Great Horned Owl, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, iowa
Here is a photo from our second kayak trip last weekend, on Memorial Day in the Green Island Wetlands. At this time of the year it is nothing but pleasure to paddle this area, and always good for a surprise. During the heat of the summer algae usually effect the area and sometimes it is impossible to even maneuver a kayak through the thick green carpet.
On the way back to the boat ramp I suddenly saw a movement of a big bird on my left hand side. A Great Horned Owl took off from the dense grass on the dike, immediately attacked by some Red-winged Blackbirds. I made a U-turn, paddled a few meters back and saw the owl in the tree you see here. The interesting thing about this encounter is, that we have watched a Great Horned Owl in the same spot before, but several years ago. It seems they like a depression in the dike to perch and ambush for a potential prey. The photographer had a smile on his face while going back to the boat ramp… 😊
Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S; @600 mm, 1/400 s, f/6.3, ISO200