Barn Owl flying in Darkness or the Glance from Darkness

Serendipity played its part in capturing this image. The quiet moments at dawn produced a variety of captivating sights. I saw a bobcat in the distance with a rabbit in her mouth. I followed in hot pursuit, through a field of overgrown poison oak. I navigated around bits of sharp metal fencing, rusted to its core, only to lose the cat in the tall grass. I continued on, hopeful of what was to come next. My eyes wandered from land to sky and everywhere in between. Out of nowhere, a Barn Owl flew by in silence. I would have missed her, if she hadn’t passed through my field of vision. The first rays of light cast an eerie shadow over half the owl’s body. Her one exposed eye peered intently into mine. The look, hauntingly surreal, carried with me into the day.

Barn Owl, San Simeon, CA, 2013

Canon 1DX, Canon 600mm F/4, Canon 1.4X III Teleconverter, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO 3200, handheld