chapter 385

5/14/2015

Great Horned Owl

swamp thing

Had the opportunity to shoot this Owl mom with her two chicks this week, this on a foggy morn. She had taken over one of the Heron nests in this rookery on Ballston Creek Preserve which is part of the wonderful Saratoga Plan properties.

At sunrise Mom seems to be there with the babies chewing up food and feeding them.

Mid morning she swoops away to search for some more rodents or any variety of animals for food. The little fat guys will watch her go then toddle around the nest in various positions. They are curious listening and looking down and all around spotting me from 100 yards away. They will stare straight at me but bob and weave their head around in circles so as to get a better three dimensional focus to define my shape. Mostly nocturnal but can also operate in daylight. They have three eyelids, some kind of membrane demonstrated here.

They like to get warm facing and soaking up the morning sun on this cool day.

After mom leaves for food they will squawk for once in a while for attention.

This heron rookery has about 15 nests up high along with the owl and osprey homes plus beavers and many more critters. It's right behind Curtis Lumberyard and the "civilized world" as we know it where man can be quite inhuman to fellow man. Then again, it's mostly a dog eat dog world everywhere in many respects.

Getting off the trail for a better vantage point for the owls, I noticed this letter box behind a large tree. It has goodies in there for people to create a passport, stamp it with this secret location and send a letter back to PLAN for feedback. It's a cute idea by this environmental group to promote outdoor recreation. You might have noticed something in the background.

I immediately recognized a photo-op chapter worthy situation. I mentioned to her the lens ring was still lit, then she began to photograph a maple leaf emerging from a seedling. Holy Macro Batgirl. Our next photo club theme is macro photography, so I'll probably use this.

Don't forget my earlier Owl chapter

Back story: Bro Dale and I tried hunting crows once as kids. Dad told us to take our stuffed Horned Owl to the top of a hay field and blow a crow call. Sure enough in just a few minutes they came circling in trying to kill the owl. We blasted away but with no success. Just amazed that the plan worked. There are so many rivalries and enemies in nature. In the rookery there is an Osprey nest yet they and owls will eat each other given the opportunity. And the crows like to harass the owls here also.

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