They remind me,
very much,
of my childhood ballet teachers.
They have the same haughty
mien,
and graceful moves.
They love shaking their tutus,
and dressing up for opening night!
Who doesn’t?
Check out the even more graceful wild ones in South Africa at:
https://cindyknoke.com/tag/south-africa/
Wishing you a Joyous & Healthy New Year from the prancing dancers at Ostrich Land in California~
The Bubo bubo AKA Eurasian Eagle Owl is the world’s heaviest owl.
It’s wingspan can reach over 6 feet!
These owls are top of the line predators, meaning they are not normally prey for other animals, and will even occasionally prey on other raptors.
I got to spend time with this beauty as he flew free at his home in Avian Behavior International in rural Southern California.
Bubo bubo’s are native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa.
Their populations declined heavily in the mid 1900’s, but due to conservation efforts, the species is recovering.
Cheers to you from The gorgeous, free flying Bubo bubo~
Meet the very curious burrowing owl who clearly wonders who the heck you are!
Burrowing Owls are a federally protected species in the US, Canada, and in Mexico. They are designated endangered, threatened, or a species of special concern, in nine US states, including California.
This burrowing owl pair lives at Avian Behavior International in rural Southern California. You cannot keep burrowning owls unless you are licensed and raise them for breeding, conservation, rehabilitation, and/or educational purposes.
These curious and unique ground dwelling birds live in burrows in the ground where they hide from predators and raise their young.
They are tiny, but big in looks and personality! I have only seen them in the wild a few times in the last ten years because they are now very rare where I live. But click and check out this curious wild cutie that I met a few years ago:
Cheers to you from the precious and endangered Southern California burrowing owls~
Incoming,
at 88 mph!
I duck,
he nails his prize,
and promptly mantles so I won’t steal it.
Saker Falcons have been falconry birds for 1000’s of years.
They are an endangered species, native across Central Europe to China.
This is Katie Pnewski, a brilliant and comitted bird trainer,
and bird lover, who works at Avian Behavior International,
a conservation and bird advocacy organization near The Holler in rural Southern California.
I spent an incredible day here today, and will be introducing you to more of their amazing birds and conservation efforts in my next posts. For more on this worthwhile organization see:
https://avian-behavior.org/about-us/conservation/
Cheers to you from the phenomenal Saker Falcon and his devoted human~
Mirrored,
Moraine Lake,
reflects it’s beauty,
back at you.
Understandable why this lake is the seventh most instagramed in the world.
This time we stayed in the lodge at the lake and got to enjoy it after the day trippers tripped away.
Kicking Horse River Yoho National Park.
Quiet River in busy Calgary.
Cheers to you from Canada in September~
