Kip’s Comments - December 28, 2022

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!

Short-eared Owl - Image 786865

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.

Rooster Ring-necked Pheasant - Image 786582

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.

Wild Turkeys at Stream - Image 786690