Absolutely gorgeous Konrad!

That's alot of deer!

Lucky you to have had a camera in hand when you saw the snowy owl! I haven't seen one in years. The deer look to be in good shape. I guess they're finding enough to eat under all the snow. Great pics!

Laurie

Great pictures Konrad!! That's quite the herd of whitetail! I'm surprised the buck in the second picture hasn't dropped his horns yet...they should be falling off pretty soon.

I love the other pictures too.

Verena

Great shots Konrad! I love the snowy owl...they sure have feathery feet! A few years ago they were showing up around here very weak and some were found dead. I understand that happens when the lemming population up north drops and they just aren't getting enough to eat. Maybe this will be another year like that.

What are the waxwings chowing down on?

I love your owl too! I often used to see one sitting on the same speed limit sign by the highway when I used to commute to work. I assume it was probably the same one because they are territorial.

Great pics as always :0)

(Look out deer! Verena's coming...run for your lives! LOL!)

Absolutely stunning pictures. Gotta love that great blue sky too which really sets off the wildlife beautifully.

Ang

LOL Gil!! Hehehe!! ;o)

Verena
(Apparently the Official Red Neck Gardener of the Far North)

Thank you all!

>>>What are the waxwings chowing down on?

These guys where sitting next to our mailbox on a Russian Olive, I was surprised, first time I have
seen this,...... taking pictures from the car.

I still have a bird to identify from that day.
Up on a high voltage tower, there was a snowy owl sitting, when I wanted to take a picture,
a bird came, what appeared to me a Raven, then the owl took off!
But this black bird is still a mystery to me!
Is it something else?
It didn't croak like a raven, it kind of squealed, kind like those small swamp black bird.
What do you think it is.
Sorry, the pics are not too clear, it was a very far distance.
Konrad

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Turning it's head, you can see a little white under the feather.
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Would your mystery bird be a magpie?..We have a growing number of magpies in our area (I think escapees from a local bird farm) but they are the black and white version..I have enjoyed all your pictures..savona

Konrad, I think that has to be some kind of raven. The wedge-shaped tail in flight is a field mark. According to my bird book, there is a bird called the Chihuahua Raven (Mexico north to about Oklahoma) that looks like a regular raven but with a "seldom visible" white neck. And its call is higher. Not that I think it would be that far out of its range especially in winter, but interesting anyway.

Doesn't look like a magpie to me. We get a lot of them around here and they are distinctly black & white with a very long tail.

Konrad that looks like an ordinary raven. We get lots of them at work. Ravens make all kinds of weird noises. I don't know about the white on the neck but we get the occasional albino raven. People here make a fuss about the albinos. Ian

I thought afterward the same thing Gillian..the magpies around here have long tail feathers on them..savona

Thank you all!

Raven it is then...I'll buy it!
They are very clever birds and I'm sure they can mimic different sounds.

This pic from Fort McMurray, [Summer] playing with a tennis ball, one had a ping pong ball in it's beak.
It seems there is allot more of these birds up north, I'm sure also, where you live Ian.
I like the aerial acrobatic they do, only seen it up north.

Wide open beak!
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This is a Magpie on my Evans cherries.
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Hello Konrad, I tend to see the ravens at higher elevations and also more often in the winter. Ian