Photographing Wildlife in the Canadian Rockies

It’s not as easy as you may think to photograph wildlife in the Canadian Rockies and Alberta Foothills even though Alberta is home to a vast amount of wildlife including wolves, coyotes, foxes, cougars, black bears, grizzly bears, badgers, wolverines and weasels.

In addition, there is an abundance of birds, including many species of raptors such as owls, eagles, hawks and falcons. Some are large, such as the Great Gray Owl. Others are tiny, like the Northern Pygmy Owl.

From a young age I’ve always been fascinated by raptors and owls are my favourite raptor. There was just something that enticed me to them.

Fortunately for me, Alberta is home to 11 different owl species, which include:

• Great Gray Owl (Alberta’s largest owl standing as tall as 33”!)
• Great Horned Owl (Alberta’s provincial bird)
• Snowy Owl (Northern cousin of the Great Horned Owl)
• Barred Owl (Their whimsical call “Who cooks for you?”)
• Northern Hawk Owl (Brave soul stays around for winter)
• Short-eared Owl (The ears are really tuffs of feathers)
• Long-eared Owl (A cousin of the Short-eared Owl)
• Burrowing Owl (Nests underground)
• Northern Saw-whet Owl (Tiny owl – big attitude!)
• Boreal Owl (Found in the tallest of trees)
• Northern Pygmy-Owl (At 6” in size wins the award for smallest owl!)

The Great Gray Owl stands out as my favourite. I’m fascinated by what I’ve observed while photographing them.

Wildlife have their own personalities, just like humans. Some seem to be grumpy, some are sad, some are happy, while others are goofy or angry. Most owl species don’t fly south to escape our inhospitable winters in their search for food. While we would rather not head to the grocery store when temperatures drop below minus 20 Celsius, owls still must catch upwards of 10 rodents a day to survive, searching farmer’s fields and boreal forests of Alberta for prey.

My planning starts days before; researching the species I am interested in photographing. My sources are wildlife websites combined with tips from friends and colleagues. Usually starting very so I can arrive at the chosen location just before sun up as most raptors are most active at dawn and dusk.

You never know if the tips on locations are going to net you a sighting of your desired critter. There is a lot of driving involved while searching the horizon keeping your eyes focused on any kind of movement that may reveal the position of an owl or hawk. (Don’t forget to blink!). Any slight movement may be a bird or prey lurking in the tree line.

Once you have sighted your target, be patient as you need to first understand its behaviour. You can’t just jump out of the vehicle and run up to the species and give them a big hug! You have to “observe without disturbing”. Remember the three rules for success: watch, listen and observe. These are wild creatures. Once I earned their trust only then will I photograph it. Sometimes it’s several minutes and often it can take well over an hour.  You will know when it’s the correct time to photograph.

Learn your subject matter so they don’t experience any undue stress. Let nature be nature and wild. Doing so will help preserve nature for all of us to enjoy.

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About the Author

ROB HADLOW:

I have lived in Calgary for over 45 years and have been involved with the photographic community in Calgary for 37 of those years. I have a background in photography and studied at the Alberta Collage of Art and Design.

My passion is photography – I love to teach and lecture about photography.

Often leading workshops in the great outdoors, watching people enjoy similar adventures to myself.

My love for the outdoors and being a wildlife advocate, made a Commercial Photographer turn into a Master Wildlife & Travel/Nature Photographer. Being a photographer, makes being in nature all that more enjoyable. Having an appreciation for nature allows me to find & protect animals in their natural habitat. In my work, I try to capture the spirit of the animal, which represents their individual personality. While my specialty is carnivorous mammals and raptors, I am always scouting for wildlife. My recent project is following and studying Great Gray and Great Horned Owls

Myself and my two sidekicks, IB (Miata) and her younger sibling, Wolverine (Jeep), are often seen scouring the country side throughout North America looking for that perfect nature shot. Places such MOAB, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Banff, and Jasper are but a few of my adventure destinations.

So, come let me guide you on that special magical mystery wildlife expedition.

Cheers,
Rob