FEATURED PHOTOS OF THE MONTH #43 (March 2007) |
Glaucidium passerinum, Eurasian Pygmy Owl
April 13, 2007; Raksa, NP Velka Fatra, Turcianske Teplice, Slovakia
Friday 13th can be sometimes lucky day too - I had a lifetime opportunity to photograph a Pygmy Owl catching a prey, and
all from a very close distance. It was surely one of my strongest experiences in nature. I will never forget how elegantly
he dropped on a poor Bank Vole who came out of the entrance of its ground hole. Bad day for the vole.
At this place I would also like to thank my old and best friend Martin Dobrota for his help in finding this cooperative
bird and many others I have photographed and for his patience while he often waits for me till I finish photographing
(often only when my batteries die or when my CF cards are full).
Strix uralensis, Ural Owl
April 28, 2007; Dargovsky priesmyk, Kosice, Slovakia
This photo would never be possible without help of Jozef Mihok, a man who has devoted his life to birds and especially
Ural Owls. He had set nearly 200 nest boxes for them near where he lives and contributed tremedously in growing of their
population in the area. I would like to thank him for inviting me to spend one day with his Ural Owls. The one presented
in the photo above (a darker morph) was extremely aggresive, I hope Jozef that your scratches from this female have
healed already!
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