After weeks of waiting, one owlet is big enough to come out… a nesting doll.
Waking up is hard work. Early owly yawn:
like my fur?
Where’s little bro? He’s too young to come out. Still in the nest… taking it all in:
…. six days later, I found little bro out with Papa or Mama, see him?
No? How about now, zooming in:
and a close-up:
Here’s looking at you, kid. Soon, they’ll be gone, and another season of anticipation will pass. The circle of life.
To the movies next.
***
In this indistinct, dead tree trunk hides an annual fanfare,
for such an ordinary tree cavity is the seasonal residence of the Owl Family.
This year, there are two newborns. See them peeking out? For some far-fetched resemblance, I think of Mount Rushmore.
Just a few weeks old, but already gulping down voles and whatever Mama and Papa feed them. Still not out yet, but curious just the same.
Hello world! It’s wonderful to see so many things from high up here. What are all those long black things pointing at us, and all those funny looking, two-legged creatures crawling on the ground, craning their necks to look at us? How funny they look! Hoot, our first glimpse of the world sure is interesting.
Such a sentiment isn’t shared by Papa Owl.
Those two-legged creatures? Just too blasé for me to take a look.
***
Just as I was feeling a bit disappointed at not actually seeing any birds while hearing lots of them around me in the woods, I looked up a tree and saw this. What timing! A parent owl, let’s just say it’s Mama owl, with a vole in her mouth just about to fly back to the nest for morning feeding.
I couldn’t capture the flying, but here she is, dipping the mole down into the nest, the annual seasonal residence for the Owl Family. Pardon the blurry photos as I was just too excited to capture the moment. The nest was at least 50 feet away high up on the empty trunk of an old tree.
This year, other birders tell me that there are three owlets in there… just a few weeks old. Will see them come out soon. But right at that moment, I was happy to see Mama owl giving them their morning feeding… couldn’t imagine these babies eating up a mole, though, with their tiny beaks.
All this time, Papa sat on a tree nearby watching and keeping guard.
A googling search led me to some videos seeing owls, even the tiny owlets, actually gulp down a rodent whole, shot from a camera placed inside their nest. I don’t have that privilege, but in a few weeks these furry babies will show their faces out on a branch, cute and downy, leaning against each other… and I’ll forget how they devour a vole, gulping it down whole inside their nest.
***
Time to take stock of memorable moments of the year. Here are some exciting bird sightings. I admit, nothing spectacular, but still memorable for me.
In August, 2022, I saw a Glossy Ibis in my neck of the woods. I had to go online to check it out as I’d never seen one before. I was elated to ID it. Here’s the post. What a rare find I thought, for they were mostly found in the Atlantic coasts to the east and the Gulf Coast of Texas to the south. Here in the Prairies? and at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Western Canada? Must be a stray.
But two years later almost to the date, this August, I saw a Glossy Ibis again. This time, not just one but two, and even closer to my home. Here they are, pictures are blurry but the memory is clear. They were at a distance too far for my lens to capture in sharper focus. I like to imagine them as Impressionist paintings:
Another highlight of birding 2024 is seeing the Rufus Hummingbird for the first time in Richmond Nature Park in June this year. I’d seen Anna’s Hummingbird before but this time Rufus also. Here’s my post where more photos were posted and the origin of their names. Here’s Rufus, and look at the beautiful iridescent necklace. It changed colour as I walked around it. I should have taken a video.
And the Osprey that got relocated due to road construction had found a new home (I like to think this one I saw was the one being forced out of its nest.) Looks like the benevolent construction crew had built a new structure for the Osprey to start a new home. Here it is tending its nest and I can’t see what exactly she’s carrying in her claws, looks like two babies, or some sort of fish meat:
And of course, even though it’s a perennial event, welcoming new babies to the Owl Family is always a highlight and the start of the birding season every year. Here are a few pics of these cute little ones:
While I treasure memorable photos like these, I look forward to some novel birding experiences in 2025, and take some photos I’ve never done before.
***
Thursday, October 10, I boarded the Air Canada flight at 9 pm EST from Toronto heading west to Calgary. I expected a Gravol-driven four hours of dozing before I landed. Who’d have known that those four hours would become the most extraordinary flight experience I’ve ever had.
First off, as we departed, I took this photo of the Toronto area. I thought to myself, hey, that was quite a nice pic. But not until I was up in the air the next hour did I realize there was something even more fantastic in store for me, manmade lightings compared to awesome cosmic wonders.
Our pilot had mentioned the possible appearance of the Aurora Borealis when we took off, but it didn’t occur to me to look out the window with much hope, because all I could see was the flashing red light from the right wing of the plane against the darkness. It’s only when the young man in front of me covering the head of his seat mate with his jacket as she did something by her window. I was wondering what they were doing when he showed me the photo they got on their phone of the Northern Lights.
For the next few hours I had taken over 100 photos on my iPhone. The amazing thing is, I could hardly see anything out the window with my naked eyes, but what’s caught by my camera lens was some fantastic sights. What I could see was only darkness, but what’s really happening was a cosmic show of spectacular wonders. And, I don’t mind the Air Canada logo on the wing in my pictures, just proved that I took these photos 30,000 feet up in the air.
Here are a few of them, no editing, no sharpening or colour changes, and of course, no AI generated effects.
Happy Thanksgiving!
***
The horrific destruction of the town in Jasper National Park by wildfire yesterday makes me feel mournful not only for the human loss of homes and businesses––25,000 residents and visitors have evacuated, many with no homes to return to––but also for the majestic, natural beauty and the wildlife dwelling there. How do animals and even birds escape the engulfing fire, with flames reaching 100 metres high? The drive from Banff to Jasper is one of the most beautiful Parkways in Canada. As I write this, one third of the historic town of Jasper has been burned or damaged. The fire is still going, actually, hundreds of wild fires are still burning in Alberta and BC.
The posting of my birding experience on Ripple Effects seems to have taken a new purpose now:
to preserve memories, my very own encounter with Nature and the raw, authentic moments, for I know, these too are ephemeral.
The following are some of the visual memories I’ve gathered in the past month near the Pond. First off, the summer wild flora, blooming bright and colourful are the Alberta provincial flower, the Wild Rose. If you can ID the other ones, do let me know:
Snow in July? Fortunately not. Thanks to poplar cotton, a monotonous stream now looks dramatic:
It’s always a pleasant surprise to see a deer suddenly appear nearby, and this is a handsome, young one:
A favourite sighting any time… the Belted Kingfisher, not easy to spot, but their distinct rattle calls give them away:
High up on a tree branch, the Osprey is chomping its prey. You can see half a fish under its claws:
For these two hungry baby European Starlings, it’s door dash delivery by Mama Starling, not fast enough as always:
As for Mama, she just can’t wait to see babies grow up to search for their own food, just like these lovely Yellow Warblers:
or this hungry Robin, swallowing whole a worm as long as its own body:
The ephemeral nature of life… the worm sure knows what that means.
The baby owl that fell out of a tree and taken away by wildlife staff has now returned home. Good to see all the members of the Owl Family are back together again. Hard to find a good camera angle when you’re way down on the ground, but here’s what I’ve captured.
The Owl Family. The two owlets in the middle, with mom and dad on each side of the young. Three of them on one branch, the other parent on another branch to the left:
Can you spot all four of them here?
.
A closer look at three of them:
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Looks like Baby O. has fledged and learned to spread its wings. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Glad to see all’s well now with the Owl Family:
Soon the young ones will be gone. To where I don’t know. At least I’m glad I’ve a chance to see wings spread out and ready before they fly away. I’m sure Mama and Papa Owls feel the same.
***
The arrival of a new owlet is when I’m energized for another year of birding. Like the bear, I hibernate in the winter. I wouldn’t want to fight the elements in -20C temperatures with not much to see but a blanket of white. After waiting patiently for the snow to be gone and rain to let up, today is the first fine day to begin my few months of nature hopping. I was richly rewarded.
This single Great Horned Owlet makes it all worth the wait. Other birders told me that there were two babies this year, but one fell off a tree and was taken away by wildlife staff, hopefully to mend injury and recuperate. So, leaving this one all the more precious. Can you find baby here?
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A close up for a better view of this adorable, downy ball:
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Check out this photo below, see anything special? Only the owl can do this feat where both the head and the tail face the same direction. That’s right, baby has turned his head 180° :
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Sure knows how to pose for the camera too:
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and the natural, without needing to pose:
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Mom is close by, but like all mothers, always in need of those precious 40 winks:
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A fine day to start another year of nature hopping. More photos coming up…
It may still be summer, but most of the migratory birds have started their winter journey south. My favourite avian friends seem to have departed without saying goodbye. So, I train my eyes to look at all the beauties that I haven’t noticed before when I was only focused on birding. Even the dandelions look good when contrasted with the clear, blue river, or the small butterfly, or is it a moth?
I’ve discovered a brand new interest. What are these red flying objects in front of my eyes, so many of them darting around. Red dragonflies… I haven’t noticed them before. My curiosity sent me to Google and yes, I’m sure they are dragonflies and not damselflies. The main difference is that dragonflies’ wings spread out like this when they’re at rest:
while damselflies fold up their wings at rest like this:
I’ve seen blue dragonflies before, lots of them here, but this time it’s the red dragonflies that are so abundant. I haven’t noticed them before. They are beautiful and easier to capture in photos than birds:
some intimate moments:
Of course I’ll miss my avian friends for another long absence until next spring, but there are other beauties to behold. It’s small things like these that sometimes make me jump out of bed with excitement. No, they won’t be around come winter, but I’m sure there are other blessings to explore then.
***
watching a good movie. It’s not easy to come upon, therefore, most gratifying.
I’m partial to yellow birds: Warblers, Goldfinches, Vireos… and a more orangey hue, the Baltimore Oriole. These are all that I’ve seen around here in the hinterland above the 49th parallel, unlike many of you in the warm and welcoming south having the chance to see more colourful varieties.
The woods by the Pond is a haven of warblers this year, but to capture one with the camera is highly challenging. They never stay still on a branch for more than a couple of seconds, let alone finding them clear from leaves. I can see them, small, yellow flying creatures in the air darting from tree to tree and hear them calling, as if teasing me, “catch me if you can.”
During my good day of birding a couple weeks ago I was able to get some of these tiny yellow warblers in my camera:
Serendipity is what makes good birding. Just as I was pleased with myself for taking some photos of yellow warblers, I found a warbler’s nest. A bonus! Trying my best to be as unobtrusive as possible, I took these pictures:
and look at this one carefully, you can see the tiny beak of a baby warbler sticking out:
I called it a good birding day and started to head back to my car when I saw an orangey thingy in a small tree at a distance. The Baltimore Oriole! I’ve heard from other birders that they’d seen one recently and everybody was looking for it. You who live in Baltimore or almost anywhere south of the 49th might have a good laugh at how excited we are in spotting a Baltimore Oriole. It’s not rare, but still a very special sighting for us. I took these from afar:
That’s a wrap of a good day birding. What more, I don’t need to write a review!
***
Another spring brings another owl baby. While I can’t tell if it’s the same owl family, it’s interesting that a Great Horned Owl family would use the same tree cavity to make their nest every spring to welcome their newborn(s), year after year.
Here it is, about a month ago, a brand new baby peeking out of the nest. Can you spot baby owl in this picture?
And now a few weeks later, baby has grown to almost the size of mommy owl, and the family has vacated their nest. So, it’s wonderful to see them out on a tree. Baby still has the downy coat on, but what impresses me is mommy owl—I like to think it’s the mother owl staying close to baby, as father owl usually goes to find food—like a sentinel watching closely, looking noble and stoic:
But of course, a mother is always a mother, and baby is always her baby, no matter how big he or she has grown. I’m glad that I was able to capture these endearing moments, albeit a little blurry since they were very far up a tree from a distance. Baby’s on the right in these pictures:
***
(Glitches while posting this. Have to repost. Previous post entitled Baby’s Day Out. Issues with the date. This post is published on Saturday May 27, 9:40 am.)
“Easter, which turns a terrible Friday into Good Friday. It is almost too brilliant for me to contemplate; it is like looking directly into the sun; I am burned and blinded by life.
There are times when I feel that He has withdrawn from me… but Easter is always the answer to My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me!
Easter is the most brilliant of all blessings.”
–––––– Madeleine L’Engle, The Irrational Season
Holy Sonnet 10
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou’art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy’or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
––––––– John Donne
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
–––––––– John 12:24
“… without a few days in hell, no resurrection is possible.”
–––––––– Mary Karr, Lit
And a lighter thought, the all brilliant Madeleine L’Engle again:
Pride is heavy.
It weighs.
It is a fatness of spirit,
an overindulgence in self.
This gluttony is earthbound,
cannot be lifted up.
Help me to fast,
to lose this weight.
Otherwise, O Light one,
how can I rejoice in your
Ascension?
———————
He is risen.
Happy Easter!
***
Ripple Effects 