New Guest Blog— Raptor in the Rice

By Phil Robertson

The electronics in my new Canon EOS 7D camera had been fried and I just got it back from the repair shop.  Time to test it out!

Grabbing the camera with my 100-400mm zoom lens I headed out to West Wise Road just a few miles from downtown Lincoln; not far from home and a place where there is always some photo-worthy wildlife.

Driving west on West Wise from Hwy-65 I was soon in Rice Country--one of the most bird-friendly land uses we have.  The beautiful fields of light green were, as always, soothing to the eye.

Soon I was seeing the expected: Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, White-faced Ibis and a few soaring hawks.  Although expected-always a delight!

But then, I was shocked.  Did I see what I thought I saw so late in the morning (about 9:00am)?  Yes!  It was a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) sitting on a fence post between the dirt road and the rice field.  Barn owls are nocturnal hunters.  They are supposed to be fast asleep by this time.

I watched in amazement as it moved its head from side to side examining the ground around it.  (Note: owls cannot move their huge eyes but they have 14 vertebrae which allow the owl to look 270 degrees from side to side.)  Then it dove into a weedy ditch running between the road and the rice field.  The owl flew out of the ditch with no vole or mouse but did get wet in the process.  After I photographed the bird, it continued flying, perching, and hunting along West Wise between two rice fields.

I hope it eventually got its breakfast.

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Phil Robertson is a photographer and nature enthusiast from Lincoln. He provides travel, scenic and wildlife photos to private collectors, wildlife artists, various non-profits, environmental consulting companies, travel companies and local and regional publications and corporations.