Short-eared owls!!

Drove Chris up to Calgary to catch the bus on Saturday past. Unlike the Holiday Monday when I went up to Calgary to get him - when I saw a coyote and 2 bald eagles by Claresholm - it was pretty quiet. Just saw a coyote trying to find a mouse or something under the snow. Why is it that a coyote is classed as a member of the dog family, but pounces on it's meals under the snow like a cat? Things that make you go "hmmm..."

Anyway, I digress. No wildlife, other than the coyote, on the way up to Calgary. Nothing on the way back, and I even took the Vulcan Highway, where I've seen bald eagles and snowy owls... nadda!

Until.... I get 56 km away from home! Hmmm... what IS that on the fence post on the other side of the road? I slow down on my side, creep over to the shoulder, and coast up the road. DAMN!! It's a freakin' owl!! But not an owl like I've seen every before!! It's small. Smaller than a hawk. ??????????? What on earth???

I go up the road a ways, and turn around, and come back, now on the same side as the owl. I park the truck directly in front of it. Took a picture with the zoom, and the FLIPPIN' camera FLIPPIN' died!!! GGGRRR!!! But it stayed for quite awhile, looking at me, not scared at all. Then it swooped off the fence post and flew to some dead shrubbery out in a field.

I continue coasting on the shoulder, waiting for the traffic to go past me, and WOW!! Another owl on a fence post. And no, it ISN'T the same one! Actually, this one is skittish. Flew off pretty much as soon as I came up to it. Flew behind me, and landed on another post.

I continue coasting on the shoulder until it's clear for me to pull ANOTHER u-turn. Coasting once again, going in the home direction. Watching the 2nd owl. Get closer, and again it swooops low and heads off to the shrubs where the first one disappeared to. Get a good look at it's wings from the top side. Bands across the wrist area. Make mental note to self.

For the next 50+ km until I get home, I'm trying to figure out what kind of owl that was. Process of elimination... NOT a snowy. NOT a great-horned. NOT a boreal. NOT a burrowing. Wait! There was that band across the wing... maybe it's a barred owl. Think I've read that name somewhere.

Zip into the house... once I've been greeted by the clan and everything has settled, dig out my good ole bird books. Pretty darn sure is WASN'T a barred owl, it was a SHORT-EARED owl. Far out!! All my years of driving and watching, I've NEVER seen this owl before!! Didn't even know they existed around here!!


SHORT-EARED OWL(Asio flammeus)
Field Marks: The tufts of feathers on the head are very small and inconspicuous and generally not seen except when the female is in camouflage position at nest. It should be considered a round-headed owl for identification. The eyes are yellow and the bill black. Its facial disk is circular, grayish white with black orbits. Juvenile owls retain more black on the disk until the fall. Ventrally they are buffy brown with vertical streaks, paler on the belly. Dorsally, they are mottled buffy/brown. In flight, dark"wrist" on underwing is a key field mark, coupled with mothlike flight.
Size: 13 to 17 inches.
Weight: 11 to 14 ounces.
Similar Species: The Long-eared owl has a smaller "wrist" patch, buffy underwings and a darker belly. Although long-eared owls hunt similarly to short eared owls, they are rarely seen hunting during they day as the short-eared may. The burrowing owl is much smaller and has a yellow to whitish bill.
Habitat: Open grasslands, plains and agricultural areas with suitable vegetation and food.
Voice: "Hooh, hooh, hooh...," given approximately 15 times during courtship flight. Courtship song is also accompanied by an audible wing-clap and dive between calls.
Natural History: Begins nesting in late February to March. Nests on the ground in a small depression, often with grasses placed around the depression;nest resembles a small bowl. Clutch size 4 to 10 with an incubation period approximately 26 days. Young fledge at 30 to 40 days. This owl is migratory, however some individuals may not migrate.
Food Habits: A vole or field mouse specialist- almost the entire diet is made up of these small rodents.


Damn!! I never paid any attention to it's BILL!!! Who knew!!

And When I Die - Blood Sweat and Tears

I'm sitting here, for a moment, at my pc (in between doing laundry and making beds, etc!), listening to our Sunday Morning Oldie Show... and Blood Sweat and Tears came on, with that haunting harmonica at the beginning... aaahhhh.... sweet song! And my Dad comes to mind....

I'm not scared of dying,
And I don't really care.
If it's peace you find in dying,
Well then let the time be near.
If it's peace you find in dying,
And if dying time is here,
Just bundle up my coffin
'Cause it's cold way down there.
I hear that its cold way down their.
Yeah, crazy cold way down their.

Chorus:

And when I die, and when I'm gone,
There'll be one child born
In this world to carry on,
to carry on.

Now troubles are many, they're as deep as a well.
I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell.
Swear there ain't no heaven and I pray there ain't no hell,
But I'll never know by living, only my dying will tell.
Yes only my dying will tell.
Yeah, only my dying will tell.

Chorus

Give me my freedom for as long as I be.
All I ask of living is to have no chains on me.
All I ask of living is to have no chains on me,
And all I ask of dying is to go naturally.
Oh I want to go naturally.

Here I go,
Hey Hey!
Here comes the devil,
Right Behind.
Look out children,
Here he comes!
Here he comes! Hey...

Don't want to go by the devil.
Don't want to go by demon.
Don't want to go by Satan,
Don't want to die uneasy.
Just let me go naturally.

and when I die,
When I'm dead, dead and gone,
There'll be one child born in our world to carry on,
To carry on.
Yeah, yeah...

Isnt' it strange, that after this time... a song can do that to ya! And THIS was my Pop! He went "naturally"... just drifted away. AFTER going thru shit! And his line continues...
bbfn

OWLS

Owls. Some people see them as bad medicine. Some as good. All thru time, in all cultures. For me... they signify a "big change". A warning of sorts. Usually, after I've seen an owl, something that I didn't "see", happens in the span of about 6 weeks. Sometimes it makes me very nervous, but never afraid.

The biggest "episode" was when I almost hit one, coming home from the lake visiting friends. I was driving. K had been drinking. The boys were in the back seat of the truck. And this great horned owl came swooping in front of the windshield/headlights. Scared the crap out of ALL of us!! It landed on top of a hwy sign, still within the headlight. And sat there, watching us. Within 6 weeks, I had left my home and everything (pretty much) that I held dear. It changed ALL of our lives.

Thru the years, I have documented the stuff that has happened to me, because it ties in with seeing an owl. A friend even once said to me, "no more owls, please!"

Recently, I saw one in the fall at the dog off leash area. Within 6 weeks, Ralph (my cat) had disappeared. Another big change. He had been with me since '98. Got him as a baby when my body was doing strange "ms" things, only I didn't know that at the time. He was my buddy. Would sleep in my hair. Don't ask! LOL I miss him, can't even say for sure that he is dead. Keep checking, 3 months later, at the animal shelter....

Chris and I saw a snowy owl before xmas. They don't seem to effect me like the great horned owls, don't know why. Maybe because they aren't native to our landscape?

On Tuesday, the 14th of February, I was at home "sick" with "burning bum". Again, don't ask!! There I was, on a day and time when I shouldn't have been home, sitting for the first time that day, on the couch in the LR. Whatever made me look out the window at that time? Just a glance, that's all. But what do I see? Yep. An owl. Probably a great horned one. It was big. Flying up from the south, to the east of the house. It swung around into the green strip to the north of us. Sorta circled. Then flew to the northwest. 6 weeks from now takes me to the end of March. So let's see if the sighting holds true again. Another "big change"? I'll keep you posted...

Roll Me Away by Bob Seger

You know, I never heard this song until a few years ago. I had the cd on, and was cleaning the house, and suddenly, I HEARD it! I have this cd in my car (the only one in a 10 pak, go figure!) And the section of lyrics below are great, but it's the lyrics AND the music that makes it! I wish everyone could hear it!!

Stood alone on a mountain top,
starin' out at the Great Divide
I could go east, I could go west,
it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin'
and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon
My heart was singin'

Roll, roll me away,
I'm gonna roll me away tonight
Gotta keep rollin, gotta keep ridin',
keep searchin' till I find what's right
And as the sunset faded
I spoke to the faintest first starlight
And I said next time
Next time
We'll get it right

One of my favorites!!
TTFN

Been BUSY!!

I've been kinda/sorta planning Dave's 50th SURPRISE WEEKEND... so I've been trying to track down his old buddies from Thompson. I've set up a blog where I'm writing all my adventures (?) down on how this is all shaping up. And a place where people can go to check out how it's coming...

If you are interested, go to:
OMGDave50

Yep, translates into OH MY GOD, Dave is 50!! LOL

So if anyone is interested from here, just check it out there. And 'cause Dave is sooooo NOT a computer guy, I know my on-line diaries are safe!! LOL God, ya gotta love pc's!!
TTFN
CJ

The Eagle and The Hawk

I would have been about 13 when this song came out... the lyrics are great, but so is the instumentation with it. No wonder I'm such a Nature Girl, eh?

John Denver - The Eagle and the Hawk (1971)
1943 – 1997

I am the eagle, I live in high country,
In rocky cathedrals that reach to the sky,
I am the hawk and theres blood on my feathers,
But time is still turning they soon will be dry.
And all of those who see me, all who believe in me,
Share in the freedom I feel when I fly,

Come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops,
Sail over the canyons and up to the stars,
And reach for the heavens and hope for the future,
And all that we can be and not what we are

Aunt Jean's emails

My wonderful Aunt Jean sent me the following emails, thought I’d share… She is an amazing computer literate “mature” woman! I’m sure she won’t be far behind getting her own blog! LOL

First one:
Viki gave me the link to your blog and I read it last night, I am impressed with your views, and activities, Good for you!

I keep a journal and have done so for many years, I've got a large drawer full of books for the family to read when I've gone somewhere else, heehee. They have settled many disputes and when anyone needs some history, its there. There was a period during the years we spent in Ont. that I was not keeping a diary and have regreted it.
Life here is good. Hope alls well with you.

Love & Hugs
Jean & Allan**********

Cool... that you checked out my blog! Impressed with my views? LOL Now I'm scratching my head... oops, what views did I say in there??!!

I used to keep diaries. Scribbler type. More so when I was a teenager. Come across them every now and then... was I ever THAT naive? In love? Hurt? Oh, the pain of being a teenager!! I sooooo like being in my own skin nowadays!! I LIKE who I am now, or at least, most of the time I do!! That's a far cry from back when I was younger!!

Okay, enough of me rambling!
Love and hugs to you both!**********


Hey! don't you read your own blogs? I found lots of views in there, maybe because I look for them, I like to know what people think! No I'm not a shrink, I just like people.heehee.

Thanks for your note, I love hearing from you. You have a way with words, maybe you should be a writer, Have you ever tried it?

Love from here.**********

Love from here, Aunt Jean! :-)

Small pleasures & BIG couches!!

Wednesday, for whatever reason, this ad popped out of the paper at me: COUCH & LOVESEAT. Green leather, reclining. $500 for the set. 555-5555. It wasn't like I was scanning the classifieds, going down the column with my finger,looking for a couch! It was just THERE!! Anyway, came home that nite, mentioned it to D. He said, we should look into it. Ya, but, $500. Oh wait, there's Ralph's Bucks that came in.

Ended up calling the number on Thurs. The phone was busy a couple of times, but I finally got thru. Spoke to the lady, there was someoone looking at it at 1 p.m. Damn, rushed over to the south side on my lunch hour at 11 a.m. NICE green leather reclining LARGE couch and loveseat. Called D on his NEW CELL PHONE... at work, he was ok with coming over on his lunch hour to give cash to them, and I flew out of there to rush home (waaay north), let the dogs out for their pees and give Shannon her pill, and zipped back to work. ALL in an hour!!

Last night, D and a buddy brought them home. CRAP, much larger than my old $15 auction buy!! Got them all set up. D is in HEAVEN!! There he was last night, all reclined on the couch, quite enjoying the comfort!! LOL He sooooo hated my old green couch!! Hey, $15, 4 or 5 years ago... it served a purpose!! And because the deck is covered and protected from the wind and rain, I'm going to set up the old couch on the deck. Might as well... Lynx and Gracie will love it out there!!

And the "small pleasures"... I went over W's head at work directly to one of the partners and got the okay to spend about $600 on a remote ear / mic way of answering the phone!! And he was so okay with it... I had the whole speel ready to give him why I needed it, and he didn't care!! W would have so given me grief, she can be SUCH a hard ass!! WwhooooooHooooo!! "Small pleasures!" LOL Life is GOOD!!

My favorite Bird Books

Two books that I use to do "research" on the birds I see on my walks, camping trips, hikes - or wonderful feathers that are gifted to me!!

"Birds of Alberta" by John Acorn (the Nature Nut) and Chris Fisher by Lone Pine Publishing AND/OR "Field Guide to the Birds of North American" - National Geographic Society. I have other bird books, but these are the two that I use quite a bit. And once I've identified my birds, then the internet is a wonderful tool!! Soooooo much information out there!!

Another great little book is "Animal Energies" by Gary Buffalo Horn Man and Sherry Firedancer. Call me wonky, but my animals that I come across - always seem to answer a question or lighten my load, or show me the way. Yep, time to lock me up! LOL I don't find any animal "spooky", more like a gift from the Great Spirit, the Creator, Mother Earth. I know, I know, I spend toooooo much time outdoors in the bright sun, with a very overactive imagination! But even when I was a little girl, I could whistle to the chickadees, and they would answer me back! Still do. :-)