Blog – Page 71 – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Great Horned Owl

Another sunny, but cool day. On arriving to help out at Reifel the lot was full and it looked like the Sunday crowds were back to normal. While still fairly quiet on the birding front, there were a couple of attractions for the visitors this afternoon.

First up along the east dyke trail were the Great Horned Owls. The local pair were both roosting together in the same tree. Unfortunately there was no way to get them both in the shot. Further along was a Northern Saw-whet Owl. I did not take any photos as it was obstructed by branches, but everyone loves to see the owls and they were the highlight of the day.

Still on the cold side, the ponds still had some thin ice and were fairly empty except for the few thawed portions.

Western Meadowlark

Another sunny day and I made my way out to Brunswick Point this afternoon. As there was little wind, the river would be calm and smooth. While this was the case for the river when I arrived, I was disappointed to see no activity out there at all. Not long into my walk though there was a pleasant surprise.

Some Western Meadowlarks flew into the trees along the trail. The lighting was far from ideal, but I did manage this shot. There was over a dozen Meadowlarks moving between the farm fields, marsh and trees along the dyke.

Further along the trail I located a Northern Shrike, and later in the afternoon a half dozen Short-eared Owls got active over the marsh along with the usual Northern Harriers. Unfortunately I was not able to get any decent shots of them.

Hooded Merganser & Eagle

I was surprised by the number of visitors for a Friday when I arrived at Reifel, but it was a nice day. The breeze was on the cool side, but it was petering out. Unfortunately it was fairly quiet on the birding front.

I did find and spend some time with some Hooded Mergansers on one of the inner ponds in some nice light.

Managing to get both male and female,

… along with the male Hooded Merganser fanning its wings after preening. Towards the end of the day,

… this Bald Eagle spent some time in the trees across from the tower providing an opportunity for some photos. The nice thing when they perch here and you are shooting from the top of the tower is the better angle, almost eye level.