Due to a crash in the vole population at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge last summer there weren't many Short-eared Owls around the refuge but the few that were there were real beauties.
There are Burrowing Owls on Antelope Island; I've photographed them hundreds of times, but yesterday I spotted one in a location I had never seen one before.
Just a few images from this past week.
I don't always get what I want though; for example, I wanted this male Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) I photographed at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana in good light.
Fluffy Great Horned Owl fledgling + knotty weathered wood + large yellow eyes = Wonderful!
This Short-eared Owl image was taken just a little over a year ago in Glacier County, Montana. I still remember how cooperative this male was, the gorgeous golden light of the setting sun and the great location.
I'm taking a break today from posting photos of my recent trip to southwestern Montana to share an image of a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) family from here in Utah that I created a few days ago.
This male Short-eared Owl in evening light was photographed last year in Glacier County, Montana not too long before the sun set.
Let's face it some butt shots aren't very pretty but some can be awfully darned cute!
I've been having fun photographing Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) lately and it is a joy to have them in my viewfinder again.
When I photograph Burrowing Owls I can't resist smiling, especially when they are juveniles. Just seeing them makes me grin.
I don't know if the birds think the water of the Great Salt Lake looks refreshing but on a hot day like today I sure do!
In early spring after American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata) chicks have hatched there are opportunities here in Utah to see the adult owls hunting just after dawn breaks.
I'm excited that two Great Horned Owls are using the same roosting location on Antelope Island.
I adore Burrowing Owls, especially the juveniles because they can be funny, serious looking, comical and at times they act like clowns.
My favorite name for Great Horned Owls is "The Tiger of the Sky" and it is very descriptive of this large, fierce owl.
Earlier this year in March I wrote an article titled "Burrowing Owls - Loved to Death?" and this post is a sequel to it.
I am always looking for the unexpected birds to show up in locations where I might not expect them them to be and this Short-eared Owl was a bit of a nice surprise.
I just adore Burrowing Owls, especially the juveniles because they seem to be more animated than the adults.
I really, really, really wish these young American Barn Owls had been perched on something that looked more natural than old bent metal with droppings all over it
Soon after that I saw the shape of a larger bird near where the Coyote had gone into the sagebrush which turned out to be an adult Short-eared Owl.
The grasses are beginning to turn golden with the summer heat, the Moth Mulleins are starting to bloom and the Great Salt Lake level is still rising from spring run off.
I will soon be on the road back to Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southern Montana, another one of my favorite locations on this planet.
I had a delightful experience this past week in northern Utah with an American Barn Owl that was flying along side the road that I was traveling on.
What made me sick was that there were three of those people tromping around the owl's burrow. I mean RIGHT up on it. They had no need to be that close but they were.
As a bird photographer I often strive for images where the subjects are out in the open, without distractions in the fore or background, but as with any photographic "rule", they are made to be broken.
I hope to find some Short-eared Owls this winter in Utah, I think that some snow would make for a lovely setting for these delightful & enchanting birds.
This blur was not intentional, but I do like the effect caused by the head of the Burrowing Owl spinning. Makes me dizzy just viewing the photo!
I felt it was time to put the beauty of the adult Burrowing Owls in the limelight.
A foggy morning at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge brought me 13 minutes of joy after spotting a shape on the gravel road, it was a female Short-eared Owl and she flew up and landed on a post not too far from the road.