The sky was clear. The moon was out. It was a perfect night for an Owl Prowl.

The Strathcona Wilderness Centre (SWC) hosted the annual program. We began in the Information Centre with a short presentation on owls in Alberta and visit by Colonel Slade.

The Colonel is a 14 year old barred owl. Due to an injury to one eye, her depth perception is not what it should be. Rather than flying around the forest, running into trees, she is an assistant educator to Gord Court from Alberta Environment and Parks.

She is definitely a star when it comes to the kids. They were front and center when Gord brought the Colonel into the room. We got to see what makes up an owl up close.

I've seen this presentation 3 times before and never tire of it. When we were done inside, we went outside and walked in the direction of the spruce bog to try and call in some owls. As we moved into the forest, before the calls even began, 2 large great horned owls flew from the treetops on silent wings.
We didn't hear any calls from the area that we were in so we moved to the multi purpose trail, west of the info centre. Gord used recordings of calls but didn't get a reply until he vocalized a call on his own. (This man is amazing when it comes to vocalizing owl calls.) 

The moon and stars shone overhead. The wood frogs sang their forest songs from the ponds. The geese honked overhead. The great horned owl called from a distance. The finishing touch to the evening was a falling star as I looked to the sky. What a perfect evening.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

More info on Alberta owls at http://esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/owls/default.aspx