First Owl Photo on the Last Day of the Year

Today is the last day of 2011 and it has been a fantastic year of learning and discovery for me at Palmer Lake Park. Birds and animals I'd only dreamed of seeing just once have become more and more familiar sights as I'm slowly learning what to look for. Here is a stupid analogy -but one that holds a lot of truth to me- in regards to nature. Have you ever bought a car you weren't really familiar with at first but then started to notice the same model everywhere you drove? I think recognizing animals and birds is quite a similar experience. The more often you see something, the more in tune you become with it's subtle characteristics. Simply put (and this holds true in a LOT of hobbies) If you know what you are looking for, you are more likely to find it. This held true for me again today as I walked through the wood chip trail on the southwest side. Though there is still no snow on the ground, it seemed like the right time of year and the right kind of lighting to be on the lookout for an Owl. I actually walked right past this one before doing a double take and walking slowly backwards in order to take a photo. Actually this was not the first Owl I'd seen this year, however it was the first time I was able to photograph one. This Great Horned Owl was quite close to me, perched only 15-20 feet up, giving me a good view of him. He was one of the lightest colored Owls I'd come across, being mostly white and grey compared to others with rusty orange coloring. Since he wasn't doing much I decided to get some pics of his lower body and legs. At the time I thought the photos were coming out great but later realized how grey and grainy they were in larger form. Never the less, I was happy to see a Great Horned Owl so closely on the last day of the year.