That is a cute little owl. I too hope it is safe wherever it is.

Very nice shot of it. I like the sun and shadow play.

That's a precious picture, I like it!

Thank you for your kind comments. Joanmn, that is the thing I like the most about photography, the play of light and shadows. I guess some of my photos in other situations are good (some are very bad, can't win 'em all), but I love light and shadows. I think some of it is innate and some comes from my love of the impressionist artists, especially Monet. It's what made his art special.

That little owl almost seems to have a soul. A very gentle, trusting one, although I had just picked it up off the ground (was trying to keep it off the ground because of predators and curious neighbors) with heavy gloves and it was not cooperative at all. It's claws got caught in my gloves, it did not want to sit on that branch, but I finally got the claws disengaged and it decided it liked the branch after all and I meant it no harm.

What was so poignant was a couple of days, in the early evening, it climbed higher in the bush and perched on some dead branches, I think so it's parents would spot it and hopefully feed it when it got dark. It was like a lonely vigil.

The last I saw of it on the 5th day, it was tightrope walking on the cable line high above the alley inching away from the transformer and toward my huge tree. I hope it found safety there and perhaps its nest as there is a huge cavity fairly high up you can't see from the ground where a very large limb crashed down years ago.

I haven't spotted it since, think it probably is ok, somewere out there, hope so anyway. I had never been so close to an owl before. I hear them calling at night, but it's hard to see them, much less photograph them.

A very nice story- I hope the owl is ok- good picture of it.

Lovely story and lovely picture.

Susan

Wonderful shot of the owl and the tree, sun and leaves. It's quite adorble.

It must have been buried deep by now on the forum (the photo). I have it for my desktop. Every time I look at it, I get a tug at my heartstrings, hope it is all right, wish it could come to my door and let me know it is ok, but that is asking too much for sure.

What a moving story, you tell them so well and back them all with photos, you should be writing books.

I have never seen an owl outside of a zoo, what an encounter it must be. I am sure you saved it from a bad situation, hopefully someday it will come back and you will know it by that look in it's eyes, that soulful look.

Valerie

and people don't want to wade through all that. Gratifying that you enjoyed it.

I never had seen an owl close up like that even in a zoo, saw one in my tree high up that had ticked off about 15 crows, no camera lens I had then or now that would reach that far, they have to come to me lol.

It is truly those eyes. How I wanted to adopt it, but I knew that would be selfish and the animal control people could have made things extremely difficult for me if they got wind of it. My son said, "Mom, why don't you just take it in and feed it." I might have done that, but gambeled (wish they had a spell checker, I'm getting bad) that it would be better off in the wild. You have no idea of the anguish I felt when it got on that wire, worried that it would get on the hot one. But I knew that it was stronger to get up there which meant it must have been getting some nourishment.

I had dreams of training my own owl, have a leather shield made for my arm for it to perch on like those falconers in the old books and movies had.

Maybe in another life? I try not to entertain such thoughts, but sure would like to meet up with it again in a better world. I kept a little feather that stuck to my clothes so I know it belonged to that owl that I put in the envelope of little things I want buried with me, along with a clipping of my favorite cat's fur. Now that is silly, isn't it? A hanky I gave my grandmother when I was little, silly little things, I'm not through yet lol.

Really, the only aid I gave it was keep it off the ground so a dog wouldn't get it or the neighbor kids get to fooling with it, tried to keep it quiet around here, but finally a few got wind of it and were quite fascinated.

I also have two owl feathers I picked up in the yard and put them in a small pottery vase one of my children made in school. I like that.

I'll finish my silly story. I'm sitting in the one a/c room, finally turned it on, it is sizzling hot and humid, and I hear a ruckus outside, open the window and see three kids in my apple tree going for the green apples. Can anyone relate? I told them to come down from the tree, it wasn't safe. So I go get my apple picker, went out in the heat, and got them each a green apple, one wanted two and bigger, of course. I told them they were sour. They only wanted them because they were hard to get to.

They will be back when they think I'm not looking lol. I hate to be like that, but because of lawsuits and parents, I don't want kids getting hurt on my property even if I have insurance. Some people just go for as deep pockets as they can find . . .a different world out there.

The owl looks stern yet vulnerable and it's not just a pretty nature picture, more like a portrait. I've always had a weak spot for owls.

Aliska your story is so beautiful, I am a sentimental old fool myself and have tons of little things tucked away to surprise whoever gets the duty of going through my things when I am done with them, I put them there in little places on purpose, mostly I figure it would be my daughter going through this stuff and she would enjoy finding these little things. Like you, it is nothing expensive, feathers, stones, little pictures, notes, memories of days gone by, happy days.

Thank you for taking the time to tell me your story. I am going to a zoo in a couple of weeks, they have owls there that are fairly easy to photograph, I will have to take some pictures of them and will for sure think of you.

valerie

I sadly suspect mine will clear everything out in one weekend, hence my rather neurotic collection and instructions. You reminded me of a couple other things I need to add, better not make it too much, but now it's going to take at least a small box.

Then one day they will be sorry they didn't go through things more carefully and let things slip away like I did. You can't save everything.

On a happier note, if you go to the zoo, I hope you get some good shots of the owls (zoos are hard with wire cages and the like), maybe this is a good zoo that keeps the animals in the most natural habitat possible, and post them on a new thread. I don't care if you would post them to mine but they would be buried too deep for more people to see them.

Yesterday I entered my owl and a bunch of other pictures in a calendar contest. We'll see what comes of that. I only did it because my granddaughter reminded me to do it. I'm not that much into competing any more. Enjoying others' work and talents is satisfying (and humbling).

Wow...what a prefect shot!...hope, you are doing just great in the contest!
Konrad

I'm trying not to think about the contest, don't want to get my hopes up. Last year I won $100. I could use the money always for something, but my daughter needs it more.

I got word so late I hastily post processed them and cropped to what I hope are their size this year, should have entered a couple of my daughter's photos for her but didn't think of it.

My granddaughter entered 5 of hers. I'd almost rather she would win but most of her good photos this year were on a trip to Mexico. One is so gorgeous, I think I'll just stick it in here. The photos have to be local I guess. She won $100 last year, too, we each got two selected. Maybe I'll post them sometime. Here is her shot from Mexico I like so well. I didn't tweak it; it could use a tiny bit of straightening and the tree shadows brought up just a little, and sharpened, all I did was resize it.

BTW, if you went through our files you would see a lot that are not so good. If you see something that you think will really make a great photo, take many shots of it so you can pick the best. I have a lot of other cute photos of that owl on different days, this was my fav, and it is a little brighter on my monitor in the larger size.

{{!gwi}}

I so enjoy your photography, thanks for the additional picture.

I have my fingers crossed you win with your picture, you deserve it, your skills are wonderful.

Valerie

Thank you again, Valerie. My granddaughter took that last one in Mexico. I really like it. I guess I got the whole family taking pictures now except my son.

You don't see my bad ones. I only post the good ones :-). I have folders full of ones that didn't turn out very well, can't bring myself to delete them because that was part of my life that day. If it is a subject that is special or unusual, I take lots and lots to be sure I get one that is as good as possible and have more to pick from.

Your story as well as your beautiful photograph touched my heart. I feel your love for nature. In this fast world it is so uplifting to stop and notice the soul in the eyes of that owl. What a rare chance to capture that owl in a picture. No matter how difficult my day, I am refreshed by all the beauty posted on this net. Thank you.

Thank you. The story seems to have touched many hearts, mine included. The strange thing, and I don't like to make too much of it, is that I was feeling really bad that I couldn't buy the expensive lens plus extension I wanted this year for my camera, and it is very heavy, don't know at my age if I will be able to handle it. I spent plenty on the camera gear I have last year as it is and am fortunate indeed to have that. Yes, I could have gone into debt for it, but I just had to spend money this year on home repairs and yard improvements and spent too much on that, more than planned; it is still far from done and is in limbo right now on some of the things I thought I had somebody lined up to do, problems every way I have turned with that.

Whether you believe in fate or not, I couldn't get some of the stunning bird photos like I have seen some people get with those expensive zoom lenses with the lenses I have.

It seems like maybe Someone brought the owl and the baby chickadee to me since I couldn't get to them, one in May and the owl in early June. I have always tried to look out for birds, didn't feed them until later years, but one year some baby sparrows kept falling out of the nest and were dead on my sidewalk, so I got up on a ladder and tacked something under the nest more firmly under the eaves, never had another dead baby there again. The owl has such an innocent look in its eyes and there is that indefinable something in the look, a soul, but we can't know these things for sure.

I had never seen a baby owl or baby chickadee in my life, and I will be 65 this month, and here they show up right in my own backyard, didn't have to tramp through woods to find them (you can imagine how difficult that is especially for an older person). I have seen one owl before in my whole life that I can remember, way high in a tree, and a few adult chickadees. I know the calls of each and hear them frequently.