Those eyes…
We had two wonderful encounters with great gray owls yesterday. The highlight for me came when the second owl flew across the field to a tall post about 30′ away. I took some good flight shots there. Then he glided down and landed 2′ away on a fence post beside me. When he was there, it was incredible to share the space. Being that close I was awed by the power and wisdom that I felt from him.
He stayed there for around 10 minutes before I moved further down the fence. The wind picked up as the clouds covered the sun. The owl remained focused on finding dinner in the long grass but after several more minutes, with his feathers whipping around, he flew off into the trees.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Flaring to land
This great gray owl dove at something in the hillside grasses behind this sign. I wasn’t in a good position for that attack but I was when it returned to the sign post it was hunting from.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Snowstorm and Robin
In mid-April, snow fell regularly. The robins had arrived earlier in the month and I wasn’t sure how they would feel about the weather. One afternoon, I photographed this one for a little while. He didn’t seem to have any issues with the white stuff as he bombed through it and flew around to a few different spots around the yard.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
My favourite great blue heron shot
Desirée shot this heron out of the sunroof while we were driving into the sun along Plummers Road near Priddis. It was beautiful light to see this bird in flight – but such a hard photograph to get. She has worked hard at her photography and built on her natural talent. I feel like this image is such a great reward for that: Artistic, dynamic, perfectly focused and truly beautiful. It’s my favorite image of a great blue heron. An incredible shot sweetheart!
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
In flight
This great gray owl was hunting in a field near Grand Valley Road a couple of weeks ago. On one of the glides between perches above the grass, she flew towards me and landed on a ranch gate behind me.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Common loon cleaning
This loon had a small lake to himself a week ago. After swimming around a small island once, he decided to preen. I am used to this being a relatively short session that ends with the stretch out of the water as in the image above. This time was very different and saw the bird splash, skim, dunk and flap for 15 minutes. I’m guilty of thinking that he was having great fun during his bath time. While this is not unusual behavior for loons, it was new to me for the amount of time and the exuberance displayed.
I had a great time was watching and enjoyed looking for dynamic images that I have never had the opportunity to photograph before. The head emerging from the water, wings outstretched perpendicular to the water, surface skimming while beating droplets into a fury around him were among my favorite moments. Here are a few of the images that put a smile on my face when I reviewed them a couple of days after the encounter.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Road warrior
After hunting along a field to the right of the road, this great gray owl flew low across to the other side. I left a few minutes later while she continued to closely watch the grasses while moving between fence post and traffic sign perches.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
The first hummingbird of the year
We heard a quiet buzz above our deck yesterday, looked up and saw a Rufous hummingbird hovering near our feeder. It was our first one of the year and one of the most welcome migratory birds that return to our backyard each year.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
An owl in the rising sun
I went out onto the Foothills last weekend to catch the sunrise. It was beautiful but this great gray owl stole the honors for the morning to me. I loved having her backlit by the warm sunshine while she flew to hunt in the field.
Amid a number of current challenges, I enjoyed getting out for time to photograph and put energy into this passion of mine.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Happy Easter!
The robins have just returned to our home this weekend. It was a nice surprise from the Easter bunny to see and hear them in the backyard again.
Desirée thought the image above suggested the bird centre in the sunlight was the hope of spring emerging from darkness of winter. I liked that a lot. She has a beautiful way of seeing things.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
A whisky jack in flight
We have several gray jays that visit our backyard a few times a day. I watched this one land in the trees in the afternoon. When it launched, the snow sprayed behind as its wings flared out as it flew into a dive.
Sharing this post is welcomed - but please do not use individual images without permission from Christopher Martin in advance.
Morning flight
Mallard ducks backlit against morning sunshine rise off a pond east of Cochrane in Alberta, Canada. Photographed on September 26, 2020.
Christopher Martin Photography 