Photographed Him (or Her)! (and more interesting pictures!)

After days of looking I photographed the short-eared owl I have been searching for. Ironically, I did not find it - a friend did as he was moving his snow. He texted me a picture of an owl, not realizing he had found the owl I have been looking for after first seeing it a number of days ago when it nearly hit my windshield.

Can I be absolutely certain the owl in the picture is the same bird I watched last week? No, but this short-eared owl was found not too far (as an owl flies) from the first observation. Since short-eared owls are not seen in high numbers in Northeast Iowa, I would bet this to be the same bird. Isn’t this a pretty owl!

Today I also managed a very lucky picture of a rooster ring-necked pheasant as it took flight. This view is something we never see, unless the bird is frozen in flight in photos.

Finally, there are plenty of wild turkeys to be watched feeding in the snow. Today was the first time I have seen (and photographed) wild turkeys drinking water from a stream - all in a polite row.