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| A two month old fledgling from a nest I found in Northern California |
Today is the last day of the official spotted owl survey season. The last six months have been a mix of successes, failures, triumphs, and frustration. Overall though, I have made huge leaps in my photographic skills and knowledge. Shooting in the low-light conditions that spotted owls call home has been a challenge to say the least, but it forced me to think deeper than simply pointing and clicking. I can't wait photograph an animal who's active all day in open prairies!
With the close of the spotted owl season, I will be switching my focus to small mammal trapping for the next two months. The point is to use a research concept called "mark, recapture" to estimate abundance for small mammals, the spotted owl's main prey source. Researchers will use this abundance data to predict how spotted owl populations are likely to fluctuate in the future. There probably wont be as many photographic opportunities with this work, but I will get to see several different small mammal species up close and personal. Some of the wildlife species I am likely to capture are chipmunks, flying squirrels, wood rats, spotted skunks, ring-tailed cats, and weasels. It will be an interesting experience trying to release my first skunk!
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| A female spotted owl taking flight in Northern California |
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