The photography of SLS Ye Gauthier

"Calciferous cohabitants" Acorn barnacles (Balanus glandula) West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 17 May 2020

"At attention" Columbian ground squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus) E. C. Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada 5 August 2020

"Heart of hearts" Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada 5 May 2020

The next featured owl of BC: Short-eared owls are an annual winter visitor to the marshlands and open fields of the Lower Mainland. They breed in BC, but more northerly. They can be seen hunting at all hours of the day, eating primarily Townsend's voles and other small mammals. Insects may be eaten for extra protein. They often compete for food with the larger northern harrier hawk (and often get their food stolen in mid-air) Females are darker in colour and larger than the m...ales. Their size can be compared to a crow. Courtship (rarely seen in our region) is a marvelous aerobatic show performed by the male. The shorties are monogamous within the breeding season, and lay one clutch of eggs per year. The "ears" of the shorties are usually only displayed with a defensive pose. To find one of these ethereal birds in BC: - From late autumn to early spring, shorties can be found hunting in the Lower Mainland over agricultural fields and marshy grassland. - Typically will be absent north of the Fraser Estuary - most commonly seen in Richmond and Delta. - Look for a small owl flying in a "mothlike" or "batlike" manner - Easier to find during the earlier and later hours of the day, but numbers fluctuate in the same location every day. See more

I'm going to do a daily educational spot on owls of BC. Photos by yours truly. Sorry, I'm bored AF. Great horned owls, known also as hoot owls, are the most common, adaptable, and widely distributed owls of North America. They can nest and inhabit nearly every type of habitat one can think of, even deserts and tundra. They share the same ecological niche as the diurnal red-tailed hawks, eating the same diet, but often prey on the hawks too. They eat almost anything smaller t...han them, but in BC and especially Metro Vancouver they favour lagomorphs, Townsend's voles, rats, mice, squirrels, smaller waterfowl and the nestlings of larger birds. Many of the owls cache their prey in tall trees. GHOs perform courtship and breed in BC winters. They often mate for life and produce a brood each year. Both parents have equal duties in caring for young. The ears/horns of a GHO are called "plumicorns" but their function is not fully understood. To find one of these territorial beasts here in BC: - They aren't very nomadic, they like to control a single territory for their life - They hunt at dawn and dusk typically, from a high perch - They like to perch near the trunks of trees, have a distinctive silhouette - Check old derelict barn windows too (don't trespass!) - Their call is very distinctive - probably the most famous owl sound on television and film - Crows do not tolerate them, so keep an ear and eye out for crows mobbing behaviours -They are more active in the daytime during nesting season, but I do NOT condone staying in the vicinity of the nesting area for more than a few minutes, this is a sensitive time for them and the owlets are known to be magnets for predators such as the red-tailed hawk and bald eagle in BC See more