Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Tuesday, March 5, 2013

From American Kestrels, to Great Horned Owls~



From the smallest in our area
to the largest of Raptors...
would be the
American Kestrel
and the
Great Horned Owl.

In the past it was always that I would see an American Kestrel and it would immediately take flight and I got very few images and then all of a sudden in the past few weeks, I have had a spot of good fortune with them.
One of my dreams has been to photograph a Great Horned Owls nest and I am so pleased to say that dream has come to pass. 
 If everything goes according to plan, then every couple of weeks I will make the trek to check on, and photograph the nest, and hopefully young along the way. 
I want to take this opportunity to thank June and Beau Solley. 
Were it not for their kindness,
I might have never had this chance.
Some may remember last Summer when Beau, a Master Falconer allowed my grandson Thomas to hold his Red-tailed Hawk Olivia.
Beau was my guide into this hard to get to nest site and I am so grateful to having had him there to show the way.
Here is hoping that the nest thrives and that in coming weeks even more image shares shall be possible.



I am linking up with Stewart at:


Wild Bird Wednesday

(http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/)

Thank you Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday~
 
 


An American Kestrel at dawn~
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Oh My Goodness, who would not adore this image of Mr. and Mrs. Kestrel...this was just one of those moments that you could have never planed on...perfect~
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Posted by at 11:01 AM
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25 comments:

  1. Carole M.March 5, 2013 at 12:16 PM

    great series Mary and aside from the beautiful birds I also noticed the wonderful tree-trunks.

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  2. AmandaMarch 5, 2013 at 12:31 PM

    The owl is just gorgeous. The Kestrel looks very much like our Nankeen Kestrel but yours has more barring.

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  3. mickMarch 5, 2013 at 12:39 PM

    Great photos of the Kestrels and I look forward to seeing more of the owl.

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  4. Pamela GordonMarch 5, 2013 at 12:45 PM

    Wonderful photos Mary. I like the one of the Mr. and Mrs. Kestral. I'll be interested to see the future family in the owl's nest. Blessings. Pamela

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  5. AnonymousMarch 5, 2013 at 1:13 PM

    Excellent series! bravo!! I have never seen a kestral. They are much smaller than i imagined, but also much more colorful and prettier than I imagined!

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  6. Connie SmileyMarch 5, 2013 at 1:59 PM

    Hi Mary-Wonderful shots of the owl and kestrels. Mr. and Mrs. have stolen my heart.

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  7. TexWisGirlMarch 5, 2013 at 2:10 PM

    so great you got to see the nesting owl! love the kestrels and their beautiful feather patterns and colors.

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  8. Brian KingMarch 5, 2013 at 2:36 PM

    You certainly have a lot of raptor activity! Love these! Very handsome birds!

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  9. eileeninmdMarch 5, 2013 at 2:36 PM

    Wow, cool seeing the owl on the nest. And the pair of Kestrel together is really a wonderful sighting! Beautiful photos, Mary!

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  10. Bob BushellMarch 5, 2013 at 2:38 PM

    The Owl versus the Kestrels, they are fantastic, I love you have done them Mary.

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  11. CarlettaMarch 5, 2013 at 4:50 PM

    Wonderful shots of both Mary!
    I love to see an owl in the wild. I'm so happy for you for the experience. Looking forward to more images to come.

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  12. Clara March 5, 2013 at 5:13 PM

    Beautiful beautiful. You captured them so well. I love owls..They are such amazing birds.
    ~Clara

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  13. Vores haveMarch 5, 2013 at 10:46 PM

    Great pictures / collages showing, Mary :)

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  14. Stewart MMarch 5, 2013 at 11:28 PM

    Great post - the shot on the road sign is a classic!

    I think I may (finally) have a bird of prey post for the next WBW!

    Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW.

    Stewart M - Melbourne

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  15. Phil SladeMarch 6, 2013 at 12:27 AM

    Some super shots there Mary. To know of and photograph a Great-horned Owl can only be very special and of course over here I thought the owls used holes and broken trees to nest, and not stick constructions.Thanks for showing me that. A pair of American Kestrels to photograph too, and as you say a special privilege. can't wait to see more of your owl and hopefully the kestrels too.

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  16. Gail DixonMarch 6, 2013 at 7:36 AM

    Oh my, I'm super impressed, for I know how difficult it is to photograph kestrels. So awesome that you got them in flight and the male and female together. The owl is also difficult to capture. Thank goodness for generous birders that help us in our quests, for I have a couple of those people in my life too. Love all these shots!

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  17. UnknownMarch 6, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    Wow, your photos are absolutely gorgeous. We are having our first linky party at http://pret-a-vivre.com this Thursday PM, please join us if you can. Cheers :)

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  18. MontanagirlMarch 6, 2013 at 10:46 AM

    Your photos are amazing! Love the Kestrel shots. That Great Horned Owl/nest is a great opportunity for you. I had the same opportunity a few years ago, when someone alerted me to GHO nest in a cemetery of all places. I took a lot of photos, of parents and babies.

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  19. Ms. BeckyMarch 7, 2013 at 6:40 AM

    what a blessing to discover the nest, and to be able to capture the unfolding wonder of nature. your photos are very beautiful and inspiring. I really like the photo of the bird on the wires. happy week to you Mary. take good care now.

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  20. A Colorful WorldMarch 7, 2013 at 8:20 AM

    Amazing photos! I am so jealous! :-)

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  21. Julie HargreavesMarch 7, 2013 at 12:53 PM

    Beautiful set of photos

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  22. EG CameraGirlMarch 7, 2013 at 1:55 PM

    I love how you've captured the kestrel in flight. I have yet to do that but it's on my list!

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  23. NatureFootstepMarch 8, 2013 at 11:02 AM

    wow, you got lots of great shots of both species. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  24. Wally JonesMarch 8, 2013 at 9:38 PM

    Owls and Kestrels in the same post!
    Thank you for making my day better!

    -Wally

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  25. i stora dragMarch 9, 2013 at 7:31 AM

    Very nice and interesting photos, Mary! As Phil already written, I also thought the owls only used holes in trees for their nests!

    Thanks for your comment! Greetings Pia

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