Last summer I shared a story about my magical encounter with a Short-eared Owl and subsequent experiences that taught me a valuable lesson in file storage, disk failure and its ultimate restoration. Files can't always be restored, and it took me more than three years to recover these. I'll never forget my awe when sharing a private moment with this beautiful owl. Even better, I'm so grateful that I have the photos, once again, to remember the details. More about this tale, my 2020 peregrine experience that led me to recover these photos and my lessons learned my blog "Lost and Found and the Shot-eared Owl". Photographed #OnThisDay February 17, 2017.
www.terifranzenphotography.com/lost-and-found.../
Tags: Short-eared Owl Lessons Learned Blog Owl Pennsylvania Raptor Wildlife Photography Canon
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Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day from a Black Skimmer pair photographed a few summers ago. Prior to mating, I have seen a couple of different behaviors. The male will deliver a fish for the female as a gift and she will acquiesce. On this day, no physical gift was exchanged. Instead, they crossed bills back and forth multiple times, then the female turned around and the mating began. Enjoy your day, however you celebrate! #ShareTheShore
Tags: Nickerson Beach Black Skimmer Wild Bird Behavior Wild Bird Seabird Mating Courtship Valentine's Day Share the Shore
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During our final game drive through Ngorongoro Crater, we encountered a pair of Thomson's Gazelles engaged in a little playful sparring. This lasted for several minutes as they tirelessly pulled back and then lunged forward. This was just a form of play as these young males inched toward maturity. As adults, these ungulates will compete in a constant battle for dominance over other males. Photographed #OnThisDay, February 10, 2017
Tags: Thomson's Gazelle Sparring Gazelles Wild Animal Behavior Gazelle Ungulate African Safari African Wildlife Africa
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A group of Red-billed Oxpeckers, enjoying the ride aboard a, possibly dismayed, Hippo. Oxpeckers have a symbiotic relationship with the large mammals of Africa, feeding on insects, including ticks, that infest their animal hosts. There is some debate whether this relationship is mutualistic, both animals benefiting, or parasitic and harmful to the mammal. Although oxpeckers will keep animals clean of ticks, they are fond of blood and will often pick at open sores to keep blood flowing. This process is thought to either impede healing or help to clean the wound. Perhaps a bit of both. February 7, 2017
Tags: Symbiosis Wild Bird Behavior Oxpecker Red-billed Oxpecker Hippopotamus Tanzania
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Wishing you all a Happy Superb-Owl Sunday! Hoping your favorite team wins!
This is a Verreaux's Eagle-owl photographed before sunrise one morning in Ndutu. Breaking from my #OnThisDay posts, this was actually photographed on February 3, 2017. Here is a little info about the VEO from an earlier post: "Although a very common Owl in sub-saharan Africa, we rarely saw them out in the open. More often they were perched high up in trees with lots of obstruction or distracting backgrounds. This was a very exciting find. Also known as the Giant Eagle-owl, this species is large at a height of approximately two feet but not actually the largest of the owls. It is a nocturnal hunter preying on medium-sized mammals and large birds such as the Hammerkop and Secretary Bird. Ndutu, Tanzania. February 3, 2017
Tags: Superb Owl Super Bowl Sunday Verreaux's Eagle-Owl Bird of Prey Raptor Owl Ndutu African Safari African Bird
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