One of the things I love most about bird watching is how exciting it can be to closely monitor seasonal changes, giving you something to look forward to multiple times a year, especially since each “season” gets split up into three segments (early, mid, late). As winter melts into spring there’s a flurry of activity with different weather patterns bringing surprises, so you have an incentive to get out and check all kinds of different spots as often as you can.

Just the right mix of dependable annual patterns and unpredictable uncommon events that makes it both reassuring and interesting.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have some great views of a boreal owl which has been spending much of the winter at a local urban park. Although it has been consistently here for quite some time, it is seen only intermittently. Today I went looking for it again and came back empty. A seasonal visitor from the north, it should be leaving the area any day now. While the thick piles of snow may make the winter feel interminable, the departure of wintering birds and arrival of early spring migrants make it clear that the seasons are indeed changing.

#BorealOwl #OwlsOfMastodon #BirdsOfMastodon #NaturePhotography #Ottawa

A roosting great gray owl sheltering from the heavy snow and wind, last week in Ottawa.

#Ottawa #OwlsOfMastodon #BirdsOfMastodon #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdPhotography

A beautiful pine marten popped out and shot an enquiring glance while I was on a walk the other day in Algonquin Park. The serene wintry landscape is quite a contrast to the park in the summer, when the campgrounds, trails, and lakes are packed with other human visitors. February is a great time to observe some of the remarkable animals who live there.

#PineMarten #AmericanMarten
#MustelidsOfMastodon #Mustodon #AlgonquinPark #WildlifePhotography