Last week Linda asked, “You know I don’t see very many squirrels any more. Where have all the squirrels gone?” I did not know. This morning we were given a hint.
I first saw him on a fence. I thought it was the neighbor’s chicken. I tried to get a photo but my view was obstructed. Then the “chicken” was gone. A few minutes later I saw the great horned owlet in front of the neighbor’s red horse trailer. While I was trying to get a shot another owl flew by and the owlet flew off with his squirrel. He settled down on the bulkhead as shown above.
He then moved a few feet down and I got the above shot. I think he is a young owl from this year. Note the relative small size of his ear tuffs. The color and roughness of the feathers are indicative of a young bird. I was just about to give up when the owlet flew away with his squirrel. The next sequence was taken with a 420 mm equivalent prime, ISO 1600, 1/1,000 of a second, f 5.6. My camera has a burst rate of 4 images/sec so the following six images take place over 1.5 seconds. This is cropped by 75% and taken from approximately 150 feet. Quality is not up to standards for contest entrance. I was expecting nothing and I got this. Do enjoy.
Incredible action shot! Nicely done
Wow! What a wonderful event to capture on camera! You amaze me.
The pictures are really cool! And are the squirrels hiding or being eaten? -Elena
Elena
If the squirrels are hiding they are hiding from us and the owls (and hawks). Mostly the squirrels avoid open areas where the owls and hawks can snatch them. When you come we can look for the squirrels. OK