Barn Owl

This Barn Owl was chased off by a Red-tailed Hawk

The surprise and excitement of photographing this barn owl reminds me of when I was a kid on my dad’s ranch in Southwest Colorado. There was a river that ran through the ranch, and on the other side of the river was a field that butted up against sandstone cliffs. This area was known to be inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans some 1,200 years ago, and this location nestled in amongst the cliffs, the sagebrush and the Juniper trees, would have been a perfect place for them to work on their crafts. I could picture the men using stones to chip pieces of obsidian forming arrowheads, or the women creating pottery out of the abundant clay soil. Many of these artifacts had been preserved and hidden by Mother Earth.

The perfect time to search for these treasures that the years had covered up with shifting sands and the erosion of the heavy clay soil was after a rain. It was so exciting to see that gleam of light reflecting off that piece of obsidian freshly uncovered by the rainfall. There was always something different to be found. I still have a few arrowheads and fragments of pottery that I collected on those treasure hunts. There was a feeling of satisfaction know I had discovered items not seen by another human for hundreds of years!

Each morning when I head out to Coyote Hills with my dog’s leash in one hand and my camera in the other, there is a level of excitement as I search for those unique images and compositions that no one else has ever seen. Each day brings something new, just like those days hunting arrowheads back on the ranch. Whether it be different lighting and shadows on the Bay and hills, or a Red-tailed Hawk chasing off a Barn Owl, my daily treasure hunt is always exciting.