Category: Amateur

Photographer: Teri Shors

Species: Long-eared Owl

Location: Winnebago County, WI

Story Behind the Shot: Shors came across 18 Long-eared Owls roosting in a willow thicket, near an unlimited supply of prairie voles with which to satiate their appetites, in what was the first documented sighting of the species in Winnebago County. She wore a special “owl cap” in hopes that they would welcome her as one of their own and observed the owls for two months. But her biggest hurdle proved to be the thicket itself. The owls nestled within the thick, tangled brush; obtaining an unobstructed view was akin to playing "Twister," she says, so she didn’t bother with a tripod. Nonetheless, she found photographing them an “enchanting experience.”