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What a cute little killer!
It was tiny and brown with huge yellow eyes and it was scanning the beaver meadow from the department of a willow. It glanced a technique, then one other, at all times wanting downward earlier than flying off in brief, staccato wingbeats to land on the subsequent perch and go searching once more.
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After which, immediately, the glancing stopped and the stare stayed fastened on a spot within the yellow grass among the many willows. A second later it dropped from the department and disappeared.
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I’d headed south and west just a few hours earlier than, rolling via hills round Diamond Valley and on via Longview. The day was forecast to be heat nevertheless it had but to fulfil that mandate and, from the appears to be like of the clouds off to the west, it regarded extra prone to flip snowy than keep sunny.
However the sky to the south was stuffed with these superb chinook clouds so, if nothing else, the wind that had but to make it all the way down to floor degree would possible be pretty balmy.
Because it clearly had been the day earlier than.
Although the morning was chilly, I might see loads of proof that it had been heat pretty lately. There was water operating over the ice in Stimson Creek and frozen puddles within the ditches. Somewhat east of Pekisko, there was a stream of runoff water nonetheless flowing although the place it slowed down, it was frozen over with skinny, milky ice that trapped the flooded grass beneath.
That runoff was sort of the rationale I’d come down this manner. For one factor, I used to be interested by how a lot snow there was in these grassy foothills. Not like the nation a bit additional north, right here on the western aspect of the Porcupine Hills and alongside the valleys main down towards Chain Lakes and past, the nation is extra open, far more vulnerable to grass cowl than timber.
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Consequently, snow comes and goes over the winter. The chinook winds that have been presently piling up these beautiful clouds are right here extra capable of gnaw away on the snow than they will among the many timber. So I used to be curious to see how a lot snow there was and the way rapidly it was melting.
In the intervening time, it wasn’t melting in any respect. But when the chinook made it all the way down to the bottom, it quickly can be. So I stored on heading south.
The Stimson Creek valley was pretty snowy. And from Pekisko on south, because the land rose, the extra snowy it turned. Stopping to take footage of an eagle, I watched it fly away over a snow-packed unfold of diamond willows and on towards drifted ridge tops throughout the valley. Nearer to Chain Lakes, the snow was pretty deep and at Meinsinger Creek, the little stream that flows out the north finish of the valley, I noticed one other eagle so I dropped down alongside the highway to see if I might get nearer.
This one was sitting on prime of a snow-covered beaver home however as I drove by it watched me as intently as I watched it so, moderately than spook it, I drove previous and headed up the far aspect of the valley to show round for an additional strive.
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And met some ranchers about to maneuver some cattle.
Nice people, they graciously consented to a couple footage so long as I stayed out of the best way so I circled and headed again throughout the valley — the eagle had flown off, as I suspected it might — and parked up the hill to attend for them to start out transferring the herd.
The chinook had now made it all the way down to floor degree and the wind was gusting throughout the snow, sending little spins of it flying. However within the 20 minutes or in order that I spent ready for the ranchers, the temperature rose from -3C to 5C and water was starting to run down the highway.
The ranchers received the cattle gathered and pushed them alongside the creek backside via the now-mushy snow and previous the open water behind the beaver dams. In one other 10 minutes they’d passed by, the sounds of the cattle and dealing canines mixing with the coughing gusts of the chinook as they made their solution to the subsequent pasture.
Chain Lakes was, in fact, nonetheless frozen over however as I made an try and go down beneath the dam to take a look at the open water on Willow Creek, I needed to flip round. I most likely might have made it to the creek however the snow on the highway had turned to thick slush on prime of ice. Getting down the hill, not an issue. Getting again up, possibly not a lot.
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However the roads have been good additional south so simply previous Riley Highway I turned west into one other creek valley.
There was much less snow right here, although not by a lot, and what there was of it was melting within the mixed warmth of the solar and the chinook wind. Little rivulets have been operating down the slopes from the drifts and in locations it puddled up in tea-coloured swimming pools with willows close by. I don’t know if willow stems get brighter as winter wanes and spring approaches however the ones right here within the valley have been completely glowing in reds, yellows and oranges.
In reality, they have been the rationale why I stored going up the valley. I knew there have been beaver meadows farther up and there wouldn’t solely be vibrant willows there, I used to be positive I’d discover loads of brilliant white catkins beginning to puff out alongside the stems.
I additionally thought I would see a bluebird. It was slightly early, true, however I’ve seen them in mid-March earlier than. In order I drove slowly alongside I used to be awaiting small birds perched on the willow branches.
And I noticed one. Nevertheless it wasn’t blue. It was brown.
It was perched like a bluebird and it was roughly the precise measurement however neither the color nor the form was fairly proper. Although it was only a speck among the many branches I might see it was extra boxy, the pinnacle extra sq. than pointed. And once I received my lengthy lens on it for a more in-depth look, I might see it wasn’t a songbird in any respect.
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It was an owl. A pygmy owl.
Pygmy owls aren’t notably unusual however they’re arduous to search out, not less than partially due to their measurement. Although they’re owls, birds in the identical class as nice greys and nice horned owls, they’re minuscule as compared.
They’re larger than a sparrow however smaller than a robin and camouflaged a lot better than both of them. And although they’re, in contrast to most of their cousins, daytime hunters, they often like to sit down amongst tree branches on the sides of meadows to look at for prey. Until you see them transfer, you received’t possible see them in any respect.
This one, although, was proper out within the open. And as I regarded via then lens it flew off. Gone, I assumed. However then it landed bit nearer.
I adopted. It flew off once more. And landed bit nearer once more.
By now, it was shut sufficient that I might simply see its outsized eyes and taloned toes, its un-owl-like lengthy tail and even the little ear tuft feathers.
So cute! And so lethal.
As I watched it look round I noticed it immediately tense up and lock its gaze on a spot within the grass. It bobbed up and down a pair occasions after which dropped groundward and disappeared.
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Oh nicely, I assumed, I suppose it’s gone. However not less than I received a pair footage.
However then it flew as much as the low branches of a willow even nearer by. I aimed my lengthy lens at it, centered on the one eye I might see between the branches, shot and was about to change to video mode when it took off and headed towards a stand of spruce throughout the best way.
Gone for positive now, I checked out my footage on the again of the digicam to see if I had something in focus. And that’s once I noticed the vole.
Being misplaced in these eyes, I hadn’t even seen it. However when it dropped off that department it will need to have grabbed the vole and there it was, practically as huge because the owl itself, trapped in its claws.
Cute little killer certainly!
Effectively, that just about made my day. I stayed across the beaver flats for a bit, taking extra footage of the willows and their catkins after which headed again down the valley as these snowy clouds I’d seen over the mountains earlier started to drop just a few flakes.
They adopted me again down the valley and alongside the south fork of Willow Creek however nothing caught and it was really fairly nice mendacity beside slightly runoff stream that was trickling all the way down to the creek. The wind chilled me a bit after I stood up, dripping with meltwater and lately thawed cow flop, however the patterns within the skinny ice over the flowing water made the coolness worthwhile.
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The snow was heavier on the prime of the ridge between the Willow Creek forks however inside a few kilometres I used to be out in brilliant sunshine once more. On this aspect of the Porcupine Hills there was virtually no snow in any respect. Naked brown and yellow grass lined the hills and the few runoff streams I discovered have been on their final trickle. Gophers have been operating in all places and cattle stood like statues in opposition to the sky.
There was nonetheless snow within the excessive nation however down alongside the creek itself, nothing. And never a lot water flowing over by Pine Coulee Reservoir both. Fairly clouds, although. Feathery.
I nonetheless had owls on my thoughts as I drove via the hills west of Nanton so I headed towards a pair locations the place I assumed they is perhaps nesting. I discovered bald eagles on the best way, two in a single tree and a 3rd flying excessive, and dozens of pairs of little partridges that ran via the muddy stubble fields.
The primary nest was empty however the subsequent had an owl sitting on it. Nice horned owls nest fairly early so she had possible been there for some time. And she or he appeared completely detached to my presence, barely glancing down as I sat there with my digicam aimed.
I used to be enthusiastic about that pygmy owl as I regarded into these huge yellow eyes. Two birds so related, but so completely different. One, huge, the opposite barely the scale of the primary one’s head. However each owls, simply the identical.
Such is nature.
The snow I’d outrun earlier now starting to fall once more, I left the owl — and the day — behind and splashed down the slushy highway towards city.
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