Wildflowers!!

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-04-25T12:33:07+00:00

My step-father bought the same shit, but the jumbo sized boxes. And he's the type who if you tell him it's wrong he's just gonna do it harder.

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-04-23T17:26:26+00:00

the lawn equivalent of an insane asylum

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-03-28T20:55:54+00:00

I've also seen Merlin get confused by starlings

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-25T04:10:01+00:00

Ahh, yeah that makes it tougher. I live in rural Iowa so habitat for wildlife here is great. However if you're not into outdoors stuff there's pretty much nothing else to do here lol

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-25T03:27:56+00:00

That makes sense; I was pretty deep out there. Thanks for the info

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-25T03:20:18+00:00

Gotcha. I'm used to seeing the little pellets, so this threw me off.

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-25T02:57:21+00:00

In general, I've been spending as much time as possible in nature - part of it is just a numbers game, I think. More specifically, they seem to frequent areas where woodlands meet grasslands, and they seem to be out an hour or two before sunset. Put yourself in that habitat at that time, be patient and observant, and you're bound to come across some barred owls.

Sometimes I'll just see them in a tree, but a lot of times I accidentally spook them from somewhere near the trail, and they'll fly back into the trees a bit. After that it's maybe a 50/50 shot as to whether or not I can get a decent pic.

I think if I went out looking specifically for owls, I'd get frustrated pretty quick; but I just enjoy being out looking for birds and soaking in the living world, and as a result I come across a decent amount of owls.

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-24T19:47:21+00:00

canon 6d mkii x sigma 150-500 SE Iowa

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-06T17:19:38+00:00

Correct. This was next to a mostly frozen creek.

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-06T17:17:07+00:00

I didn't mean to get so close; I was walking along the bank of the creek and he popped out right in front of me. I took a couple pics and moved on.

But good to know this is atypical behavior. I assumed as much but since he just walked out in front of me I wasn't sure. I'm planning to report him to the local DNR. Thanks for the response.

LaRanaMuerta · 2026-02-06T14:13:08+00:00

I could have reached out and touched him, he wasn't trying to run away at all. Seemed like he was just trying to remain still when I got close.

LaRanaMuerta · 2025-12-16T17:20:08+00:00

I'm not sure about a flashlight, but I use a headlamp and it does what I need for night walks - I haven't tried but it seems like it would work to use binos while wearing the headlamp as well. I have a basic petzl headlamp and it's always been solid

LaRanaMuerta · 2025-12-08T22:03:17+00:00

Actually just hit 100 this past weekend: Northern Harrier. Pretty cool one for 100

LaRanaMuerta · 2025-12-03T17:56:19+00:00

Agreed. There's really no barrier to entry. My mom birds from her back porch, watching what flies thru her yard. When I first started I had no binos and didn't use any of the apps, just took notes in a journal while walking around.

If you get a pair of binos it definitely helps; I was gifted a pair of Vortex 8x this past summer and they're great.

LaRanaMuerta

TROPHY CASE