Mark Jinks Photography

Nice to see an influx of Short-eared Owls over the last few days, appearing in large numbers during their annual spring migration through central Alberta.

A series of colourful/interesting/historic buildings found along the coastline of Maritime Quebec.

Frosty mornings & pastel sunrises.

It's wonderful to see so many Northern Hawk Owls around this Winter.

This beauty briefly looked back to check me out before resuming the enjoyment of the warm sunshine on a cold day, while scanning for prey below.

A Snowy Owl gliding across the open snow-covered prairie recently.

It's been a slow season for sightings around here, but I've been fortunate to find a few by putting in some extra miles.

I recently had the opportunity to play around with a couple of super-telephoto prime lenses, the Nikon 800mm Z f5.6 and 600mm Z 6.3, for a few hours.

I absolutely loved the crisp details and keeper rates, especially on the incredibly lightweight 600mm.

The only struggle was trying to fit the entire subject in a frame. This is an uncropped shot while watching Great Grey Owls hunting for voles in a meadow.

'Glimmer'

I occasionally drive past a tree farm, and while passing it during golden hour light the other day, I loved how the dappled light filtered through the trees onto the snow below.

I pulled over and made many ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) images, but this one is my favourite.

Check the comments to see the scene pre-ICM.

Dinnertime.

A Great Grey Owl with its freshly caught prey - a Meadow Vole.

Watching the efficiency of these hunters is nothing short of remarkable. I'm so grateful for the time I get to spend with nature.

It was fun to brave the extreme cold temperatures over the weekend and create some fresh new images.

I met up with my friends Shane and Russ for an owl prowl, and while I came away with some of my best-ever owl photos, some of my favourite images taken were of a snowy ditch along the side of the road.

While looking for owls, I noticed how the sunlight displayed these Aspen tree shadows, painting interesting abstract lines over snowdrifts.

A solid reminder that while out exploring nature to stay versatile and creative, keeping an eye out for little details within the landscape.

The intense gaze of a Great Grey Owl hunting at first light after an overnight snowfall in the boreal forest.

My usual go-to spots have been mainly devoid of Snowy Owls this Winter. While some owl species are experiencing irruption years, it seems to be the opposite for snowies, at least around here.

Having said that, by going a little further and keeping a keen eye out, I'm still finding a few here and there, like this guy catching some sunshine on the Alberta prairie.