A Great Gray Owl flies from its hunting perch to retreat deep in the woods to roost.
As the winter season winds down in Northern Minnesota, this may be the last Great Gray Owl take off that I see until next winter season.
With only a bit of light left in the day, I was absolutely thrilled to find this owl hunting along the road. I was able to watch the owl have four successful hunts in less than an hour.
A Great Gray Owl leaps off a snow and ice covered perch in search of its next meal.
After the owl flew to this perch, I almost didn't take a photo as I wasn't a fan of the very bright background. I decided to snap a few photos, and I was very surprised to see the vibrant background when it was properly exposed.
This is an image I am incredibly proud of. This image hasn't been cropped at all, and you can see I just barely managed to take the photo before the wing tips were clipped. Once in a life time shot.
A Great Gray Owl prepares to face plant into the snow in search of its next meal.
A high key black & white edit of a Great Gray Owl descending upon its prey.
Warm Sunlight on a Cold Winter's Day
This is probably one of my favorite Great Gray Owl photos I've taken. The hovering wing position, the talons & fluffy legs, and the gap in primary feathers revealing the eye.
Kept things clean with a black and white edit of this close cropped Great Gray Owl.
My wife spotted this Great Gray Owl on top of a very short tree that was on the side of a hill. I was able to climb the hill and eventually get a vantage point where I was looking eye level with the bird - which is something that does not happen often.
As heavy snow begins to fall, this Great Gray Owl focuses its facial disc towards its intended prey.
This Great Gray Owl isn't handing out warnings.
I was blessed with a close encounter flight shot, as this Great Gray Owl buzzed right by me as it ascended to its next hunting perch.
Great Gray Owl hunting during a snow storm. I used a slow shutter speed of 1/60th second to show the motion of the snow.
I was able to watch this Great Gray Owl hunt for several hours during an mid-morning January snow storm.
A Great Gray Owl focuses its attention as it begins to zero in on its pray.
A Great Gray Owl takes a long pause after catching its prey. You can't see it, but there is a vole clenched tightly in its talons.
There's nothing to see here.
It's not often that you get to see owl legs, so when a Great Gray Owl presents their legs to you, you must take a photo.
As I was watching this owl hunt from a distance, it suddenly got curious about me and landed on a perch close by to get a closer look at me.
A Pileated Woodpecker hopping on the forest floor pauses just long enough to capture this photograph.
An Eastern Screech Owl (red phase) peaks out of its nesting cavity for a couple minutes just after the sun had set. The nearby street lamps provide just enough light to capture this image.
I was lucky enough to find this very cooperative Snowshoe Hare along a popular boardwalk in the Sax Zim Bog.
Latin for "death from above", Mors Ab Alto makes the perfect title for this image, as this Great Gray Owl dives from its perch to grab its prey.
A Great Gray Owl blending in with its environment.
This male Barred Owl takes a nap within a couple hundred feet from its mate as she sits on top of this years clutch.
Great Egret in Breeding Plumage
In April of 2020, I spent 11 hours at a Great Egret rookery in West-Central Minnesota photographing and observing behaviors. I am always struck by their beautiful plumes.
A Great Gray Owl dances as the setting sun makes the Norway Pines glow.
After waiting several months, I finally saw a Great Gray Owl land and what I call "the Perfect Perch".
The setting sun provides a great backdrop for this beautifully back-lit Great Gray Owl.
Just as the sun falls beneath the horizon, the sky turns a bright orange for only a few minutes, creating this fiery background.
A Great Gray Owl perches with a beautiful background for a short amount of time as the sun begins to set.
I wasn't expecting to find much wildlife out on this windy day and was pleasantly surprised to find this Great Gray Owl clinging onto this branch as wind gusts made it nearly impossible for it to hunt.
A Great Gray Owl soars in the snow as it chooses its next perch to hunt from.
A Great Gray Owl stretches out its legs as it prepares to land on a perch.
Nothing is more magical than photographing a Great Gray Owl while it is snowing. This trip blessed us with multiple hours of snow, including 10 minutes of these amazing fluffy flakes.
A little bit of skill and a lot of luck lead to this completely un-cropped photo of a Great Gray Owl in flight.
After seeing this Northern Hawk Owl perched on the highest trees for several weeks, I had given up on thinking I was going to have a photo opportunity. One early morning I was quite surprised to turn around and have this visitor within 30 feet from where I was standing.
After picturing this shot in my head for several weeks, a Great Gray Owl finally flew across the road and landed on the perfect branch. This is my all-time favorite photograph.
Just as blue hour began, this Great Gray Owl perched at the top of a snow covered tree.
A tight head shot of one of North America's largest birds, the American White Pelican.
Quite smitten, this Common Loon shakes off excess water after dunking its head under water several times.
A pair of courting Common Loons locking eyes as the sun begins to set and the surrounding trees begin to reflect on the glassy surface of the water.
My first encounter with an American Pine Marten was special, as it got extremely close as it was curious as to what we were up to.
A Snowy Owls rests on top of a snow-covered straw bale with a frigid hoarfrost background.
Knowing poor weather was on the way, I made sure to get on the lake early enough to capture what ended up being the most magical sunrise I have ever seen in my life.
Shortly after Mama Merganser began going viral, I was able to take this photograph showing her with 76 young ones.