Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
Place: Maricopa, AZ, USA
Date: April 2002
Equipment: Nikon N90S, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (= 600/5.6), from car window
Film: Fujichrome Sensia 100
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered
Scan: Minolta Dimage, 95% of frame (cropped left and right edges only)

Commentary: Another shot from my favorite local population of Burrowing Owls. Most images of this species are very static, with the bird sitting on the ground or a low post near the burrow, and often staring into the camera. This is especially true of shots taken of the very habituated birds at a few locations in southern Florida visited by photo workshop groups. Birds here in AZ don't get the same amount of attention, and can be a lot more jumpy like this bird. The image has definite problems (the owl isn't as sharp as I'd like, and I'd prefer more room for the bird to "fly into"), but I think it is unique.