Solar Eclipse Five

Solar Eclipse FiveAs the day faded into an unusual twilight, I sat quietly in my photo blind, my camera poised and ready. It was the day of the solar eclipse and I was hopeful the Short eared Owls would hunt in the diminishing light. As the moon began its slow dance across the sun, an eerie hush enveloped the landscape. The air cooled, the vibrant colours of the world dimmed, and an otherworldly glow emerged. Sounds of nature were replaced by a stillness that felt

The power and size of a Short-eared Owl's talons become evident when launching from a perch

The joy experienced is similar to coming upon a Snowy Owl for the first time

Its presence

Silent wings swoop down

the fields lay cloaked in a fresh dusting of snow

In the fading glow of a late winter afternoon

resuming it’s quest for prey

An unbroken sweep of movement merged the predator with its surrounding scene

With an intensity that belied its calm demeanour

scattering twin waves that curled methodically away from his quickening flight

a swift shadow gliding over the fields

Morning whispers rise