I was not intending to post anything today on the blog but sometimes you get inspired by people with more forethought and wisdom. Robert Streithorst is a photographer friend on Facebook…you can click on his name and visit his page. He does terrific work, but his insight on veterans and on the current virus situation … Read more
An eagle, if necessary, will hunt from dawn, till dusk…and compared to us, they seem to be able to see pretty well in lower light. With the sun already set, this young eagle was still successful…making it a better night ahead, despite the sub-zero windchills.
In the early years of photographing eagles, I felt pretty content to get any shot I could. The background didn’t matter all that much…even a clear blue sky was fine if the bird looked good. These days, I’m finding myself happier with photos that show more habitat…and particularly those with some ice and snow. You … Read more
At the end of a long winters day, this eagle is heading somewhere to roost for the night. Ideally it will be a safe, secure spot, out of the cold, blustery winds. As any eagle photographer knows, the birds will try to conserve a lot of energy when they can…so you watch them sit…and sit…and … Read more
I recently got contacted by a local magazine who wanted to use this image on their winter cover. I like this magazine, it’s a good thing for the community and always look forward to its latest edition. So I was happy to oblige. But their request caused me to go back into some older files … Read more
During the winter of 2017-2018, we were blessed here in Iowa to have an invasion of Snowy Owls. Although these winter visitors could never be called numerous here, ever handful of years, conditions up north on the arctic tundra and around Hudson Bay, get rough so many young owls head farther south.
It would be hard to say how many owls in total are seen here in the midwest during an invasion…most birds aren’t tagged or marked in anyway so you don’t know if you’re seeing the same bird just moving around or if there are multiple birds in an area. The latter was proven in the Davenport Iowa area when 3 birds were spotted on the same day in different locations, almost simultaneously.
This particular female spent a lot of time around the airport grounds…as many of these owls tend to do, because the property is flat and wide open, much like their native tundra. On this evening, my wife and I spent about 20 minutes in close proximity to the bird…she was at ease the entire time as we stayed in the vehicle and used that more or less as a viewing blind.
I’m sad to report that several months later, this bird was found injured, either from a vehicle strike (there was a terribly busy intersection nearby), or perhaps from an impact with a fence or post…but her wing was injured and became infected before she was picked up. She was ultimately euthanized to end her suffering. Although she had faired well enough through several months here, she unfortunately did not depart for her northern home soon enough.
For the winter season Iowa, over 30 owls were found dead or injured, many from vehicle strikes. That certainly indicates that on invasion years, Iowa can see quite a few snowy owls come in….and unfortunately most are not well equipped to deal with all of the hazards of modern life here.