#canadawild

Drive down a logging road #nopeople #neverstopexploring #flathead #beautifulbritishcolumbia #canadawild

"The wisest of all sleep during the day, and enjoy the nightlife" Towards the end of a planned road trip following the pictureseque Irish Loop I visited the Salmonier Nature Reserve, where I saw moose, caribou and of course this owl. It should be emphasised this is not a zoo! All animals are rescue animals, which are eventually planned for return to the wild once fully rehabilitated. The animals are kept in enclosures, but their surroundings are natural, with plenty of space. It's worth noting that there is also plenty of places to hide, and these are wild animals, the very shy among them will be difficult to spot if at all. On my visit, neither of the fox breeds, the lynx, marten, beaver and mink were invisible. But hey it's free! Most visitors were families, and the kids just seemed excited to be following the boardwalk through the forest, with the odd chance of seeing a cute critter. One little girl insisted they weren't moose, shouting loudly and insistently at her dad "It's a donkey!" This is a great horned owl, that was busily grabbing forty winks as I approached. My elephant sized footfall obviously disturbed him, as his head swung around swiftly, eyes opening to check out the clumsy buffoon disturbing him. I had to be quick to get the shot, but don't think it turned out too badly The reserve is a cool stop off if travelling around the Avalon Penisula taking around an hour to walk. #explorenl #explorecanada #mycanadianaffair #canadawild TIP: Wildlife is unpredictable, difficult to find and often quick to move. Nature reserves like Salmonier may not be truly wild, but they are often tne best opportunity to capture wildlife shots in natural surroundings, especially when time is limited. To see more #wildlifephotography in natural surroundings follow the link in my bio (at Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador)