Actually I got 2 today. I recently posted this Great-horned Owl is a 'garden bird'. and was whining how I have never been able to get a picture of one. I just seem to have trouble with Owls in particular. Kingfishers too for that matter. Anyway, today I got to photograph not one but two Great-horned Owls. When I was at Middle Creek yesterday I bumped into a mate of mine and was moaning about this owl that I hear every night and see quite often but can't get a shot a picture of him. He told me about this Great-horned Owl nesting pair near his home that's been there for years, is easily accessible and in a public park. I visited this morning and sure enough just in the car park were 3 photographers waiting for the female sitting on the next to open her eyes. I'm not usually one for any sort of nest photography for fear of disturbing the nesting bird but I'd been assured that the pair have not been disturbed in any way for years. I waited in the below freezing temperatures for 1 1/2 hours and apart from a little squint in one eye she never opened her eyes once. Talking to the other photographers one had come 160miles away and these 2 ladies had come 90 miles as the nest site was well known on social media (not to me, I'm anti facebook and twitter as I refuse to patronize ZuckerMusk). So I got lots of shots of a sleeping Great-horned Owl. That was number 1.
This even about 4:30 as the sun was setting I walked down the driveway to pickup the mail and heard him hooting down the yard. When I got back I grabbed my 600mm and still wearing ,my moccasin slippers walked up the hill towards the top of the yard. It was impossible to be stealthy as the grass is covered in leaves and twigs and branches from a fallen 90-100ft Hackberry tree. So it was crunch, crunch crack all the way up, As I was walking towards the sun I could see diddly squat and had no idea where he was. Then I saw him fly off from this ivy covered tree and he flew East along the edge of the wood. Heading in that direction ducking under branches and over the trunkI saw he had landed in a tall tree where I could see him. (I'm calling him a him because I presume the female is incubating in the nest wherever that is.) Using trees for a cover I managed to get several shots of him. As I now had the sun behind me they turned out pretty good apart from the branches in front of him.
This even about 4:30 as the sun was setting I walked down the driveway to pickup the mail and heard him hooting down the yard. When I got back I grabbed my 600mm and still wearing ,my moccasin slippers walked up the hill towards the top of the yard. It was impossible to be stealthy as the grass is covered in leaves and twigs and branches from a fallen 90-100ft Hackberry tree. So it was crunch, crunch crack all the way up, As I was walking towards the sun I could see diddly squat and had no idea where he was. Then I saw him fly off from this ivy covered tree and he flew East along the edge of the wood. Heading in that direction ducking under branches and over the trunkI saw he had landed in a tall tree where I could see him. (I'm calling him a him because I presume the female is incubating in the nest wherever that is.) Using trees for a cover I managed to get several shots of him. As I now had the sun behind me they turned out pretty good apart from the branches in front of him.
