Great horned Owl

There are not a lot of opportunities to spot an owl in the mountains. Any help from others is appreciated. Help for me often comes from wildlife, particularly from the birds. They are always helpful letting me know what else is going on. Just in the last few days, thanks to the birds like the robins, chickadees and juncos mobbing. I got to see a Barred Owl and a goshawk. The more you understand what is going on around you and what different calls mean. The more chances you have of seeing the uncommon. 

For this picture, it was another day for birding, getting my camera ready before following the trail into the woods. I could hear magpies and crows calling out. By their calls, it sounded like they were mobbing a predator. Slowly and carefully, I moved closer until I could see an adult Great horned Owl. After a few minutes, the owl had enough, it tried to fly away from the other birds. In pursuit were the crows and magpies. Just then, I realized there were two adult Great-horned Owls. The second was out of my view at first, but when it flew after the first owl, I got to see it. It looked as if both owls had enough and wanted to get away. The calls of the crowns and magpies got fainter and fainter as the owls got farther and farther away from where I was still standing. 

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.