Animal Magic

While we were out in the back end of beyond at the weekend (visiting our "rural" friends as I like to call them), 

I spied a big tall lump on top of a fence post.

As I focussed better, the big tall lump grew feathers 

and then swivelled it's enormous head 

and peered at me with stunning yellow eyes.

My handy wildlife-for-amateurs book tells me this is a 

Great Grey Owl. Isn't he gorgeous? 

And he was huge, probably about 30 inches high.

Can you see anything in this picture?  We were also lucky enough to hear a couple of these fellas whooping and hollering through the woodland - they sounded like monkeys.   Well, they sounded like monkeys before they hit their stride with a traditional knock-on-wood session.  

These are Pileated Woodpeckers, I believe.

And of course, spring time in the country has to involve pictures of a cute calf or three.

(Hasn't this wee fella (the brown and white one) got great markings on his face?)

And since we last visited, ten new chickens have arrived.  

So soft.  No shortage of eggs here soon.  As long as the bears don't get them again!

Another fun day out in the wilds of Alberta.