Posted on March 18, 2018 in Animals, Nature, Wildlife, Winter
Mommy Great Horned Owl had two babies this year. They were born one day apart and are now about 3 weeks old. I was only able to see one owlet as the other was tucked in the nest behind mom. The nest is in a hole in a large tree and the owls really blend in with their environment, don’t they? So adorable!
Posted on March 16, 2018 in Birds, Documentary, Nature, Wildlife, Winter
Two birds of a feather flying together … a Ring-Billed Gull and a Greater Snow Goose at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.
Posted on March 15, 2018 in Animals, Cats, Lensbaby, Pet Photography
Gabriel is as cute as can be and has the longest whiskers that I’ve seen on a cat! He is also a thief! All three cats love the turbo scratcher toy that features a round track with a ball that they can bat around and a corregated cardboard center for scratching. We have 3 turbo scratchers and not one of them still has the ball in it!
It didn’t take Gabriel long to figure out how to remove the ball from the track so that he can chase it around the house! I have spent many hours searching under furniture and appliances with a flashlight to try and find the balls. To date, I have located one! The other two are still MIA! I now keep the ball out of the track when I’m not supervising their playtime so that this one doesn’t disappear as well. This is why we can’t have nice things, Gabriel!!! If anyone has any suggestions for how to keep the ball from being easily removed from the track, please share. It has to still be able to roll around, but needs to be just a smidge larger so it can’t come out of the track!
Posted on March 12, 2018 in Birds, Documentary, Landscape, Nature, Wildlife, Winter
The Snow Geese had been flying back and forth between the lake and the nearby fields all afternoon. Their change in location was very much inspired by a passing Great Blue Heron or Hawk. Just before sunset, they were all in the fields right near the road. I couldn’t resist a few backlit images and the warm color of the setting sun before I headed for home. The latest count from Middle Creek shows an INCREASE in numbers of geese, so there is still time to head on out for a ‘gander’ at the geese before they fly to their northern breeding ground!
Posted on March 11, 2018 in Birds, Documentary, Nature, Wildlife, Winter
It was so much fun to find a few banded snow geese at Middle Creek this year and report them to the North American Bird Banding Program. The program is under the direction of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service who study the movement, survival and behavior of birds. I have submitted and received certificates on two banded greater snow geese and have a few more to submit. Goose #XC24 was hatched in 2015 or earlier and banded on 8/12/16 way north of Canada in the arctic circle! It was amazing to look for the location on the world map and see just how far this little girl has flown to be with us at Middle Creek! The photo shows one of my photos of XC24 and the certificate received from the U.S. Geological Survey.