Great Horned Owl…

A couple of months ago in the evening we would hear the hooting of an owl, so we decided to go on a little walk toward the sound and low and behold we found her…

 

It seemed each evening she would end up in the same tree…

 

Then we noticed an old nest a couple of trees down.  A couple of weeks ago I decided to look for her again and found her IN the nest and last week see what I spotted…

 

A fuzzy, wuzzy little owlet!!

 

Cool Facts

• Great Horned Owls are fierce predators that can take large prey, including raptors such as Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, and other owls. They also eat much smaller items such as rodents, frogs, and scorpions.
• When clenched, a Great Horned Owl’s strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. The owls use this deadly grip to sever the spine of large prey.
• If you hear an agitated group of cawing American Crows, they may be mobbing a Great Horned Owl. Crows may gather from near and far and harass the owl for hours. The crows have good reason, because the Great Horned Owl is their most dangerous predator.
• Even though the female Great Horned Owl is larger than her mate, the male has a larger voice box and a deeper voice. Pairs often call together, with audible differences in pitch.
• Great Horned Owls are covered in extremely soft feathers that insulate them against the cold winter weather and help them fly very quietly in pursuit of prey. Their short, wide wings allow them to maneuver among the trees of the forest.
• Great Horned Owls have large eyes, pupils that open widely in the dark, and retinas containing many rod cells for excellent night vision. Their eyes don’t move in their sockets, but they can swivel their heads more than 180 degrees to look in any direction. They also have sensitive hearing, thanks in part to facial disc feathers that direct sound waves to their ears.
• The oldest Great Horned Owl on record was at least 28 years old when it was found in Ohio in 2005.

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Merlin

My husband caught this Merlin, he even has a kill in his claws!

 

Cool Facts

• Merlin pairs have been seen teaming up to hunt large flocks of waxwings: one Merlin flushes the flock by attacking from below; the other comes in moments later to take advantage of the confusion.

• Merlins don’t build their own nests. Instead, they take over the old nests of other raptors or crows. They also use magpie nests, sometimes laying eggs right on top of the nest’s dome rather than inside the cavity.

• Though it’s not much bigger than the more common American Kestrel, the Merlin is heavier and often appears considerably larger. As with most raptors, female Merlins are larger than males.

• The name “Merlin” comes from esmerillon, the old French name for the species. Merlins used to be called “pigeon hawks” because in flight they look somewhat pigeon-like. Their species name,columbarius, is also a reference to pigeons.

• Medieval European noblewomen—including Catherine the Great and Mary Queen of Scots—used Merlins for sport to hunt Skylarks. European and North American falconers continue to work with Merlins, hunting quarry that ranges from sparrow-sized to dove-sized.

• The oldest known Merlin was at least 11 years, 11 months old. It was banded as an adult in New York in 1982 and recovered in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1993.

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Cottonwoods…

 

Beautiful Cottonwood trees by the Marias River, MT….

 

 

 

 

 

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Today’s Flowers

 

 

 

 

A Little Walk…

Sunset pictures taken on a warm, autumn evening while out on my  walk….

 

 

 

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Flehming…

Flehming response: Definition: is a behaviour whereby an animal curls back its upper lips exposing its front teeth, inhales with the nostrils usually closed and then often holds this position for several seconds. It may be performed over a site or substance of particular interest to the animal (e.g. urine or faeces) or may be performed with the neck stretched and the head held high in the air. Flehmen is performed by a wide range of mammals including ungulates and felids. The behaviour facilitates the transfer of pheromones and other scents into the vomeronasal organ located above the roof of the mouth via a duct which exits just behind the front teeth of the animal.

 

 

Bull bison flehming….

 

 

 

 

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Waiting It Out…

An eagle perched in a tree waiting out the rain…

 

 

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Beautiful Athabasca Falls

Quick road trip to Alberta, Canada and the Icefields Parkway…

 

 

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Sunset on Swiftcurrent Lake

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It’s a Small World…

To our new friends the Anderson’s from North Carolina whom we met while taking pictures of this beautiful moose.  She knew who I was and that I was the author of this blog.  Blew my mind away!  🙂  We had a great time visiting with them and then when we ran into them at St. Mary’s Lodge we had a wonderful supper together.  Later that week they visited our farm, family and sheep.  Wonderful people!  You’ll never know who you’ll meet in the middle of no-where.

 

 

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Hatch…

The last couple of days we have had a hatch of gnats going on….

 

Actually, I am not sure what type of insect it is but it happens every year at this time.  They cover the Green Ash trees and fill the air.  They cover you when you walk outside and are kind of icky.  But this year it has attracted all sorts of birds…

Bluebirds

Pileated Woodpeckers

More Bluebirds…

Check out his tongue with the bugs on it!

Did I say Bluebirds…

Hordes of bluebird…

Flickers, do you see three…

Downy woodpeckers…

 

More flickers…

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