be a good spot for owls and hawks.
Lo and behold, in the past week I have spotted the same Snowy Owl - twice, and it flew off both times before I could stop - and this female Merlin that didn't. In fact, it allowed me to drive by, turn around (at a respectful distance) and drive back, stop, and shoot out of the passenger window, then back up a bit and edge in closer to shoot some more. All the time it watched me, seemingly unperturbed.
They're tough little falcons, able to thrive here in all but the harshest winter conditions. So far our winter has been incredibly mild, and as a result I've been seeing a lot of wildlife. More than usual. Fun times!
Tomorrow, continuing the Wildlife In Transition set with a twofer - but which two? Wait for it; it's a good one!
* Since this shot did not appear in my contacts' Activity Feed yesterday, I will leave it up for one more day. Maybe Flickr will eventually figure things out and start running efficiently again. We can hope.
Photographed near Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2312_2511 Merlin
Not far from the entrance to my favourite Canadian national park there is a fence line with a row of old, weathered posts. I recently mentioned to my filmmaker friend, George, that I haven't been seeing raptors on these posts in recent years. It used to be a good spot for owls and hawks.
Lo and behold, in the past week I have spotted the same Snowy Owl - twice, and it flew off both times before I could stop - and this female Merlin that didn't. In fact, it allowed me to drive by, turn around (at a respectful distance) and drive back, stop, and shoot out of the passenger window, then back up a bit and edge in closer to shoot some more. All the time it watched me, seemingly unperturbed.
They're tough little falcons, able to thrive here in all but the harshest winter conditions. So far our winter has been incredibly mild, and as a result I've been seeing a lot of wildlife. More than usual. Fun times!
Tomorrow, continuing the Wildlife In Transition set with a twofer - but which two? Wait for it; it's a good one!
* Since this shot did not appear in my contacts' Activity Feed yesterday, I will leave it up for one more day. Maybe Flickr will eventually figure things out and start running efficiently again. We can hope.
Photographed near Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.