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A few weeks ago, my husband came in loudly whispering “There’s something in the tree! I think it’s an owl.” Well…first thing I did was grab my camera. I’m always on the hunt for interesting birds and other wildlife, and the fact that there was an owl in my own tree was very exciting to me.

Sure enough, there was an owl on a very low branch in my tree, and a few feet away was another cute little owl! I tried to sneak out to get some pictures with my camera, but they quickly flew away, because as I opened the door, my puppy snuck out behind me and scared them off.

Above is a picture from the first night I saw the owls. I converted it to black and white because it was pretty grainy! Lots to learn about photographing wildlife at night. Lucky for me, I have lots of time to read up on it…

So the next night, I was on high alert! And guess what…they came back again. I crept quietly outside with my camera, alone this time, and I was able to get a few shots of the owl we affectionately named Harry. Hermione did not want her picture taken and flew off as soon as I opened the back door.

Given our current circumstances of social distancing and staying at home if you can, I am excited to have something to occupy some of my time, even if it is late at night!

I was not happy with the first set of photos I got, and I quickly learned that taking pictures in the dark (10 PM) is not very easy. For the next few nights, I left my camera on the kitchen table just in case Harry and Hermione stopped by. Of course, they did not, so I finally put my camera away.

But guess what…once I put my camera away, one of the owls, Harry, I think, showed back up. And guess what else…I was able to sneak outside, without my dog, and get some pretty decent pictures of him. I didn’t see Hermione, so I’ll have to try to get some pictures of her next time.

I think now that I have discovered these friends in my backyard, I’m gonna need to read up on nighttime photography. It’s complicated for me, because I’m used to photographing birds and other wildlife during the day in very bright sunlight.

I’m so happy to have something fun to photograph during these days of not getting out and hiking with my camera because of our current situation. Instead of hiking, I’m reading up on homeschooling, which for my kiddos, begins on Monday. So thank goodness for a backyard with exciting wildlife to photograph while we navigate through this strange time we’re living in right now.

What have you found to photograph in your yard (or house)? Please share with me how you’re keeping up your photography skills while social distancing and homeschooling!

Until next time…

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