Birds of Prey

Just completed an awesome trip to Haida Gwaii.  Travel to the islands was a little challenging  - air, bus, ferry and finally the rental car.  Great trip, perfect accommodations at Copper Beech Guest House,  terrific weather (luckily), beautiful and lush old growth forests. We met some wonderful local residents and other travellers along the way.  For the next few weeks I will share the sights of Haida Gwaii with you.  I’ll begin with the Bald Eagles of Massett that seemed as abundant as the birds in my backyard.

Bald Eagles and their chicks were everywhere and in numbers.  We had never seen so many in one place at one time.  The fishermen “feed” them with scraps from their fish cleaning so it’s no wonder the eagles hang around.

Below is one of this year’s eaglets.  They won’t get a white head until about 3 years old.

Landing gear is down . . .

Enjoy!

~Sharon

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