Apologies for not having had my weekly Saturday post this past May Long weekend. Unfortunately I have not been able to schedule the post before heading off into the woods but this post now is one of something real special. Not only am I posting this on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, this one is coming to you from this past weekend.

This May long weekend went out to my families campsite in the Boreal Forest by Lac La Biche. Five days of nothing but rain and a high temperature of 5°C (41°). It being a rather rainy and chilly weekend, most of the time was spent inside and wrapped away in blankets. In the morning of Sunday, the rain starting to settle in for the day my mum and I decided to head out for an hour. Taking the roads as familiar as the back of my hand. Knowing every tree, every rock, every blade of grass. The rain starting to slowly fall to the ground, the forest floor damp and cool it was a perfect day to see some wildlife. Never have I thought I would come across The Phantom of The North so late in the morning.

It was close to 9AM and I have never seen the Great Grey Owls out so late in the morning. Whenever I come across the Great Grey Ghosts of the bird world it is always at the crack of the dawn or just shortly after. Unfortunately here in Alberta, the sun was well in the sky by this time and is as early as 5AM. This Great Grey Owl that we came across was perched on a fence post, clearly just finishing the hunt. I didn’t think that she would still be there in the evening or even that I would come across paths with her.

These brilliant birds now are called The Phantom of The North or The Great Grey Ghosts not because of their colour but because these birds are so elusive. Yet I somehow to manage to come across these birds more often than not. I have only once come across a Great Horned Owl which is considered to be the official bird of Alberta. I saw them once. I have come across Snowy Owls more than once but not in awhile but these Phantoms of The North I spot one at least every year. Now these birds may look large and they are one of the larger owl species. The Great Grey Owl is the largest owl though in Canada. Great Greys are one of our tallest owls, and have broad wings and long tails. Their wingspans can reach 53.9-60.2 inches and with the whole weight of their body, they only weight 3lbs at the most. Even though they are large in stature, they are light in their weight but can break snow to capture their prey. The males are smaller than the femalse but between the two sexes, they similar in colour making it more difficult to tell them apart. Especially when not together. Now the one I saw this weekend I am pretty sure is a female and she has a nest nearby as I came back every day and night and spotted her each time. Now when I went back Sunday night, I did a rookie mistake. I grabbed my camera, my lens, a full battery, and headed out but I had forgotten my SD Card.

Title: Great Grey Owl
Now these birds are elusive but it is in their behaviour. Great Gray Owls generally do not call attention to themselves and tend to avoid areas with people. They quietly perch on the edges of meadows or forest openings and are nearly invisible despite their size. Great Gray Owls are silvery gray overall—patterned with fine white, gray, and brown streaking and faint barring. Their yellow eyes shine through the fine gray-and-brown concentric circles of the facial disk. Two pale arcs form an “X” between the eyes. Across the neck sits a white “bow tie” marking with a black center. Their bill, if visible, is yellow. This is why they are hard to spot sitting in the trees, especially in the Boreal Forest where it consists of Popular and Spruce Trees. With that type of backdrop, they blend into the surroundings like a chameleon. I have had times where I could not spot these creatures easily but spot them I much been able to manage to still spot them. Great Gray Owls spend their time in dense evergreen pine and fir forests with small openings or meadows nearby. They also live in subarctic swampy evergreen forest dotted with bogs or other openings (also known as taiga).
Now knowing that this owl is there, I plan when I visit my campsite to come back every morning and evening to track the owls behaviour. To get used to its routine and for it to get used to me. I respect its habitat and I don’t interfere by getting to close, meaning I will always have my long lens with me. When I spotted this beauty of a girl, I could tell she was still hunting as she was scanning the forest floor for mice, voles, and other small creatures that these birds tend to feast on. Now those who know me, know I do not travel without my little doggy companion. So when I saw this bird, I tried to not bring attention to it so that my dog, Winnie, would not see it. Hence I failed at that but kept her in the truck while she growled and clawed at the window. Luckily this did not spook the owl and the owl didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Now both my mum and I we sat patiently, photographing this beauty of a bird, when she finally took off. I managed to get this Phantom of The North just as she took flight. I am so happy I made sure my camera was on the settings I needed at the time as I feared that with her in motion, she was going to be nothing but a blur. I learned from a few lessons I had. Having the settings set on the correct exposure, correct shutter, and the correct tracking, even though she took flight, I managed to keep her in focus and got the shot I am going to share with you today. You can view the rest in my Wildlife Gallery as I found it hard to choose which one I wanted to feature tonight. Click the Gallery link at the top header and go to Wildlife. Be the first images you see. Some are featured in the gallery below.

Now please find the image below one that I am so proud to have gotten. No man-made items are in the picture, such as fences which is what I always seem to find these birds perched on. I got her sitting in a tree and taking flight, every bit of her clear as a crystal. I love it. I call this Eye On The Target. Please enjoy!

Great Grey Ghost

King of The Marsh

I Love You, Mum!