More People Than Birds

As I expected today, many more people than birds appeared for the short-eared owl show at dusk. For the first 1/2-hour or so I was the lone person waiting for the birds to begin their hunts, but soon the parking lot and roads had vehicles parked as folks with cameras and binoculars waited. Eventually, later than I expected, short eared owls put on a show. Their aerial displays coincide with early darkness - so dark that often cameras had trouble focusing.

With low light levels and moving subjects, capturing exceptional images was challenging. I was happy just recording pictures that showed the birds. And, it was good my expectations for quality were low. I managed only two pictures somewhat worthy of sharing as seen here.

For those wondering, I have made a nice image of a short-eared owl as this close picture shows. I photographed this bird a year or two ago. The light was much better for this photo.

Earlier in the day I photographed three sandhill cranes in a pasture and a lone bald eagle over the Wapsipinicon River.