Northern Saw-whet Owl / Aegolius acadicus, trying to bring up a pellet, 2012

Back to posting a few old images from my archives. With snow forecast for the next few days, it's not likely that I will be taking any new photos.

I will be adding the description that I wrote under a different, previously posted photo taken on the same day. I posted a previously posted photo in a comment box, to show how this owl was successful.

Photographed at Carburn Park on 26 January 2012.

"Not a new, recent sighting! Perhaps not the best angle photographically, but it is so rare for me to have the chance to see and take photos of a tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl, that I thought I would add this one to my Birds of Alberta set. Taken on 26 January 2012, at Carburn Park. Had my camera fully zoomed for this one : ) Just love those facial feathers. Most of the time, it was asleep, but it did open its eyes briefly a couple of times. This tiny owl hasn't been seen for weeks now - I wonder if it's still in the area and just wisely hiding from all the endless photographers."

Size: Length 17 to 21.9cm (6.7-8.6") Wingspan 45.9 to 56.3cm (18.1-22.2").
Weight 75-110g (2.6-3.9oz) - Females are slightly larger than males.

"A pellet, in ornithology, is the mass of undigested parts of a bird's food that some bird species occasionally regurgitate. The contents of a bird's pellet depend on its diet, but can include the exoskeletons of insects, indigestible plant matter, bones, fur, feathers, bills, claws, and teeth. In falconry, the pellet is called a casting.

The passing of pellets allows a bird to remove indigestible material from its proventriculus, or glandular stomach. In birds of prey, the regurgitation of pellets serves the bird's health in another way, by "scouring" parts of the digestive tract, including the gullet. Pellets are formed within six to ten hours of a meal in the bird's gizzard (muscular stomach)."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellet_(ornithology)

Taken on: January 26, 2012

Tags:

Calgary

Alberta

southern Alberta

Carburn Park

nature

wildlife

ornithology

avian

bird

birds

owl

raptor

bird of prey

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

small

no ear tufts

wild

close-up

portrait

perched

adult

front/side view

trying to bring up a pellet

pellet

coughing up pellet

outdoor

26 January 2012

Panasonic DMC-FZ40

DMC-FZ40

FZ40

Lumix

point-and-shoot

annkelliott

Strigidae

Aegolius

P1260334 « less

Sets appears in: • Carburn Park • Owls 4 more » • Northern Saw-whet Owl / Aegolius acadicus • Birds of Alberta 11 « less

Groups appears in: • Birds • Walking In Nature more » • Owls • Panasonic FZ series • Bird Lovers • Birds , Birds Birds • Bird Fanatics! (No Limits) • Unlimited Birds • *I Love Birds* • Wild Owls • The Nature Conservancy • Mad about Owls / Birds of prey • BIRDS ARE BEAUTIFUL. • Birds Photos - Check out the new discussions! • Birding In The Wild • The Birds Of Flickr • Birdshare • Owls of North America • Birds of the world/ Oiseaux du monde • Panasonic Lumix Lovers • Panasonic LUMIX FZ28/FZ38/FZ40/FZ47/FZ100/FZ150/FZ200/FZ70 • Panasonic FZ40 • THE WORLD OF BIRDS • Wild Birds of Prey « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ40, f/5.2, 1/125 sec, 108mm, ISO 250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FZ40
Aperture:	f/5.2
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	108mm
ISO:	250
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 12.0 Windows
Show full info

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