Night Owls

Great Horned Owl
dwm photo

The thing about owls is they prefer working when it gets dark.

I learned there are owls not far from my office, so on a later than usual day a week back I grabbed my camera and went walking around looking up.

It didn't take many steps into an urban forest to see the unmistakable profile of a Great Horned Owl silhouetted against the sky.

It's another bird I've never seen in the wild.

The trees haven't leafed out fully, so it's possible to see the birds in evening's twilight.

Screech Owl on a nearby tree
dwm photo

 In another week the birds will vanish.

Not actually, but the additional cover will make it tougher to see these impressive creatures.

I craned my neck and played with the longest lens I own to get as many photos as possible.  The review screen on my phone wasn't much help.  It wasn't until I downloaded the shots to see if there were any photos worth sharing.

Whooo is looking at me?
dwm photo

These owls were 20 - 30 feet above the forest floor and requested no flash photography.  You may need to click on the photo to enlarge and adjust the angle of your screen to get the best view.

The perched owls kept sharp eyes out for possible prey and flew off a couple times to avoid some angry crows who tried to chase them away.  The crow was more of a nuisance than actual threat and the wise birds held their ground.  I hope they stick around.