Made a couple trips out to Market Lake on my days off - it's been slow so I'll just combine the 2 trips again. The first photos are from Monday - the 18th.
Got there just in time to get some shots of this Osprey eating a fish he'd caught.
Down the road sat - a Northern Harrier?? I think that's what these are. This one was screaming about something before it finally took off to hunt.
I walked the trees in hopes of seeing the Great Horned Owls - and I did! The youngsters were about half way down and sitting in the center of the trees. Couldn't get a shot of the one but this one was in great view and keeping an eye on me.
Out at Market Lake you drive north to the end of the canals and then you can take a right and go east - but there at the end where you turn around is a tree. I always cruise by real slow and check for - - - Anything! Here today it Finally paid off as there was a Great Horned Owl sitting in the tree!!! What a Surprise!! Lucky Me!!
The only thing I saw on the way south was a Western Grebe and a Muskrat.
And that brings us to this morning. I was getting things ready to go and happened to look out to the bird feeder and there's the Squirrel - first he's on the ground but then he decided to get some bird seed right out of the feeder. This should be interesting!!
So far - so good!
It's a stretch but he's doing Ok. Then he starts to lose his grip and decides to stay with the feeder.
And then things go from Bad - - to Worse!!
He managed to get back over to get hold of the fence again and decided to give it up and he disappeared. Fun way to start the day!!
I headed north to Market Lake. Was so pretty out there. The water so still. No breeze. Glad I got there early before it heats up today!
Got lucky and found a Short Eared Owl near the road. Love these guys!!
An Eastern Kingbird.
And some pretty sunflowers.
I keep checking - with no luck - for the Burrowing Owl. They must've moved on or - - - who knows.
But out where I'd been seeing them - I'm checking the ground but can hear an owl. When the Great Horned are still young they sound different and I'm pretty sure that's what I'm hearing. Unless he's on the ground the only other guess I have is that he's in one of the two old buildings. So I park and get out and walk - way out from the building - around it to see if I can spot it. Here I get to the other end and there sits the young Great Horned Owl in a hole in the building.
Awesome!!
Never tho't I'd get a shot of an owl and a building!! Such a gorgeous bird!!
Back I went to check the trees and I pull across the canal and stop at the small pond/canal as you pull down into the parking area. I stop as I can see a Muskrat in the water. I got out and just as I raised my camera - - he disappears underwater! Darn. So I wait a few seconds to see if he comes back up and what do I spy along the edge???
A Sora!
These were on my Photo-Bucket List so I got to check that off today! Sora's are members of the Rail Family - and are related to Coots!
Was hard to get a good shot of him and then out of the corner of my eye I see something dart across the road and there goes the Weasel !! I tried to find him but he'd disappeared. When I went back to the Sora - it had disappeared also.
Was pretty quiet the rest of the drive south. The only other thing of interest was the Fish & Game guy that was out cruising all over the canals. He finally caught up with me on the narrowest of the roads and stopped to ask if I'd seen any Sandhill Cranes today. I hadn't - the last time I'd seen any had probably been a week ago down at the south end. I guess he was out looking for them and his mission was to band the baby. Unfortunately the last time I'd seen the Cranes they definitely did NOT have a baby with them. Might have been fun to watch him chasing a baby tho'!!!
Ok - back to work for me the next 2 days. See what the schedule has for me when it comes out tomorrow.
Thanks!!
This post will be for the past 2 days - the 14th and 15th - and a total of 3 trips out to Market Lake. I made 2 on the 14th and one trip on the 15th. If you've only come to see the Barn Owl - you'll have to scroll to the bottom!
First up - Thursday.
Even tho' I had a late night at work I was up early to go to Market Lake. Now days I have to make the most of my days off so sleep will have to come later! Each time I go out - there are more and more babies - All Sizes! Found some cute ducks close to the road - forgot to see what the Mom was so I'm not sure what these are - besides CUTE!!!
So many hawks flying about. These dark colored ones are usually sitting on the road and I'm wondering if they aren't the young - but of what I'm not real sure - possibly a Northern Harrier??? Anyway - this one was busy eating something - if you look close that's a bone of some kind down in front of his legs.
This one was sitting on a post but when I stopped for the one on the ground it took off and circled and screamed at me! Maybe this is the parent??
Down the road I stop for a bird sitting right by the road. I think this may be a young White Faced Ibis - unfortunately he's injured his leg somehow -it's the leg on the left and the injury is up high - you can maybe see red (blood) against the darker background of feathers. Not sure if he'll make it - the leg seemed totally useless to him but he was able to take off and fly as I slowly drove by him.
Much to my surprise the Great Blue Herons were at the trees - there were 2 of them sitting up on the topmost branches. Interesting fact - they actually nest IN trees.
I walked the trees but only saw a Great Horned Owl and he was sitting way out on the west side and down low so no shots of him.
Here's a couple of the other birds I saw on my way south.
An Eastern Kingbird
And more babies of some kind.
Found the Muskrat in the narrow canal and he was busy gathering grasses so I watched him for awhile.
And these from the evening trip of the Short Eared Owl. I was actually backing down the road to the spot where they sometimes land (too lazy to make a U-turn) and didn't expect to see him on the dead tree to my left.
Some smaller birds were NOT happy that he was sitting there and started buzzing him so he was keeping an eye on them.
Now it's Friday - I didn't go out in the morning - had errands to do and cleaning to catch up on - and almost didn't even go out in the evening!! So glad I didn't stick with that decision and went ahead and made a trip out!!
The Swans were busy feeding - mostly it was heads under water but I managed to catch a couple shots where they had a few of the heads up.
And the other parent.
Then I stopped to walk the trees. Hadn't had much luck in the morning but hoped to catch the Great Horned on this trip. There was a man and his daughter and they had their cameras pointed high up so I stopped and looked and here it was the Great Horned Owl.
We chatted a minute and I ALMOST turned around and went back south. Going on north was the right decision as I caught sight of something - high up - on the far edge of trees. Whatever it was - I wondered if it wasn't just a bee hive I'd never noticed - so I got out the binoculars. NO WAY!!! Could it possibly be???
YES!!!
It's a BARN OWL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a nice person so I went back to find the people who had been shooting the Great Horned Owl and share my find with them.
A Barn Owl was a first for me - better photos would have been nice - but he/she wasn't interested in making it easy for me. I was just happy that it did finally turn around to look at us otherwise I wouldn't have anything but photos of it's back!!
What a Great Trip!!!!!!!!!
And yes, in case you're wondering. We did get off the trail and walk where we probably weren't supposed to. Now that that they have all the signs up. But I wasn't about to miss this opportunity!! Sorry!!
Lots of babies again on the way south. These might be Northern Shovelers.
Down further south I stopped when I spotted a bird flying north up the canal. I got ready and got a few shots of this Osprey.
Was hoping the Short Eared Owls would be near the road but this is the only one that was "close".
Got some shots of the evening sunset.
Now it's back to work - once again I have 3 late nights coming up and had to get up early this morning to see Don off on a bike ride. Maybe I need to start playing the lottery . . .
Thanks for looking!!
Out of the last 21 days - I've worked 19 of them. I've got 2 days off and I am taking them both! So this morning I got up early to run out to Market Lake. It was pretty quiet out there until I was heading south and I could see something way down the road - and I do mean Way Down The Road!!
I stopped and grabbed the binoculars to see what it was and I couldn't believe it - It's a Badger!!!!
Not sure what he was running from - at a distance I could see he was moving quickly down the road so I sped down there and got as close as I dared - I didn't want him to take off thru the grass.
I only managed a few shots of him - only a few that weren't of his butt!!
Oh Good!! He's stopped to look back at me!
And there he goes again!
A pause before he does disappear off the road and thru the grass.
Not much time with him but still pretty Awesome!!
It's been too long since I was out with my camera. Work, Work, Work - 8 days straight. I've only got one day off this week so I tho't I better make a run out to Market Lake while I had the chance - I never know when the next day off will be since the schedule doesn't come out until today.
First up - I spied the Swans. I had only seen one a couple times - and always very far from the road. Today I could see 2 and they were right beside the road - when I pulled closer I figured they would fly off but thru the cat-tails and such I could see they were with their babies so I knew they wouldn't be taking off. BUT they weren't even bothered enuf to swim further from the road so I could get a shot of the family. Here's one of the parents
Saw quite a few Double Crested Cormorants - this was the only one that didn't take off before I got stopped.
I walked along the east side of the trees to see the Great Horned Owls. Couldn't believe my luck !!!!
I got a shot of the seldom seen but often talked about
TWO-HEADED GREAT HORNED OWL !!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I'm sure that's what it is.
The baby ducks are soooo Tiny yet it's hard to get focused on them as they swim along but these were settling down for the evening with Mom.
At about this point I spotted the Weasel across the canal and stopped to get a shot or two of him. But he had disappeared into a hole along the canal and during the almost 15 minutes I sat and waited he didn't re-appear.
Back down the road the Swans are still swimming in the canal so they're nice and close to the road yet. Now I get to see the little ones! FIVE of them!!
When I first got there I could see a young Short-eared Owl sitting out a ways - he had his back to me and was watching and calling to the parent - FEED ME!!! When I came back by he'd moved a bit closer to the road so I parked and watched.
Sitting out on a bush where I'm sure he's hoping the parents will drop off some food as he's still crying to them.
This one has had a successful hunt.
The kids start flying around and sometimes land down the road from me.
And my favorite shot of the evening of one of the parents on a fence post. Love the sunflowers!!
Hoping it's not too long before I can go out again with my camera!!
