Birds of Prey

We are fortunate to have these beautiful arctic birds visit our area each winter.  The Snowy Owls can often be spotted sitting on the tops of hydro poles, signs along side our highways or outbuildings.  These owls are diurnal, meaning they are active both day and night.  Their preferance for higher perches allows them to scan their hunting territory ( in our case the open prairie fields ) for small rodents or rabbits.  They breed in the high arctic  where their prey would be lemmings and sometimes ptarmigan.  Both parents are fiece defenders of the nest and young owlets. The Snowy Owl featured here is either a female or immature bird as it has fairly extensive black markings.  An adult male would be mainly white with fewer dark areas.  Their bill is black, their eyes yellow and feet are heavily feathered. Snowy owls can weigh in the 6 pound range and have a wingspan of up to 59 inches which makes it one of our largest species of owls.

 This snowy only moved when its head turned around to look the other direction.  My neck hurt just watching it !

Enjoy !

~Sharon

A few more photos taken at the Assiniboine Zoo this past October.  Normally I do not use captive animal photos on this website but did take a few snapshots while visiting our tiger cubs this fall.  So today, a flamingo, Steller Sea Eagle ( this is a really large bird ) and a toucan.

Below: Flamingo in the tropical house preening its feathers.

Below: Steller Sea Eagle. With a wingspan of up to 8 feet and weighing in at 15-20 lbs this eagle is considered the most aggressive and powerful of its cousins, the bald eagle and white-tailed sea eagle. They are believed to breed only in far eastern Russia and some migrate as far south as Japan. Their diet consists mainly of salmon and like other eagles will dive into the water clutching a fish with their talons. They will also steal food from other birds.  This Steller Eagle sits alone in a rather small chain link enclosure at our zoo – mixed emotions here.  While it is the only opportunity I would have to see this beautiful bird of prey it is sad to see it alone and so confined.  Like our bald eagles, Steller’s nest along waterways where their food sources are.

Below:  Toucan in the tropical house enjoying a cateloupe. The birds in the tropical house fly around freely and have a variety of tropical trees to perch in.  These smaller birds are likely quite at home in this facility.

Enjoy!

Sharon

I came across this pair of Swainson’s Hawks this past spring while driving to my favourite urban creek.  Unfortunately, the photo quality lacks somewhat as I was facing into the sun and didn’t want to move around too much and spook the birds. They made a handsome couple though. Found in western North America in open county and agricultural areas.

Enjoy!

~Sharon