View allAll Photos Tagged raptorbirds
I sat low and watched this wild Great Gray Owl hunting for awhile and to my delight it flew towards my direction - so graceful and beautiful in flight.
Wild Barred Owl takes flight to reach a new perch in search of something for breakfast. I didn’t see it catch anything on this morning but sure was a lovely bird to watch. Those tiny specks of white are not dirt on my sensor, a light snow started to fall just as I was preparing to leave.
Great Gray Owl looking in my direction while I am in my vehicle with my heated steering wheel and heated seat. Amazing how resilient and adapted they are to extreme temperatures (me, not so much and enjoyed the luxuries of the warm vehicle).
This winter I was watching a Great Gray Owl hunt down in a large field from my vehicle window and it suddenly flew quite close across from me. I didn’t get the full bird in frame and my other culprit was not enough shutter speed to freeze the movement of the wings (resulting in the tips being a tad blurry) - just means I have to go back and try again.
Two young fledgling Great Horned Owlets in a staring contest. Equally matched - I never did see who won.
I misjudged the wingspan of this Short Eared Owl and didn’t get the whole spread in frame - just means I have to go back and try again (love having an excuse).
There are those who enjoy Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day, and there are those who are just waiting the next day for discounted chocolate. One of these sibling Great Horned owlets is giving hoots to Galentine's Day (honouring the power of friendship) but unsure if the other owlet is all that interested.
This Wild Great Gray Owl launches to a better perch to listen for movement in the field to catch a meal - and this time, it was worth the fuss, it was successful.
Great Gray Owl sets focus on a branch of a tree to perch from. The skies were quite dull on this morning but sure was a pleasure seeing this Great Gray Owl hunting. May the 4th be with you :)
Months that begin on a Sunday have a "Friday the 13th". I couldn't find any creepy or scary photos, but for a vole this Great Gray Owl getting ready to launch could be a very unlucky day...and on this particular day, it resulted in very bad luck for the vole (you likely don't want to see that photo).
The Great Gray Owl has an average wingspan of about 5 feet. I was lucky to see this fella flying towards me with the wings stretched out in flight (otherwise referred to as “on the wing”).
Wild Great Grey Owl surveying the open landscape listening for voles beneath the snow covered ground.
Wild Barred Owl perched on a limb in a faint snow fall early morning - I got a few clicks in the camera before it flew off into the woodline.
Wild Great Gray Owl flying low to navigate the field along the trees for its next meal - and it was successful on this hunt.
Swainson's Hawk stayed perched for only a few seconds and resumed it's morning hunt in this countryside field.
Great Gray Owl in the wild focused on the goal of finding a meal. A Great Gray owl can eat up to 7 vole-size small mammals every day. On this day I didn't see it catch one, but it looks very healthy so I am sure it had been successful before or after I saw it.
Sometimes we forget in the moment that there are obstructions in our view & we miss the shot we intended. Half of the owl (the part cropped) is photobombed by a fence post. Sometimes these are the shots we think about as we drive home and into the next day, trying to decide how to salvage it if we can. I had such a memorable morning watching this lovely owl hunt that I decided to try something with the photo. Win some, lose some, reconcile some, heavily crop some…guess it is what keeps us going back out again to try for another chance (which I look forward to).
February started very snowy and cold. A reminder that winter is not over yet. Was a pretty scene in the blue hour of the morning with the frost and this Great Gray Owl on the hunt for breakfast. Taken in Alberta, Canada.
Great Horned Owl in silence mode as it prepares for the evening hunt. Owls are very quiet in flight which is made possible from the pattern in their wing tips (comb like serrations) and their velvety soft texture feathers. “Swoosh” is sometimes all that can be heard as you see them for a few seconds until they disappear again in the forest.
Young wild Great Horned Owl fledging holds a pose to examine if I am friend or foe...or maybe food. Hope this little one had a safe season (taken in the Spring).
An unlucky muskrat's life came to an end when he was munching on greens near a melt hole in the ice. He didn't die for nothing, his body provided a substantial meal to a hungry Red-tailed Hawk, a skilled and agile hunter. Nature is beautiful and nature is cruel. The harshness ensures natural selection, preventing overpopulation and maintaining ecosystem health.
Despite the harshness of nature, there is a certain magic to it.
Few days ago, I posted photos of a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk just like this one, being rehabilitated in a local wildlife center after a clavicle and wing injury. He was in an enclosure recuperating and doing exactly what this free Red-tail is doing. Eating a hefty meal to survive another day.
Two cute (& Too cute) Great Horned Owlets in the morning sunrise. Hope they both have a safe season.
Actually this was taken at dawn as the Great Gray Owl left the shaded tree area. Guardian of the dawn just didn’t sound right …
Wild Great Gray Owl spotted hunting for voles at dawn on the edge of the forest. Mesmerizing to watch it glide so low and gracefully.
With thick, fluffy feathers the Great Gray Owl is well-adapted to survive our harsh Canadian winter. Taken from the warmth of my vehicle with the heated seat turned on (I’m not so well adapted some days). It’s been a cold month but we are on the way to Springtime!
Did you know that most owls have yellow or orange eyes? This means that those owls can also be active during the day. Owls with dark brown or black eyes are strictly nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn).
There was the familiar call "Who Cooks For You" coming almost directly above me while I was walking a narrow path in the woods. The close sound froze me for a second, but I then kept on going past that area so not to scare the owl before stopping and snapping a photo of one of my favorite dark eyed beauties, a Barred Owl. He/she was calling with another Barred Owl deeper in the woods. I felt quite privileged to be allowed to listen in on their conversation. ❤️
Juvenile Bald Eagle gaining footing on a branch just prior to taking off in search of its next meal. I did notice the chest feathers were wet so perhaps it was also shake dancing to dry off.
Meet Charlie.
Charlie was named by the caring people in his neighborhood who frequently saw him hopping around on their lawns, porches and fences. Everybody loved Charlie! When Charlie went missing couple days ago, his people got worried. Being a curious young one he decided to hop the fence, ending up on the wrong side of that fence, amongst cars speeding by like there's no tomorrow. Charlie had his Guardian Angel right there with him, maybe sitting on his shoulder, telling him not to panic but watch and wait, help will come. And it did, in a form of yet another caring and observant human who brought this youngster to the local wildlife center.
Charlie was healthy, well fed, spunky and feisty. His parents had been doing a great job feeding and raising him.
Last night I had a pleasure reuniting Charlie with his owl and neighborhood family. Everyone was respectful of his space and inner wild owl even though he was growing up close to people.
When Great Horned Owlets (owls in general) reach a branchling age they step out from the safety of the nest and start exploring the surrounding world. They are more frequently seen in our yards now as humans are constantly expanding their territory and taking over woods and fields that once belonged to wildlife. This owlet here, even though he looks quite grown, is a fledgling learning to fly. His parents still feed and care for him. The branchling and fledgling owlets are experts in climbing trees, using their sharp talons and beaks. If you find an owlet hopping on the ground it's best to leave him alone... unless the owlet is like Charlie, in a dangerous situation or appears injured. Magical, lucky Charlie.
Long-eared owls are difficult to monitor given their elusive behavior, however, they are considered threatened globally and even endangered in some areas.
In less than a single human lifetime, 2.9 billion breeding adult birds have been lost from North America, across every ecosystem.
Scientists have identified that habitat loss is the biggest overall driver of bird declines. Habitat loss occurs when land is converted for agriculture, development, resource extraction (drilling, mining, deforestation). Some other human-caused threats to birds are cats and other invasive species; collisions with windows, communications towers and wind turbines, not to mention exposure to pesticides, rodenticides and other toxins. And as the climate changes, many birds (and other animals) are struggling to adapt.
These threats pose an ever-growing danger to birds and are already pushing some species toward extinction.
Long-eared owls are slender, crow-sized owls. They have long ear tufts on the head which are often visible when the owl perches. The ear tufts are not actual ears, but rather clusters of feathers that help in camouflaging the bird. The true ears are located on either side of the head next to the round rusty-orange facial disk.
To camouflage, long-eared owls will “suck in,” use their wings to cover the patterning on their flanks and erect their ear tufts. They are extremely secretive, nocturnal and yes, well camouflaged!
I wish I could have my very own Hedwig! Certainly my letters would be delivered in timely manner then!
Snowy owls are quite charismatic and more than beautiful owls.
They are birds of The Arctic tundra and nest in open fields of their cold habitats. Unlike most owls, they are diurnal meaning they are active and hunt during the day. Above the Arctic Circle they have 24 hours of daylight.
A Snowy owl appears unpredictably and infrequently in the lower 48 states, always causing a stir, not only among birders but all people, when it arrives.
Snowy owl is the biggest owl in the US. With its white plumage (females have brown stripes as the one in the photo) it blends beautifully into Arctic landscapes and used to have that camouflage here in her irruptive wintering grounds too. Unfortunately, it is rare for us to have winters with snow in recent years.
What this handsome youngster is doing here is keeping an eye on an attacking crow, making his body appear larger by puffing up his belly feathers and preparing his talons for a potential defense move. This type of display is a common behavior among birds when they are feeling threatened or agitated.
This brave hawk is doing what any one-year-old Cooper's Hawk would do when facing the world alone and trying to remember what his parents taught him about standing up for yourself.
How wise are these eyes? How piercing is that stare? How keen are his observations? His thoughts?
Mesmerizing.
Home for the Holidays!
After three months in rehabilitation this lucky barred owl is back home, living a beautiful owl life and hunting his own food!
It is an incredible feeling to be able to see the wildlife healthy again and set them free, not only to their natural habitats but their homes.
I released this beautiful owl an hour and half away from the wildlife center where he was cared for presumably a collision with a vehicle. We always return them to their own territory, their home, where they were found :)