Fall's Surprise Visitor
by Joy McAdams
Title
Fall's Surprise Visitor
Artist
Joy McAdams
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Sometimes you get a surprise. As a photographer, I find this is more often the case than not.
This image was taken on a day which I had waited for for months, waiting for a change of season and light. Finally the right time had come and I found myself in a favourite strand of sugar maples. The glowing color was everywhere! It was magical! As I focused on capturing the amazing landscape and color, I heard a flock of small birds crying out. I looked up from my camera and found the reason behind all the commotion-- a small Northern Pygmy Owl had landed on a small tree limb a mere 10 or so feet away and was in the hunt for some lunch. Wow! Heart beating, I quickly turned my attention to the the "capture" of my favourite small, ferocious and seldom-seen (by me) bird. Fingers crossed and without checking my settings, I quickly re-focused and fired off four quick images before turning my attention to check my settings. When I looked up, it was gone- as fast as it had arrived. Needless to say, my best shots of the day were not of the amazing landscape, but of the my favourite little tough-guy.
The northern pygmy owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is a small owl native to western North America.
These fist-sized owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey.
It is a ferocious predator, often preying on small mammals and birds equivalent to it's size.
To those who have never witnessed this small bird, this image should give you an idea of it's diminutive size. The owl is resting an a small branch, which is about the size of a mans thumb in width and mans hand in length.
Uploaded
November 23rd, 2020
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