Great Horned Owl just after landing for a snack
Great Horned Owl making quick work of its meal
Capturing the Owl in flight provided to be tricky


Arizona Is A Hoot

I really need to quite with these cheesy titles, but hey they are fun.

I recently got a chance to go through some of my photos taken from my Arizona trip with my Canon 20D. At the Arizona Desert Museum I was lucky enough to borrow a 200mm lens and 2x converter from Ethan. This let me get some great shots of the free flights they did with their captive birds.

Here are some of the ones that I managed to snap of a Great Horned Owl. I must admit that photography of anything moving is still a learning process for me, but some of these did not turn out too bad.

Sporting the latest in VW Van hair styles

An example of Organ Pipe Cactus, and me sucking my stomach in

A Harris Hawk at the Arizona Senora Desert Museum during a free flight

Becoming the Vagabond

The trip was winding down after I had spent almost two week bolting around the southwestern US. By this point I was right in to the vagabond lifestyle, or at least pretending I was. By this point 5 days with out a shower was not a big deal, berkinstalks where considered appropriate footwear for cactus country and a hat was the "in" hair style for any occasion. Breakfasts of oatmeal or just a pot of bacon where just the meal to give you enough energy to take photos all morning, drive some place new and then nap. By this point of the trip Ethan had relinquished control of the van and grown accustom to the idea of having someone to share the driving with. Taking the wheel of this large heavy tent on wheels was an adventure in itself. One almost has to grow a sixth sense for braking a half mile early to come to a safe stop.

After spending some more time photographing the Ocotillos and Organ Pipe Cancti, we headed back towards civilization, Tucson that is. There we enjoyed some luxuries, shower, wings and a movie. Of course the night was not complete with out an attempted parking lot repair of the van.

The next day we headed to the Arizona Senora Desert Museum. This place was an outstand museum, thought that seems like the wrong word. They have live animals in well-designed natural settings, excellent exhibits and plenty of people to help you learn about the desert. We were there early and first in line, and it paid off for us. In the morning and afternoon we were treated to a birds of prey show. I managed to snap a few photos in the afternoon with my Canon G10. I will soon be posting some of the photos I managed to capture of mountain lions and birds with my Canon 20D. This was a great way to end the journey in the van. However there are still plenty of photos, so keep checking back