gulash nature photography

Cute little owl! Photographed north of Hinton, Alberta 2017.

The bland white winter sky lead me to try a more artistic presentation for this raptor, adding a sepia effect. 

The most common hawk species I encounter in the Hinton area.

I photographed this small falcon on a trip to southern Saskatchewan. I suspect there was a nest in this dilapidated old farmhouse. The farmhouse also had a family of Racoons. 

Photographed near Lethbridge, Alberta.

These incredible owls seem to just appear when it snows.

This was photographed on a mountain top where many small rodents were seen in the scree slopes. 

I generally avoid going anywhere near bird nests but a 600mm lens and teleconverter allowed me to keep a safe distance. These guys had also decided to build this nest directly on a busy trail in Jasper Park near Jasper Park Lodge. 

I witnessed this eagle hunting ducks while paddling my kayak on a lake.

They seem to like to perch on these wispy spruce tree tops.

Another species you tend to see associated with water bodies, they are adept at diving and catching fish.

Huge wingspan and smaller head then the Bald Eagle. 

These youngsters were getting excited because they could see a parent coming in with fish to eat, yummy.

Stunning bird!

Photographed on one of my trips to the southern prairies.

So nice to see a hawk in the wide open prairie.

I found a nice spot with quite a few songbirds singing. Wasn't long before this Merlin showed up to wreck the party. 

This scruffy snag in the middle of the wetlands was the perfect perch for this eagle.

Fireweed from a previous forest fire is visible on the distant hills.

Sometimes perfect exposure isn't the best way to photograph an animal. Here I decided to keep the feeling for the darkness that was setting in at the end of day. 

The hand of man is very evident in this photo. I try to avoid this and it isn't difficult in wilderness areas but in some cases it is appropriate for the species and location of the bird or mammal.

This behaviour usually indicates that the eagle is being harassed by another bird; in the Rockies it is usually a raven or two.

One of the last hawk species to migrate south. This photo was taken in a snowstorm, challenging conditions.

The bird's name refers to the feathers that come down onto the bird's tarsus (lower leg).

This guy was quite upset and went on displaying like this for quite a while. I couldn't see what was bothering him.

There are places to go to photograph eagles in flight. These places are usually around streams where salmon or other fish come to spawn and the eagles then arrive to take advantage of the situation. Food is the reason, as it usually is, why I got close to this eagle but I have to admit that the "habitat" was a local landfill. A mountain of garbage is 20 feet below this bird. Photos don't necessarily always tell the whole story.

I was in my kayak when I spotted this eagle spreading his wings. It had rained very hard minutes earlier and you can see the dark skies still lingering while the sunshine had come through to shine on the waterlogged bird. 

I get a lot of enjoyment out of selecting simple dramatic backgrounds for wildlife subjects. You can't completely control these backgrounds but sometimes you can position yourself to get something pleasing or interesting.

This hawk can nearly hover, as it is doing here

This hawk was perched on top of a native ceremonial teepee pole

The setting this owl chose to do his hunting was just so drop-dead perfect to set off his coloration, I'll never forget this day.

I wasn't expecting to see this owl on this day. I was doing photography in southern Saskatchewan in July and it was hot, dry and windy. This own appeared on a fence post 20 feet from my vehicle, but I fumbled for my camera and he flew down into some flats along a brackish slough where I managed this image and the one that follows. 

My sister was with me on this photo outing; she spotted these owls from our vehicle, thanks sis!

This large eagle was eyeing an elk kill for a possible meal.

This eagle was perched in a Lodgepole Pine tree one summer day.