53 Sharp-tail Grouse

• A group of Sharp-tailed Grouse are called a; Chorus / Covey / Drumming / Grumbling /  Leash.
• In the winter these are easily identified as the bird with winter boots.  They seem to have really long neck and a beautiful speckled breast.  
• They will burrow into snow drifts to make a quincy to keep warm.
• The native Americans call this bird the Fire Bird.  They are known to do well on ground ravaged by prairie fire.  Like old growth forest, prairie grassland needs to be refreshed by fire to allow new growth that many species depend on.  
• Their main source of food in the summer is the grasshopper.  It's my friend.
• There are 6 main subspecies, we see the Northern and the Prairie.
• They have a short tail with two rows of square deck feathers. The males have yellow plumage over their eyes.
• The Sharp-tailed Grouse mate in a lekking.  A courtship where males have a dance off, rapidly stamping their feet and ruffling feathers, to determining who will mate with the female in the middle of this rave.

•  The Sharp-tailed Grouse is Saskatchewan's Provincial Bird.  Funny I thought it was the Grasshopper.
• They are pecocial, meaning they are hatched with their eyes open and feed themselves by following mom to areas with lots of bugs, grasshoppers or seeds.
• The town of Ashern has put up a large statue of this bird being one of the towns main tourist draws for hunters who seek out this fast flying bird.

• Other animals that rely on new prairie growth that share the habitat are this group of Prong horn antelope we saw near Swift Current.

52 Snow Bunting

• A group of Snow Buntings are called a; Drift.
• This Drift seems to be fighting over some weed seeds.
• Snow Buntings have a winter plumage seen above with a tan coloration to it and a summer coat seen below, a beautiful black and white. (male).  It only molts once a year in the fall.  The tan coloration is warn off by the male rubbing in the snow before breeding season.  (Wonder if rubbing in snow could get rid of some of my grey hair?)
• The male is very tentative to the female. He will leave for the north, where they breed, at the end of March well before other birds are returning and sets up a nest and defends its territory for 4-6 weeks until the female arrives.  Temperatures can be -30 C. Yikes.  Only one other bird is know to tolerate this cold the Raven and known to winter in coastal Alaska.
• Because they nest in the far north in rocky outcrops the female must stay with the nest to keep eggs warm.  The male brings her food and cares for her.  I like this guy even though we only get to see them on the prairie in the winter.

• Snow Buntings are also known as Snow Flakes. 

51 Great Grey Owl

• A group of Great Grey Owls are called; Bazaar / Stooping / Parliament / Glaring / Wisdom.
• This Grey Owl we saw on our trip from Meadow Lake SK to Water Valley AB. 
• This Owl has been known by many name; Phantom of the North / Spectral Owl  / Lapland Owl / Spruce Owl / Bearded Owl / Sooty Owl.
• By length this is the biggest of all owls but by weight it falls way down leaving that distinction for the Great Horned Owl.  
• They are extremely protective of their nest, known to drive away even Black Bears.
• Their size is mostly made up of fluffy feathers, they are very deceptive.  

•  Their large facial disks also known as "ruffs" help focus sound.  They also have asymmetrical placement of ears, one lower than the other, helping to pinpoint prey.  They can hear mice or moles under two feet of snow.  They then "snow plunge" to get their prey, a type of hunting exclusive to this owl.  They also have fixed eyes relying on the movement of the head 270 degrees to see or hear prey.
• They are semi-nocturnal, meaning they hunt mostly at night or near dark.

• The Great Grey Owl rely on old growth forest.  In Canada we have a very well managed forestry industry keeping an effective balance of new, harvested and old growth.  Other animals rely on new growth and harvested areas to survive.

•  This moose we saw at Water Valley AB near my brothers.  They are browsers and rely on harvested and new growth areas.
• Great Grey Owls are my favorite of the owls as you can see by the Stooping of pictures in my house.

 

•  In March these birds nest.  At 3 to 4 weeks the young jump out of the nest and then in another 1 to 2 weeks learn to fly.  The Great Grey owl doesn't build a nest, the nest is in abandoned raptor nests.  Yikes!