3/26/09 - Short-Eared Owl

This past weekend we went for a drive along the Gurnet from Duxbury out to Saquish. I was hoping to be able to show the girls Saquish Village, but got cold feet when we saw the enormous sign at the enterance of the village threatening a hefty fine for any trespassers. I figured nobody would be out there this time of year, but the existence of vehicles in a few of the driveways proved otherwise.

On the way back, we noticed a largish owl hanging out on a fencepost. I stopped the jeep and grabbed my camera. But, it flew away before I could get my long lens attached.

At that time, a car pulled up and told us there was another owl hanging out on the bayside a few hundred yards up. I walked the distance and soon spotted a short-eared owl hanging out on the grass washed up on the beach. It was being backlit from the setting sun, so I had to angle myself in such a way to avoid sun flare. I love my 70-200mm 2.8, but it is not the lens for wildlife.... not enough focal-length. However, the beauty of this lens is its sharpness, and I was able to crop it down significantly to get a respectable image