What is Project 366? Read more here! The female Great Horned Owl down at the Whitemud Ravine has now been holed up in her tree for 2 months (that’s 60 days folks). There is reliable intelligence (i.e. picture evidence) showing that her eggs now have hatched and that she has at least two adorable fuzzy…
What is Project 366? Read more here! It was not until I saw my first Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) that I even knew there was bird with this name. In my “pre-Phoebe” days Phoebe was a synonym for Lisa Kudrow in the sitcom Friends. The Eastern Phoebe is an unassuming small songbird, and if it…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The Ring-billed Gull is perhaps the most ubiquitous gull in these neck of the woods (Alberta, Canada and North America). Sometimes it gets a bad rap as it tends to hang out where people either have food (Granville Island outdoor plaza in Vancouver comes to mind) or where…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The secret is out, someone saw one of the Great Horned Owl chicks peaking out of the nest the other day. I am obviously talking about Edmonton’s own celebrity owl family down in the Whitemud Ravine. Last time I was down there, four days ago, mom owl was…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The water level at out local creek in the Whitemud Ravine was high for most of March due to the snow melt. Now that the snow is gone the water has receded substantially leaving areas along the bank, that previously were submerged, exposed. We came across the following…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Encountered the first butterfly of the year down at the Whitemud Ravine yesterday. Actually, I saw quite few of these little guys. These are Compton tortoiseshell butterflies (Nymphalis vaualbum) and is usually one of the earliest butterflies to be seen in the spring. This species is circumpolar around…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest North American Woodpecker and quite likely also the cutest. The Downy Woodpecker holds a special significance to me as it is the first species that I identified for my 2019 Alberta Big Year. Today I found this little guy (the red patch…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Monday after school we grabbed a quick snack, out gear and headed right down to the Whitemud Ravine. After a weekend of birding out of town we were antsy to check in on our Great-horned Owl couple. The female is in a large tree cavity sitting on eggs…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The female Great Horned Owl in Whitemud Ravine is on her 29’th day sitting the eggs. We have been down checking in on her several times a week in the last little while and she is always in her nest. The male is always on guard in a…
What is Project 366? Read more here! As we are trying to figure how to use our new camera for wildlife photography one of the main challenges always seems to be to try to get close enough to your subject. Well, that is not a problem with the local American Red Squirrel population. This picture…