A Varied Thrush has been spending the winter visiting a yard in Okotoks, just south of Calgary.
Varied Thrush (front) with Northern Flicker, Okotoks, January 2018. Photo by Leanne Ross.
This thrush breeds in the boreal forest and can be found west of the city in the summer. They will occasionally overwinter here.
Varied Thrush, Okotoks, winter 2017-2018. Photo by Leanne Ross.
Varied Thrush, Okotoks, winter 2017-2018. Photo by Leanne Ross.
Short-eared Owls are scarce in the Calgary area in the winter, but sometimes a few can be found hunting meadow voles around fields that have not been cultivated for a few years. Ron Chiasson photographed these owls near Calgary this winter. Short-eared Owls are a sensitive species so we won’t give the location. They have declined in the Calgary area over the decades as native prairie has disappeared, but they have an almost worldwide distribution and their conservation status is “Least Concern.”
You can see more of Ron’s photos at Ron Chiasson Photography.