Where the Owls Hang Out

My neighbor Cheri is an amazing wildlife photographer.  A few years ago, she took me under her wing and taught me the basics of photographing birds.  Since then I've followed Cheri to several of her favorite spots.

Last winter, Cheri discovered an area north of Vancouver, Washington where some short-eared owls had taken up residence.  Her Facebook feed became full of stunning images of these cute birds in flight.  I asked Cheri if she'd take me to the owls and she did.  Several times.  But every time I accompanied her the owls were no-shows.  I joked that my presence was bad luck.

Not an owl

Word got out among the local wildlife photographers and they began to congregate at the short-eared owl field.  One day last March, Cheri and I were just about to leave after another unsuccessful trip when an owl was spotted.  I could see it standing on the ground down a gravel road.  The line of photographers set up behind the owl gave its location away.  I walked as close as I dared and got one shot - the image you see below.  The poor little owl looked totally disgusted at being the focus of this paparazzi crowd.  Right after I snapped the shutter, he flew away.

Last year's owl paparazzi

Summer and fall came and went, and I got busy photographing scenery, wildflowers and fall colors.  But early in December Cheri discovered the short-eared owls had returned, this time to Ridgefield Wildlife refuge north of Vancouver, Washington.  Again, her Facebook feed was inundated with more stunning owl photos.  (I began to develop a serious case of owl envy.)  Finally, right before Christmas I asked Cheri if she could take me where these little owls were hanging out.

Barred owl  hiding in a tree

Short-eared owls like to live near meadows and are often active during daylight hours, especially in the late afternoon and evening.  Their diet consists of rodents so they are often seen flying low over fields, searching for their dinner.  A medium-sized owl, "shorties" (as Cheri calls them) have large eyes, big heads, and broad wings.  They're very cute birds!

Tundra swans in flight

The Ridgefield Wildlife refuge has a gravel road that loops through the area.  Visitors are required to stay inside their vehicles, so as not to disturb the wildlife.  On this chilly late December day, that was just fine with me.  I rolled down the car windows and blasted the heater as we slowly traveled around the refuge road, looking for birds.

A shorty on the speed limit sign

First off, we noticed a large flock of Tundra swans floating in the small lake that's located in the middle of the loop road.  Then driving through a wooded area, Cheri spotted a barred owl in a tree, partially hidden by the branches.  Finally, on our first go-round on the refuge road, we got up close and personal with a great egret who was hunting for voles right next to the car.  He was so close, due to my long lens I was only able to get his head in my frame.

Cruising around the field

On our second trip around the road, things began to happen.  Cheri, having made several visits to the refuge in the past weeks, knew exactly where the "shorties" would be flying.  She directed me to park adjacent to a large golden field and explained which direction to begin looking for the owls.

Looking for lunch

Lo and behold, it wasn't long before she spotted one!  A small, brown bird began circling above the field next to my car.  Finally I'd be able to photograph a short-eared owl!  I could hardly contain my excitement.

"Cool it with the camera, ladies!"

Having concentrated on landscape photography most of the summer/fall, my moving bird photography skills were super rusty.  It look several tries to get my camera to lock focus on the little owl and most of my first attempts were blurry.  But I kept trying.  Luckily, the owls were very cooperative and continued to fly around.

This owl loved to perch on the refuge sign

One thing the "shorties" loved to do was perch on the refuge signs.  I think it gave them a good vantage point to spot their prey.  One owl kept landing on a sign quite a distance from where I'd parked.  It made such a good photograph, I was tempted to move closer.  But Cheri assured me that if we stayed put, the owls would start flying near our car.

Well, hello there!

And she was right!  Not only did the owls start soaring in the field directly in front of us, one little owl landed on a nearby sign.  I had to lean out of my car window a bit, but I got my "owl on a sign" image. (Don't you just love his huge, yellow eyes?)

Scouring the fields for prey

Then one of the owls began flying low to the ground, and headed straight towards us.  Oh my gosh!  My camera focus didn't fully cooperate (user error, I'm sure!) but despite this I was able to get a couple of good shots.

Another in-flight photo

After taking copious shots of owls in flight, one fellow decided to land on top of a wooden post about a car length away.  Perfect!

This guy landed on a post and gave himself a good shake

The owl began shaking his feathers.  Lucky for me, I already had the guy in focus and fired away.

Fluffy feathers

Here's the fluffy fella looking poofy after a good feather shaking.

"What's up there?"

Finally, our memory cards full of owls, Cheri and I decided it was time to head for home.  I was so happy - finally I'd been able to not only spot several shorted-eared owls, but also capture some decent photos of these cute little birds.

Those eyes!

A huge thanks to my neighbor Cheri for taking the time to show me where the owls were hanging out.