Four Owls, One Day

If you read my last story, you will know it took nine years to photograph my first owl, well just nine months later I would get my second, and third, and fourth, and fifth. Yes, in just one day I would get photos of four different owls, not even a year since the last time. I thought it would be another few years to get my second owl, getting to five was something I thought might take decades.

It all started when I went out to look for bald eagles along the Minnesota River. I have normally seen quite a few hang out in a certain area so I wanted to head out exploring around that section of the woods. As I was walking down the trail about to turn off into the woods in the direction of the eagles, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that shocked me. It was on the opposite side of the trail, so I am not sure how I even noticed it, but I did, and it was a surreal moment. I was following the branches of a big oak tree when I saw something stand out, and there it was, the second owl I would ever photograph.

Same as the first one I saw a barred owl, with its beautiful white and brown coat, it was sleeping and enjoying the warm sun beating down (see below). When I snapped the first photo I did not realize it was sleeping but it turned into a magical photo, one I love very much. I did not want to disturb the owl, but I just could not help myself I wanted more photos because I did not know when I would have this opportunity again.

As I was snapping, I was trying to work my way around the trees and branches that were in the way to get a clearer image, when I stepped right on a twig making a loud crunching sound. I was so nervous the owl would wake up and fly away, and as I brought my camera to my eye, sure enough, the owl had woken up (see below). While it did wake up I snapped a quick photo and slowly started to turn back, I did not want to make this gorgeous bird fly away just because I was intruding on its territory. As I made it back to the trail I looked back and the owl was still in the same spot and I felt better and continued to where I thought I would be finding the eagles.

The spot I thought I would find the eagles was deep in the woods, off the trail and so I had to follow deer trails so I would not get lost. As I was getting closer to where I thought I needed to be I started to slow down, looking where I was stepping to not crunch any branches so as to not scare off any potential wildlife. Just as I started to do so I looked up at a half-fallen tree and thought, huh that is a peculiar looking branch, I took a few steps closer and my eyes focused on what was not a funny looking branch but another owl, this time, a new one. What I thought was broken bits of bark sticking up from the branch was actually the ears of a Great Horned Owl (see below). Now it may not be the best owl photo ever, but it was already enough to make me start to tear up, while the barred owls are beautiful, the great horned owl held a special place in my heart. When I pictured getting to photograph an owl for all these years it was always a great horned owl in my imagination, they were the ones I really was looking forward to capturing. Before I got my first owl photo, I did not even know what a barred owl was, but I always knew what a great horned owl looked like. This image was special, it marked a chapter in my photography journey, one I did not think would come so soon after seeing the owl earlier in the morning. I only got this one photo of this one because I was in awe, I was looking at this photo in the back of my camera for several minutes and when I looked back up the owl was gone. It must have turned its head and saw me standing close and flew away, with the silence of its wings flapping I never heard it take off. I wasn’t the least bit upset that this was the only photo I could capture, it was more than enough, more than I could have ever hoped for.

I continued on down the deer trail, shaking my head in disbelief when across the creek I saw something swoop real low to the ground and land on a distance trunk. I fixated my vision on it and could not believe what I was witnessing, a third owl, and the second Great Horned Owl. This one was very far away so I had to back track just a little to get a clear view of it as there were many branches, twigs, and trees in the way. I did not want to get too close as I did not want it to fly away even further. I finally got to a decent spot and snapped, what might be my new favorite photo I have ever taken (see below). This image was everything I had pictured in my head, a beautiful Great Horned Owl, staring right back at me with its wonderful yellow eyes. As I snapped this image I couldn’t hold back my emotions, three owls in one day, when it had taken me nine years to capture just one. I did not know what to do with myself, I almost fell over, I was in so much shock. I knew this moment would not last forever so I snapped as many photos as I could, and just as I suspected the owl got ready to take off shortly after this first photo. I thought for sure it would fly away deep into the woods where I had just hiked from, but it did not do that. It flew and landed in a tree much closer to me, I thought why would it possibly do that, but there was a very good reason.

The owl flew to a tree right across the creek from me and gave me an even better unobstructed view of it where I got some amazing photos (see below). I thought maybe this owl experience was just going to be similar to my first when the owl flew by from branch to branch near me just to see what I was up to. But that is not what this experience was going to be. It was going to be something even more unbelievable.

As I was snapping away, I could not believe that I was getting this moment to photograph something this special, then I took a photo that made me realize what was happening. I clicked the shutter button on my camera and just glanced at the photo I had just taken and saw something peculiar in the background of the photo (see below). A little white fuzzball hiding out behind the owl, and I could not comprehend what it was I was seeing, could that actually be what I think it is? Did I just come upon this owl’s nest and photograph its owlet?

That is exactly what was happening, the owl had flown closer to me because it was protecting its baby, I was frozen. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be in this position. To randomly stumble upon an owl’s nest, let alone a great horned owl, and be able to capture an owlet. I knew I had to be patient and wait for an opportunity to capture this beautiful baby, it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I waited. After only about five minutes, the adult hopped to the other side and made way for an absolutely unbelievable moment and photo (see below). There it was a little tiny, fuzzy, funny-looking owlet. This photo was something I never could have imagined I would get, but I was. I was in the right place at the right time and got to photograph this all by myself, it was truly a magical moment. I started to cry yet again, I just could not hold it back any more. Not one, or two or three, but four owls in one morning. Two different kinds and even a baby, what more could I have asked for? It may not have been the best owlet photo, but that was not even a thought or care in my mind, all that mattered was that I was getting to experience this moment. It is something I will always remember, one of, if not the best, mornings of exploring I have ever had. What started out as an adventure to capture a bald eagle, turned into something so much more.

Now here is where I may have gotten a little greedy, knowing where the owl nest was, I wanted to head back on another day. This time with my tripod so I could get some decent photos of the owlet. While the one I captured was amazing, I knew there was an opportunity to improve. So, the next weekend I packed up for another early morning adventure and headed out to the nest. I got there just as the sun was rising on an extremely foggy morning, so I had to wait for the sun to clear some of the fog. Just as the conditions were getting perfect I was all set up and snapped my first photo, but something weird was happening. The owl I snapped this time looked a little darker than the one I captured the week previously, I did not think an owl would grow up so soon. However, that was not necessarily the case. While the owlet I captured previously did look a little different, there was a reason the first owlet I photographed that morning looked so different, and that is because it was a different owlet. This whole time there were two owlets in the nest and this time I would get a gorgeous portrait of the two of them (see below). The one I saw the first time was the one on the left, with a little more white on its head, this time the other one decided it too wanted to be photographed. I was in awe of what was happening, in the span of seven days my owl photograph count went from one, to six. Two barred owls, two adult great horned owls, and two great horned owlets. As dawn turned to day, I was still snapping away. That is when, in my peripheral, I saw the mom fly into the woods behind me, it spooked me enough that I thought she might come attack me for disturbing her babies too much. I captured a couple more photos and decided it was a good time to pack up and let the little ones rest. I had gotten more than I came for, and it was incredible.

As a little bonus, I also wanted to include that on my hike out for the second round I believe I saw the barred owl from the previous week and the photo I got was rather unique. Not a perfect portrait like the others I have shared, it was still very foggy and gave a unique tone to the image (see below). To be honest, I am not sure how I spotted this one, it may have been complete luck, or now my eyes are just owl magnets, I am not sure. All I am sure of this has been the best start to wildlife photography for the year I have ever had. Never once would I imagine having so many owl photos, and I am forever grateful for whatever reason it is that I got them. Whether it is just the time and dedication I have put into wildlife photography or complete luck, know that I love and cherish moments like this. It has motivated me to go out at every opportunity and continue to capture amazing, unique, beautiful moments, and will share them forever, even if no one else cares to see them. These moments fuel me to keep getting out and spending time in nature. I love nature, and am starting to think nature loves me too, gifting me all these beautiful moments.

Hunt for My First Owl Photo