Great Horned Owl Preparing to Hunt

Great Horned Owl spotting its target, originally uploaded by Jen Joynt.

I had some difficulty initially locating this owl. After hearing the owl call, I started looking intently at a tree that seemed likely. I did not see the owl, but I imagine it saw me, as it flew off to another tree, where I also could not locate it. After one more quick fly-by, I found the owl in a good spot for a photo.

One more move and the owl started focusing intently. Soon after the top photo, the owl flew down into the grass between me and the owl and caught a gopher or vole. I was able to track the owl to its next branch and watch it eat its catch. But it was a little too dark for me to capture a photo of the owl eating.