Posted by Teri Franzen on November 2, 2015 at 9:37 am
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While parked at a pullout in Yellowstone, I had a brief conversation with another photographer. He was very generous to tell me a location where he had been seeing a Great Gray Owl. Seeing one of these birds was a dream for us so the next morning we drove to that spot. And we immediately spotted this owl. We only had a short time with this bird as it soon disappeared into the woods, and we were unable to track her and couldn’t stay long. But it was awesome to be in her presence if even for a short time. The Great Gray Owl is the largest Owl in the world based on length and wingspan. It can be found throughout Boreal forests and in the Northwest US in dense coniferous forests near meadows. They prey on small rodents such as voles by listening for them and often diving into the snow to capture them. According to Wikipedia: “Their large facial disks, also known as “ruffs”, focus sound, and the asymmetrical placement of their ears assists them in locating prey, because of the lack of light during the late and early hours in which they hunt.” Yellowstone National Park, October 29, 2015. Canon 1D X using a 500mm IS II lens on a tripod.