THE GREAT GRAY OWL

Great Grey Owl, Strix nebulosa, Emmaboda kn. Småland 20250914. Canon R5 with Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM. ISO 4000, f4, 1/1250 s. Focusing distance 

Come August, a friend was good enough to alert me to a successful Great Grey Owl brood, nesting a scant twelve-minute drive from my doorstep. Though Strix nebulosa had long been a phantom in my wild encounters, this local discovery changed everything. I ventured out a dozen times as the August heat softened into the amber hues of autumn; remarkably, I found myself in their company on no fewer than five occasions—a tally that exceeded my fondest expectations."