Snowy Owl, Too

March of 2018 was my first time seeing a snowy owl in the wild and this close. A classmate talked me into coming over to central Wisconsin (an hour and a half drive from my home) at sunrise to find one to photograph. So, I was up at 4am to make the drive to get there when the sun came up and wait for the snowies to start their hunt. We stood in the cold with our cameras and tripods, watching this female Snowy. An hour or so after sunrise, I was able to capture her in flight as she swooped off her perch, and back around. I have two shots I normally show side-by-side. I couldn’t think of another name, so they became Snowy Owl, and Snowy Owl, too.

Snowy Owl

Owl By Myself

This Barred Owl adult was one of the parents to the little fledgling in another of my photos. As I hiked along the trail, the adult was standing guard over the nest, protecting its two young from another bird of prey that was hanging around. The owl chased it away, twice, while I was there. I stayed back, so as not to become a distraction, while it chased off the other bird. When it was done, I was able to snap a couple quick shots as stared after the culprit. It then swivelled its head toward me. I captured two more photos, said my goodbyes, and moved along the trail.

Owl See You Later

On a hike through a local wetlands, this little Barred Owl fledgling became quite curious about me and my camera. When I first noticed it pop its head out of the nest, I intended to simply snap a couple of photos, then move along, so as not to disturb it too much. As I headed down the path to leave, this little one watched me the entire time. I turned one last time, snapped this photo, and told it to go back to bed before it fell out. I continued on my way, but looked back one more time to find it still watching me walk away. It was a moment in time I’ll never forget.