Boreal Owl

At night, the Boreal Owl becomes active in the spruce and fir forests, hunting for small mammals and birds with its talons. If you're out there, you might hear its hooting sounds from late winter through spring. Boreal Owls spend the entire year in the boreal forest, only migrating south when food is scarce. Like other owl species, the female is larger than the male, but with Boreal Owls, the size difference is especially pronounced. Sometimes the female can be twice as heavy as the male. Additionally, Boreal Owls have asymmetrical ear openings, with one opening positioned higher than the other. This asymmetry helps the owl better determine the direction of sounds, which is crucial for hunting.

Boreal Owls tend to be solitary. Even during the breeding season, mated pairs do not roost together and only come together at the nest site during courtship and feeding. The male courts the female with food and calls, feeding her for up to three months before nesting, and continues to bring food throughout the nesting period. Due to their nocturnal habits, Boreal Owls are not commonly encountered, making it a special occasion when I spotted one a few months ago.

Great Gray Owl

As the “The Teddy Bears Picnic” song goes, “If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise”. And I was when I came across the big guy, M122, last month. I saw fresh tracks going across my path. When I looked down the slope to my right. There he was slowly moving in the woods through the deep snow. He’s challenged by moving through deep snow, as we would be. With his lower height, he walks next to the trees when he can, where the snow is less thanks to the branches above. As well, trees being darker, heat is radiated from them. Which helps the snow melt under the canopy first. 

Been up since the middle of March and having to deal with a deep snowpack for a few months, every bit helps to conserve energy for the big guy. For wildlife, energy is money, and the goal is to save as much as possible until it’s needed. That could be escaping a predator or dealing with a bigger competitor. For M122, he might use his savings when there is a chance of catching prey or chasing competition away. But, one thing he does not have to worry about is being chased away. You just have to look at him to see he is good at saving.

But sometimes it pays not to be efficient. A Washington State University study was able to find the optimal speed of a bear at 4.2 kilometers an hour in a lab. But on the landscape it was calculated to be 2.2 kilometers an hour. It was concluded, the bears might forgo efficiency to take in the landscape and to forage for food. As well, it was learned from the same study that bears prefer slopes that were 10 percent grade or less. If the slope is steeper, they go up in a switchback pattern to maintain their grade preference. Plus, more opportunities to come across food. 

Oh yeah, there’s another mammal that prefers the same grade as the bears, us humans. The bears will take full advantage of the hiking trails when they come across one. Not only do many of our hiking trails have their preferred grade, they also have no trees and shrubs coming across their path. There’s a small chance for one to come across a bear while hiking. But, it’s always good to have bear spray all year on the trails and even more so during the bear-aware season.

Great Gray Owl

Always happy to see an owl, no matter which one. It was the second time I had seen a Great Gray Owl this year. It was in the morning, and I was out birding and taking pictures before starting work. On my way back there was a small black bear next to the trail. Knowing the area, I decided to go around it by going through the trees. And to my surprise, I came across this owl on the edge of the forest. He seemed to be just as curious about me as I was of him. It kept moving its head side to side and kept getting closer, until it was perched about two meters above my head. I looked upon him and hoped he was not about to show me what it had consumed recently. It did not. I moved away from the tree he was perched on to get the pictures I wanted.

Great horned Owl

Early in February on one cold morning, I was out and about when I heard several ravens calling out. When you hear several ravens, always there is something interesting going on. It could be a predator near or a carcass they are feeding on or both. I was getting closer, but also I was being cautious. I did not want to come upon a scene where I was putting myself in danger. Knowing the area inside out, reduced the risk. As I got closer I could tell there were up to 20 ravens, Many of them were flying near a tree and when some went toward the ground, they seem to stay two meters above it. I moved without getting closer to get a better view, they were mobbing a bird, a Great horned Owl. It was among the willow shrubs, looking calm as the ravens around it were flying or perched on nearby trees, all calling out. I stayed back as to have no effect on any of the birds. It’s nature at work. Here the ravens were mobbing the owl, other times I have seen ravens getting mobbed by various other bird species. For the ravens there is a benefit by mobbing and removing the owl  from the area, providing less competition for food. But there is also a risk, the owl attacking one of the ravens, but with more ravens the risk is reduced. It was hard to get a picture of the owl and at least some of the ravens, so instead I focused on the owl when it looked toward me with frost above its eyes, caused by the steam coming off the water nearby.

Great horned Owl

As we get closer to the month of December, the birders get more and more excited. It will be Christmas Bird Count time. For those of us living in the Bow Valley, the Banff and Canmore Christmas Bird Count will be taking place on Saturday December the 14. Hop over to www.bowvalleynaturalists.org for more information, for the locals and those perhaps who will be visiting the valley and would like to participate.

There’s something for everyone, from the most experienced birder to someone who will be going out for the very first time. All is needed, is to be dressed for the weather and have open ears and eyes, a big bonus if you have binoculars. If you’re spending more than a few hours out there, energy in the form of liquids and or solids comes in handy, for me chocolate plays that role. I have not come across any scientific research on the topic, but I do feel the more chocolate I consume the more birds I likely to see. It’s a great way to spend the time outside and all the information we gather gives us a better understanding how our feathered friends are doing.

Barred Owl

I had gone for an evening drive, came across a large grizzly, separated by a stand of trees. The bear was busy digging for food, a couple of vehicles stopped with a few people trying to get pictures. I slowed down to identify the grizzly and then kept driving. Calling it in when I got cellular coverage, there was a good chance someone was going to get out of the vehicle to get closer. About an hour later I was coming back, when I was less than half a km from where the grizzly was spotted, I saw a large bird cross my path. By the colouring it was an owl, I saw roughly where it went up to perch in the trees to the left of me. I found a spot to pull off, got out of the car and had a good look around me, all was safe. Bear spray within easy reach I headed to see the owl. A couple of minutes later I was looking at a Barred Owl, it was toward the end of the day and it was hunting time for this owl. I backed up, took the picture and we said our goodbyes. On the way home, I located the grizzly again, he was bit hard to see, but I could still see he was digging for food. No one was in the area, I kept driving, no need to attract any attention. He was at home eating and I need to get home to eat.