Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Woodman Fen, Dayton, Ohio
"An owl is the wisest of all birds because the more it sees the less it talks." - Christie Watson
This day was a highlight for my photography adventures. After being told of a possible nesting site at a nearby location the week before, I made sure to visit it before time was out. It was the end of April and most owlets have grown and left the nest. I set out in the afternoon to pre-scout the faily small fen for any possible trees high up in the canopy. Nothing came of luck even as I passed other visitors who echoed the same statements; the owls were still here. I went back to my car for a break, unsure of finding them later on.
About 45 minutes before dusk, I set out one last time to make a loop trail hike around the fen. Within a couple minutes of this last effort, I see a massive wingspan of a possible raptor at least 80 feet high up through the trees. Their nests are typically up that high and so I mount my large telephoto lens and camera on the tripod to go to work. Their hearing is so precise that this one pretty quickly stared me down as seen here even from that far up and away. Viewing the eye contact through binoculars is enough to get your heart racing. For my first sighting of these apex predators, this was an intense one I am glad to have witnessed and photographed.
© 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
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From Raptors
