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January 19, 2017 [LINK / comment]
Finally: Short-eared Owls!
Late this afternoon, I drove out to Bell's Lane once again in hopes of seeing Short-eared Owls, and wouldn't you know it, I finally got lucky! As I was approaching the high point where we saw those owls on December 17 (the Christmas Bird Count), I saw two large birds flying in the distance with distinctive swooping wing beats. Could it be? A quick look through the binoculars left no doubt: YES! One of them landed on a bare branch at the top of a tree, joining another that was already there, while the third one flew away. I stopped my car and took several photos from about 80 yards away, and then slowly moved forward to get in better photographic position a couple more times until I was only about 30 yards away. It was about 5:00, with daylight fading fast, so the photos I took weren't as sharp as I would have liked, but still much better than any of that species that I had taken before. One of them flew off, but the photos I took in mid-flight were poor quality. Nonetheless, I was gratified that my persistence finally paid off. It was also very opportune, as I was able to show those photos to other members of the Augusta Bird Club at the monthly "Birds and Brews" social hour less than an hour later!
It was almost four years ago (February 18, 2013) that I last got a good look at (and photo of) a Short-eared Owl, in the Swoope area.
Short-eared Owl, along Bell's Lane today. More photos can be seen on the Wild Birds yearly page.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 19 Jan 2017, 11: 49 PM
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Category archives:
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Baseball
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Wild Birds
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This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 16, 2017 ~ Is Trump a serious president-elect?
January 20, 2017 ~ #45: Donald J. Trump is inaugurated president
February 19, 2017 ~ Trump's first month: worse than expected
March 13, 2017 ~ Baseball in South Florida
March 20, 2017 ~ Birding in Peru
March 21, 2017 ~ An avalanche of photos from Peru
March 25, 2017 ~ Birding in Colombia
March 29, 2017 ~ Photo tour of my first trip to Colombia
March 31, 2017 ~ Birding in south Florida
April 6, 2017 ~ Photo tour of the "Sunshine State": Florida!
April 21, 2017 ~ Baseball is back: Opening Day(s) Week(s) 2017!
April 30, 2017 ~ Nationals finish big first month with a BANG!
May 2, 2017 ~ Stevie Nicks in concert!
May 4, 2017 ~ Peak bird migration season (?)
May 15, 2017 ~ Wilson's Warbler in Staunton!
June 30, 2017 ~ "Really big show" at Bedlam Brewing
July 1, 2017 ~ Bullpen woes = misery for the Nationals
July 26, 2017 ~ Nationals: nearly dominant
July 1, 2017 ~ North of the border: trip to Canada & the Midwest
August 16, 2017 ~ Baseball road trip 2017
August 23, 2017 ~ Totally awesome * eclipse of the sun!
August 27, 2017 ~ Our eclipse trip to Tennessee
August 30, 2017 ~ Another BIG show at Bedlam Brewing
August 31, 2017 ~ Trains, plains, and a new automobile!
September 8, 2017 ~ Ozark Mountain Daredevils in concert!
September 8, 2017 ~ Bird breeding season 2017
September 10, 2017 ~ Nationals clinch NL East Division, again!
September 12, 2017 ~ Birding in South Dakota & Wisconsin: August 2017
September 12, 2017 ~ Birding in South Dakota & Wisconsin: August 2017
September 18, 2017 ~ Catch 22!! Indians set AL winning streak record
September 27, 2017 ~ One more time (with feeling!) at Bedlam Brewing
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
- Wild birds (LAST)
- War
- Science & Technology
- Politics
- Latin America
- Culture & Travel
- Canaries ("Home birds")
- Baseball (FIRST)
Also see: My blog practices.
Blog errata (Nobody's perfect.)
