Eagle fishing in the Banff National Park
I watched this eagle glide across the Vermilion Lake from its nest on the far side. Ahead of his arrival on the shore in front of me, waterfowl and a couple of Great blue heron scattered in all directions. The eagle flew higher and circled a couple of times, staring into the water. He dove, his claws slicing the water, but finding no joy. The raptor pulled up into a branch of a dead tree to reconsider its approach.
Twenty minutes passed before his second flight. He flew in a wide arc, gaining a little more altitude. The birds that had been on the water, had not returned so the eagle had a clean line this time.
He dove, again, and this time his talons came off the surface with a fish in their grasp.
The fish was quickly moved from talons to beak and then swallowed mid-flight.
The eagle flew back up to the same tree and settled on a branch near where it had been pestered by the blackbird earlier. From there, I hoped he would fish again and I waited for more than an hour. Along the way, he called out a few times which gave some interesting head and beak positions to photograph.
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A forest hunter
On a warm summer evening, down a country road leading nowhere, I found a pair of Great gray owls. One was hunting actively near where I set up while the other was perched deeper in the forest.
The shadows lengthened and I hoped for a special moment before the sun slipped below the ridge to the west. She flew over me and I thought that would be the end of the encounter as she flew into the trees. Instead, she alighted on this small branch and stared intently at a couple of spots in the grass. Shortly after she dove headlong into one of those spots and disappeared.
Several seconds ticked by and then she leaped into the air – with a field mouse secured in her beak. It was my good fortune that she flew directly towards me as she gained altitude before banking to her left and heading further uphill towards her nest. The first image and the ones directly below are the series as she flew through the trees towards me.
These were a series of moments well beyond what I was even hoping for.
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Great gray owl on frost and in gold
Last week’s dropping mercury and precipitation allowed the fields around Bragg Creek to be encased in frost on the weekend. I spent the morning watching birds of all sizes waking up – with most waiting for the sun to warm things up a bit. This Great gray owl was more interested in breakfast and I watched him hunt for a couple of hours taking his catches back to the nest hidden somewhere in the forest nearby. These images of the owl just lifting off the grass with a field mouse in its beak really captured the tone of the morning – frosted grass, shafts of golden light, a spectacular bird in flight. It was another wonderful morning spent in awe of the natural world.
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Wild Rose’s Common Loons
There have been three Common loons that spend each spring on Wild Rose lake in Bragg Creek. Last weekend, I found them for the first time this year and watched them for swim, dive, call and chase each other around for an hour. The morning light on the water was beautiful and made a great backdrop for these lovely birds.
Loons need a long stretch of water to use as a runway to get airborne. When this trio decided to leave, two flew along the far end of the lake away from me. The third, fortunately for me, flew towards me and lifted into the air right beside me.
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Hanging out, flying around
These two Great horned owls flew between various perches among the strip of trees I found them in east of High River. I watched them for two hours as the morning’s overcast sky brightened. They were unsettled by ravens a couple of times but mostly seemed to be resting while keeping eyes on the fields they looked over. When they did fly it was worth the wait.
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A Great horned owl’s flyby
I found this Great horned owl and her mate flying around a long line of trees on the edge of a farm field east of High River. On this flight she flew at eye level, very close to where I had my camera and lens setup on a tripod. Too close to fit the whole bird in the frame but I was happy to get a sharp image.
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Ospreys in flight
There was a lot of flight time during the afternoon that I spent watching a pair of Ospreys last weekend. They flew along the Bow River fishing, perching and collecting branches for their nest. I enjoyed watching them and having the opportunity to photograph them flying.
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Bald eagles flying around their dinner perch
Watching these two eagles for an hour back in March, I am convinced they are the pair who will occupy the large nest perched in these trees over a pond on a farm on the high prairie east of the Crowsnest Pass.
Both had no difficulty catching the ground squirrels in the fields surrounding the pond. When they did, they returned to this branch to eat – possibly for the company. It was very cool to be a stone’s throw away from the wonderful creatures. At close range, I was reminded how big these birds are.
Other eagles circled the water as well but none seemed paired up like these two which leads me to believe they “own” the nest. I’ll get back there soon and see where things stand now!
There were a lot of fun shots to choose from which I whittled down to these few here. It was, obviously, a well spent afternoon by my standards.
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A phantom of the north’s flyby
I watched this Great gray owl criss-cross a field west of Bragg Creek a couple of weekends ago. I spotted him perched near a small pond in front of the forest and photographed as he flew closer to where I was on the road.
Between flights, he landed on a couple of fence posts, a branch and a driveway gate. This last landing was about 20 metres (60′) away from where I stood.
I have had owls fly close to me occasionally and it is always an intense moment. This was no exception – it was great to feel his presence as it glided past within arm’s reach.
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A hunting owl
I have photographed this Great gray owl in the same area for the past five years. When I found her hunting for field mice just off the gravel road, I set up and watched her make two successful dives from branches that hung only a couple of metres above the tall grass. I haven’t seen her or her mate over the winter so it was great to reconnect and watch the action. I particularly enjoyed watching how she flew through the open forest.
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Hawkeye
I found this juvenile Red-tailed hawk perched on a treetop west of Bragg Creek facing towards me. As always, I hoped for a launch in my direction. Sometimes it happens, this time it didn’t. I kept tracking the bird as it flew away and when it banked gently to the left I squeezed off a few frames. I was very lucky to catch this one with a clear shot of the eye which elevated it considerably. The Red-tails are returning in droves to southern Alberta now – I am looking forward to seeing them much more again.
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Geese on the wing
This pair of Canada geese flew over our deck in Redwood Meadows. These birds are migrating all across North America now and we are certainly getting our share. With the overcast sky, the even light showcased the beautiful textures and tones in the wings.
