Prairie Coyote with Prey - and Watching Deer - near Regina, SK

Its gray-brown, winter-furred body low to the ground, the coyote digs in snow and emerges with...

Coyote with lunch in a snow-covered field near Lumsden, SK  © SB

Lunch?

Whatever that straw-covered, maroon blob in its mouth may be, it looks bloodied and, well, edible.

If you were a coyote, that is. A hungry coyote, prowling a field surrounded by trees, where deer stood in the shadows and watched you.

Two deer watch as the coyote passes by.   © SB

Deer. Danger Passed. Relax. Oops - there's still that photographer...  © SB

What are these? A Coyote, and two White-tailed Deer 
Location: Near Lumsden, north of Regina, Saskatchewan

Photo dates: April 1, 2014. 

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Cedar Waxwings - with and without Wax-Tipped Wings

At times, Cedar Waxwings' red waxy wingtips seem to be missing — a young bird, perhaps — or simply difficult to see.

Although Cedar Waxwings seem unfinished without the bright identifiers that give them their name, even without them, these birds remain very distinctive, with their black masks and flying head feathers.

Here's a look at a wax-free Cedar Waxwing, and one with bright red wax on its wings.

One of a group of five or six Cedar Waxwings,
none of which sported visible wax.   © SB

Ah, much more bird-book-cliché!
A Cedar Waxwing, with waxy wings! © SB

What is this bird? Cedar Waxwing

Location: Near Regina, Saskatchewan. (First picture, along Seven Bridges Road near Lumsden; second, at Condie Nature Refuge.) 

Photo dates:  First, July 29, 2013; second, May 28, 2013.  

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White-tail Deer of Deer Valley, Saskatchewan

Out driving, looking for deer this week, we found these White-tail Deer in the aptly named Deer Valley, near Lumsden, Saskatchewan.

The deer watch me as, elbows and lens propped on a distant snowbank, I take a telephoto shot. © SB

The deer are watchful, cautious. They don't look like they approve of human incursions, even (especially?) at the edge of this new real estate venture — an area marketed with their name and body parts (Whitetail Ridge, Deer Point Place), where their wild majesty may soon be seen only as an annoying intrusion into gardens and golf.

Yes, the lowland where they are feeding will be a golf course again once the snow clears and the land dries out. Lush valley bottom claimed for human recreation...

Try to ignore the natural world if you will. But it is here, hidden perhaps and unnoticed. But watching...

What are these? White-tail deer.
Location: Near Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Photo dates: March 14, 2013. 

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Deer in the Qu'Appelle Valley, late winter afternoon

Late on a winter afternoon, a herd of White-tailed deer grazed in the Qu'Appelle Valley, near Lumsden, Saskatchewan. Their main culinary attraction appeared to be hay, from snow-topped round bales arrayed around the field.

A cluster of seven (?) deer, at the hay bale   © SB

At first, the cluster of deer around each bale stopped and stared at me as I sat in my car, way off on the shoulder of the road, snapping pictures. Then, the White-tailed Deer began to ignore me and went back to eating, clambering onto the bales, running — and greeting each other.

White-tailed deer, watching the photographer  © SB

Deer running towards the shelter of trees. © SB  

Deer, clambering onto the hay bale for a different view of food.© SB

The young deer, at left, ran across the field to greet
the older deer, centre, which stood still and watched,
then rubbed noses with the young one, once it arrived.© SB

What are these? White-tailed deer

Location: Near Lumsden, Saskatchewan. 

Photo dates:  February 12, 2013

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White-tailed Deer in the Qu'Appelle Valley

As I drove around a bend in the Seven Bridges Road towards Lumsden, Saskatchewan, three White-tailed deer bounded out from among the hay bales in a nearby field. I slowed down. The deer ran a short distance along the road ahead of me, their white tails high and feathery. And then, one by one, the deer stopped to watch me.

White-tailed deer, watching.   © SB 

What is this? White-tailed deer.

Location: Near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (on Seven Bridges Road/Lumsden). 

Photo date: February 4, 2013. 

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Yellow Shafted Flicker near Lumsden, Saskatchewan

The Northern Flicker sat on a post in the Qu'Appelle Valley along Seven Bridges Road in Saskatchewan, unflinchingly watching me as I pulled over the shoulder, slowly wound down the window and took its picture.

When another car approached, this Flicker (a fairly large woodpecker) turned and rose in flight with a yellow flash of its wings, only a hint of which is shown here along the fine yellow edges of this bird's wing and tail.

Her wings and tail, I should say. The distinguishing feature between males and females in these Flickers (Yellow Shafted, from my books) is the black moustache males sport, which is absent here.

Northern Flicker, wind ruffling the feathers
of her spotted breast.    © SB

What is this? A Northern Flicker (Yellow Shafted Flicker) 

Location: Along Seven Bridges Road, north of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Photo date: August 10, 2012.  

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Black-billed Cuckoo Hiding in Branches

A Black-billed Cuckoo hid behind branches at the bend on the hill, where Seven Bridges Road leads down into the valley near Lumsden, Saskatchewan. The bird watched me, then flew to deeper shelter, behind a sturdy branch that blocked my view of its bill and long tail feathers.

These secretive birds breed in Saskatchewan in summer, but I've never heard their call. 

Black-billed Cuckoo, hiding behind a slender branch.  © SB

Black-billed Cuckoo, offering a glimpse
of its long tail feathers and red eye.   © SB  

What is this bird? A Black-billed Cuckoo

Location: Along Seven Bridges Road, near Lumsden, Saskatchewan. 

Photo dates:  July 26, 2012.  

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Exercising the Draft Horses

The weather has been lovely for walks, drives — and exercing the horses. I saw this pair of Belgians with their owner near Lumsdan, Saskatchewan. 

"Beautiful day," he called at me across the field. "Just exercising the horses." 

Dashing through the snow
On a two-horse open ... tire with seat?© SB

What a team! 

The seat/man are hidden behind the left horse. 

What are these? Belgian Draft Horses .    
Location: In a field along Highway 641, south of Lumsden, Saskatchewan, not long before going down the hill.  

Photo dates: March 4, 2012. 

Snowy Owls near Regina

Snowy Owl (A), young male or female, 
on telephone/power pole
along Highway 11 near Regina © SB  

I've seen five snowy owls in two days — not a bad record for two short drives along roads north of Regina.

I decided to go snowy-owl-seeking after 1) a work colleague mentioned her sister had seen one, and 2) a Google search turned up a story by University of Regina journalism student Trelle Burdeniuk, who saw owls on Highway 11, not far out of the city. (The one in her photo looks like mine, at left. Lots of markings. Same bird? Who knows?)

What could be better? Potentially easy to find — and by car! (At minus 25C, the temperature on my drive yesterday, bird watching from a heated vehicle seemed like a very good idea. But yes, I did have to get out to take pictures.)

Snowy owls summer in the Arctic, where the young are born, then fly south to winter in places like sunny Saskatchewan, keeping our overall population numbers steady while the local humans flee the cold for Mexico, Jamaica and Hawaii.

Trelle's story quotes Denver Holt, who is called one of the world's leading experts on these birds, and Saskatchewan wildlife photographer James Page, who says the majority of snowy owls he's seeing are young, and still have many dark markings.

Looks like an angel...  Snowy Owl (A)  lifts into flight. 
Look at those massive feet!!! © SB 

The most intriguing bird I found fit this bill. It hunkered on the top of a pole watching me, waiting until I got close before it lifted into flight, wings stretched wide, huge feathered feet tucked under it. Let's call it Bird A. From its markings, it was either an immature male or a female... From my read of the descriptions on Cornell's All About Birds (which say young males tend to have a white bib, white back of the head, and fewer markings on the tail), I'd say young male — but who knows? There are two pictures on my other blog of Bird A in flight: one shows its back, the other, its belly. Guess for yourself!

I saw Bird B, the most beautifully snowy, along the same stretch of Highway 11 where I found Bird A. It was larger, with few markings and tolerated me walking back and forth along the shoulder of the road, below its perch. He (yes, a bird this white would be male) stayed still long enough for a semi-backlit portrait that shows a ruff of white feathers around one eye. (I've posted this online, too, on LatitudeDrifts.)

Birds C was (again, on the top of a power pole) on the old highway near Lumsden. It was not long after dawn this morning, and its white feathers picked up a slight gold tone from the sun. (Lovely light!)

Snowy owl (C). Awesome wingspan - and feet! © SB 

A,B, C = 3. What about the other two snowy owls? One was on a power in a field along Highway 11, the other was also near Lumsden, on a pole beside Highway 734.

Snowy Owl Telephone (Power?) Pole Club:   

Based on my experience (which is almost negligible, I'll admit!), the easiest way to find snowy owls is to scan the tops of power and telephone poles. In winter, of course. And being in Saskatchewan helps. Snowy owls are large enough to be visible a short distance away.

Snowy Owl B

Snowy Owl C

  

Snowy Owl B
(See LatitudeDrifts for
a great close-up!) 

Note: These pictures will open larger when left-clicked. You can zoom in or see slightly larger versions of most by right-clicking the opened versions, then clicking "open image in new tab" and going to that tab.  

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What are these? Snowy Owls. For more pictures of these birds, see my post today on LatitudeDrifts. 
Location: near Regina,Saskatchewan: Birds A and B, along Highway 11, in the first set of poles (east side of the road) just north of the turn off to Condie; Bird C, along Highway 734, near St. Michael's, south of Lumsden.
Photo dates: February 11 and 12, 2012

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