• Avian,  Photography

    Barn Owl

    August 21, 2009
    Barn Owl
    Barn Owl

    If you were an owl, would you want to be called ‘Monkey-face?’ I will admit, however, there is some semblance. The more I wade into the stream of photogaphy the more I want to know about the subjects I see in the view finder. Yes, people may compliment me on an image but what do they think about the subject? I do love the light on this Barn Owl and how it is facing the light, it makes for a fine image. But, what else?

    With the ease of the internet, I’ve begun to snoop around to find out about the subjects. You can follow this link to a good article on Barn Owls. I did not realize the short life expectancy of Barn Owls, 1-2 years. Nor did I know about there different calls.

    Read More
  • Avian

    Harris Hawks

    November 30, 2008

     

    Harris Hawk and Trainer
    Harris Hawk and Trainer

    The Harris’s Hawk or Harris Hawk, formerly known as the Bay-winged Hawk or Dusky Hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey which breeds from the southwestern USA south to Chile and central Argentina. It is a hawk of the arid Southwest, the Harris’s Hawk hunts cooperatively in pairs or trios. The Harris Hawk is famous for its remarkable behavior of hunting cooperatively in “packs”, consisting of family groups (most raptors are solitary hunters).

     

    A wonderful place to experience these birds in flight is at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, Arizona. My sister and brother-in-law took me to this facility and we enjoyed it immensely. The Desert Museum is a large facility and is more than just a museum. It is a zoo, an arboretum, a desert garden, and much more. It contains buildings where education programs are conducted for young and old a like. When your feet are tired from walking you can find benches to rest, or better yet enjoy a double-stack Byers ice cream cone under a shade tree. If you visit there make sure you plan on the whole day and have fun!

    Read More