Indiana Photographer Shares Stunning Photos of Short-Eared Owl on the Hunt
Birds have got to be the animal that we see the most on a day-to-day basis. There are a ton of different kinds of birds, and they are everywhere. I think we take for granted that we see (probably) hundreds of birds on any given day. You might occasionally see something a little more "exotic" like a hawk, falcon, or eagle. I'm guessing the kind of bird you have seen the least (I know this is true for me) is an owl. Makes sense, though - owls are mostly nocturnal and do most of their work while we're sleeping. For the average person, seeing an owl at night is pretty rare, and seeing an owl during the daytime seems darn near impossible.
I guess Jeffrey Ward is not the average person - he seems to know where, when, and how to see (and photograph) all kinds of beautiful owls. Jeffrey was recently in Sullivan County, Indiana, where he captured some truly amazing photos of a short-eared owl in the daytime, and in flight. The owl was not just "flying around" either, although that would be cool enough - he captured photographs of the owl actively hunting (and catching) its next meal.
He shared the photos on the Indiana Wildlife Facebook page, along with the following description...
I had the opportunity to observe some Short-eared Owls yesterday and was able to capture one hunting successfully. I've been observing "shorties" for more than 20 years and I still say that they are the best owl show on earth. Their vocalizations and aerobatics are terrific to observe. Attached is a series of images capturing a "shortie" flying low over the grass, making an abrupt turn diving into the grass, and then flying off several minutes later with the meadow vole that is caught. Scenes like this were repeated over and over again as last evening there were at least ten owls that began hunting about 40 minutes before sunset.
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I was looking through some of Jeffrey's other photos and I think he might actually be some kind of "owl whisperer." He has managed to capture several photos of many different kinds of owls, all in the daylight, which just blows my mind. Here are just a couple of examples.
You can visit Jeffrey's Facebook page to see the rest of the owl pics, along with a bunch of other amazing nature photos taken in Indiana, including an adorable otter. It's worth a visit, I promise.
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