Pink ...

Pink noses and hungry hawks!

I know its April, and this is the weather we can expect (cold, pink nose weather) in April BUT ... I really want to put our winter garments away for a few months!  LOL!

On the Wings of Spring

No ... it wasn't quite looking like Spring today!  

Oh hum, we endured more snow flurries!

The deer population is seemingly unimpressed these days (and Blogger once again darkened an image when uploaded ... grrr!).  HOWEVER, I was happy to find a few birds in the sky that can ONLY me one thing ... Spring!

Not only did I spot this American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) (the smallest of our Falcons) but I spotted two others as well!  Scanning the fields, one could see many Rough-legged Hawks soaring above but I also spotted my first Red-tailed Hawk of the season as well.  Nothing quite says Spring like the piercing scream from Red-tail Hawks!

And the 'Golden' Sign of Spring ... a Golden Eagle!!!

All of these Birds of Prey start migrating home to their summer nesting sites as soon as "Spring" arrives!  Surely with their arrival, more signs of Spring will follow be it on the 'Wings of Spring!' 

Race Day ...

My boys headed south early Saturday morning and this morning, I ventured through the fog soup to meet up with them.  Of course I had to test my camera on the way ... you know me, I can't resist a hawk!  

The boys were at their 2nd last CMRC race of the year at the Brooks Motocross Track.  After the fog lifted, it was a perfect day for racing!  

This is the first year the boys have raced and they continue to improve and have a blast!  I'm not sure if my nerves will ever subside when they race but it does make me smile to see them enjoying themselves.  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  

Rescuing "Reddy-Redtail!"

Meet "Reddy" the juvenile Red-tail Hawk born this spring.  "Reddy" was spotted while my husband and I were gone but up until today we haven't been able to locate her.  "Reddy" doesn't fly.

While moving the haying equipment home (YES, home!) today we managed to spot her so we headed back to the field she was in with a bed sheet and leather gloves in hand.  I wasn't sure we would be able to catch her.

"Reddy" definitely could not fly but she was able to climb up our hay bales using her very sharp talons!!!  However, once on the ground, I was able to get close enough to get the sheet over her and scooped her up, putting her into an animal carrier.

I have to say, the boys thought I was a pretty cool Mom for capturing a HAWK!  I was just impressed with the sheer beauty of this incredible raptor and the fact that I was able to catch her!  From the field we actually headed home and made a phone call to the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, the same place we took "Olive the Owl".  After giving them the heads-up that we were on our way, we drove the 2 hours to deliver her.  "Reddy" was very dehydrated and certainly has not been eating like she should, especially considering Fall Migration will soon be upon us.  In fact, "Reddy" only weighed 1/2 a lb.  Most female Red-tail Hawks weigh as much as 3 lbs.  On quick inspection, "Reddy" suffered a broken left wing that has already started to heal.  The wildlife centre is going to see if they can get her weight back up and the veterinarian is going to assess if they can re-break and properly set her wing.  In the meantime, "Reddy" is in good hands and likely will be remaining in Canada for the winter!

Why rescue a hawk???  A family of hawks can consume as many as 500 gophers each summer!!!  That's not calculating in the mice or voles!

While Checking Cows ...

I found the girls (albeit scattered all over the place in our tame grass) and their babes, eating, sleeping and being content with life on this fine Monday.  

A Monday morning STRETCH is always required!

The Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) with beaks to the breeze, were out catching a feast of insects!

The old pump house still stands and is just a part of this lil' piece of the prairie. 

And returning home ... these two Red-Tailed Hawks had to a have a mid-air squabble!  

Soaring ...

Headed back from the field, this big ole' Red-Tailed Hawk was swooping and soaring just above me.  The wind howled again today BUT we finished our spring seeding and the rain showers have started.  Hopefully some more rain is on its way!

Yesterday ...

Yes, this is yesterday's post ... better late than never!  Sometimes life just happens!  However, in living life, we didn't really wake up to so called spring yesterday ... it was
-15C first thing in the morning!!!  What's up with that?  Still very much snow covered and frozen, there is a few of us out on the prairies that might argue against global warming these days (especially when there is more snow in the forecast and temperatures are to remain COOL!).

However, spring must be trying to arrive as the raptors are finally returning!  I've seen them slowly returning over the past week.  I love raptors!  I could just photograph them everyday!  Such incredible birds!  These aren't great but I find them hard to photograph when they first migrate back ... they are always so unsettled!

Rough-Legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)

These beauties nest in the arctic and are migrating through, although we are fortunate to have some overwinter (there were many last year).

Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

This fellow was not going to have anything to do with me!  Summer is just not the same with out the powerful, descending screams of a red-tailed hawk!

Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)

Aaaah ... my favourite!!!  This beauty of a beast was soaring way up in the sky ... a long, long stretch for my pitiful little lens.  However, this light phased Swainson's Hawk was indeed a welcome sight!  These incredible raptors undertake the longest migration of any of our raptors.  Many of them winter as far south as the southern tip of South America!!  That is an amazing migration!

Soaring Over My Sea of Blue!

Perspective!  I can only imagine a hawk's perspective!  Do they see colour?  Do you think they noticed our field of flax is turning blue?  Hmm ...  I wonder what it would be like to soar over my prairie sea of blue?

Yes, this is our second year for growing flax and it is just coming into full bloom.   This year, I am fortunate enough to enjoy a bit of blue set against canola yellow!  Definitely a vibrant scene!

The Observer

On my way out to close some gates this morning I could hear this Red-tailed Hawk screeching from the tree top as he kept a watchful eye over the pasture.  I was hoping to get a bit closer but alas, my 'hawk stalking' skills were rather inferior to his observation skills!!!  Tomorrow is another day ...