Thursday I spent a delightful morning shooting with fellow Placer Camera Club members Jim and Shirley White who shared some of their favorite places to photograph wildlife. I was amazed to find the sites are surprisingly close to me and, as my friend Connie would say, they are target rich environments. We turned off the main road past Lincoln and the acres of tall grasses and pastures and sloughs and creeks and newly planted walnut orchards stretched on and on. They are home to White Tailed Kites and Northern Harriers and Red Shouldered Hawks and Kestrels and Burrowing Owls! Jim knew of owl burrows on either side of a sparsely traveled road and sure enough, one owl blended into the background as it stood perfectly still atop a fence post but Shirley’s hawk eyes spotted it. Jim stopped directly across the road from it and I aimed my 600mm lens out the back window. The side lighting gives some depth to the bird and his steady gaze, straight at me, is a bit unsettling.
