No. Pygmy Owl
captured by D2H / 200-400VR
They are smaller than a dollar bill but take prey twice their size without batting an eye! The No. Pygmy Owl has long been a favorite bird of mine. A lifetime ago we rehabed them and ever since, I’m always, always looking for them. This one was photographed years ago in Yosemite at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls on my first outing with the then new, 200-400VR. We have them at our the home and every so often, we get a glimpse of them. Years ago I was out shoveling snow off the driveway when I heard this sharp shriek behind me. I turn around to see our friendly Pygmy Owl just ten feet behind me tightly holding a Siskin in its talons it had just caught. Shovels don’t make a very good camera so all I have is the memory. Yesterday while out shooting with the new Wildlife Kit, I saw a Morning Dove dive down while flying down the alley (our name for a group of trees on our property). Just then out of nowhere a Pygmy Owl, half the size of the dove, stooped on the dove, missed, and then landed just out of site. By the time I got the D5 / 300PF out, it was flying off. While I keep the gear out all the time for just such subjects, I’m amazed how many times they kick my butt. It’s just the fun, challenge and reward of backyard bird photography.