Today is the first in a series entitled "The Story Behind the Photo ".

Burrowing owls can make a network of holes in a large swath of land. They are not always active during the day certainly not out of there burrows waiting for a person to take there picture. You also have no idea what burrow they could be in. So I have gone and spent several hours with not a owl in sight. This day I waited in my bird blind aka Tiny the Sprinter van and selected 1 of 45 + holes with my camera and long lens set up on my bean bag in the driver's side window. Had my drink and some snacks. I was far enough away with my long lens for it to not be affected by my stake out. About an hour later I saw a head just peeking out of the hole. Game on! Another 45 minutes half the body could be seen. A short time later full body out. My heart was pumping and my excitement was off the charts. You could tell it was surveying every angle checking for predators. The head would rotate up, down, left, right and behind. Challenge was in all of this head movement capture a photo looking forward. Done! Time elapsed 30 minutes.

Now to wait and see what happens next. Does it fly off or better yet does it have a mate waiting to come out? About 90 minutes went by and he moves over and I see another head just starting to peek out. Oh my I thought. Now the biggest challenge was hoping that in all the head moving of both owls I might hit the jackpot and get both looking forward at the same time. It was like dropping quarters in a slot machine. It took patience and time but eventually it happened. Total time frame for the final photo approximately 4 hours.

Loved every minute of the experience.