Many times we overlook things close to us and don't see the beauty in our own yard. Our 15 yo son woke us up at 11:30pm to say he thought an animal was injured in our back yard. I had heard an owl hooting somewhere in the back yard earlier but didn't think much about it. The next morning, our 13 yo son told us that there was an owl up in the Tulip Poplar tree and had fought off an "eagle". Sure enough, there sat a Great Horned Owl about 15 feet off the ground. I grabbed my Nikon D2X and 200-400 and shot as I worked closer and closer. I noticed that it didn't try to fly away and finally noticed that it's left wing was injured. We contacted our local raptor rehab center (they're actually in town http://creso.acs.ac/CRRC/CRRCMain.htm) and they came over and captured the injured male and are going to try to save him. While I was waiting, I managed to get a number of great images. So don't ever overlook what can be found in your own yard. God does provide us with wonderful opportunities close by when we are receptive.
Take time to explore your own backyard and don't get caught up in having to venture afar to create great images.
Bill
