BajaNomad

Great Horned Owl on Road to Asuncion

EMAM - 4-27-2008 at 10:50 AM

Rolling down the road to Asuncion, we spotted a huge Horned Owl sitting on a giant cactus. We locked up the brakes and sat watching her hunt some prey on the ground, sit in a neighboring tree and eat some lunch, then fly back to the nest and feed the baby she had in there.

Very cool experience. All images taken with a Canon 30D with a 70-200L IS lens with a 2x extender attached. I used the window sill of my truck as a support

This looks like she is saying "Man this dang cactus is sharp" but she was actually just stretching her legs and wings


I have the whole series of her jumping off the top of the cactus and taking to flight, but this was the best of the series. It's also times like this when I long for a 600L lens.


You can tell how windy it was with the feathers being ruffled by the wind on her chest


On the way out of Asuncion, the baby and the mother were no where to be found and the nest was empty? Dont know if another predetor got them, or if they'd flown the coup? But the nest was still there in the cactus

David K - 4-27-2008 at 10:52 AM

MAGNIFICENT!!!

Iflyfish - 4-27-2008 at 10:54 AM

Best I have ever seen, wonderful! Mrsfish says "Wow!"

Iflyfish

bajajudy - 4-27-2008 at 11:10 AM

Those are beautiful shots of a not often photographed bird.
Thanks

Ken Bondy - 4-27-2008 at 11:22 AM

Fantastic EMAM!
++Ken++

Iflyfish - 4-27-2008 at 11:33 AM

EMAM,

Lets see if I get this, take once in a lifetime series of photos like this during the day and feast on abalone that evening.....did I get that right? Life is sweet amigo....sweet indeed!

Saludos!


Iflyfish

Mexitron - 4-27-2008 at 11:36 AM

Great photos!

DianaT - 4-27-2008 at 12:22 PM

Pat,

Great ones. That last one up close and personal is REALLY fantastic. So as you see, there are advantages to needing to drive that road really slowly.

Diane

DENNIS - 4-27-2008 at 12:55 PM

They live all around my place. After dusk, they come out to hunt, sitting on the power poles around my house talking with one another. They have different voices by pattern and pitch and they're huge.
At sunrise they dive from the pole tops and head to a nearby ravine for the day, returning at dusk. I've never seen one out during the day.

Really great shots, EMAM. Thanks.

Gadget - 4-27-2008 at 12:57 PM

WOW!

Paulina - 4-27-2008 at 03:27 PM

Ditto what everyone else said!

P<*)))><

Lauriboats - 4-28-2008 at 08:25 AM

Love your photos, thanks.

wilderone - 4-28-2008 at 08:53 AM

Wow!! Another photo for next year's Baja calendar. thanks for sharing.

EMAM - 4-28-2008 at 11:53 AM

Thanks everyone, it was very cool being able to see it right on the side of the road. Definately a first for Cindy and I

bacquito - 4-29-2008 at 09:08 PM

Great photos-thanks for sharing.

castaway$ - 4-29-2008 at 10:02 PM

Totally cool shots,especially the close up.

Sharksbaja - 4-30-2008 at 12:04 AM

WoW!:o
Now just take that copywrite stamp off there and you'll have a perfect image!:yes: