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The Next Stage
Photographer: Matt Poole
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One of the many benefits of working with wildlife is witnessing major events in an individual's life. While monitoring 17 Great Gray Owl nests this year, I witnessed nest failure, death of adults and young, nests fledging three young, and nests fledging only one.
For this particular baby, she was the second of two nestlings to jump the nest and enter the next stage in her young life. Unable to fly for the next few weeks, she'll use her innate skills to survive. This period is called the Branching Stage. Young owls will often find themselves on the forest floor after leaving the nest. From there, the only place to go is up. For the first day, they might find themselves climbing tree stumps and fallen trees. They will quickly learn to use their sharp talons and beak to climb even the most vertical of trees into the safety of elevation.
Having jumped the nest only hours earlier, this young owl found herself halfway up the remnants of an old-growth coniferous tree - the rotting root system rising from the ground. Later on, she'll flap and hop through the vegetation on the floor to find a suitable tree to climb and ascend into the canopy.
1/160 • f/3.2 • ISO 1000 • Nikon Z9 • 24mm • Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8
Feathers in Frost
Photographer: Matt Poole
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1/2000 • f/5.6 • ISO 1000 • Nikon Z9 • 400mm • NIkon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
In late 2024, an intense ice storm hit my hometown located in southern Oregon. Frost attached itself to every car, road, building, and tree, turning the small, quiet town into a seemingly winter wonderland. That photographic urge soon built up, and I found myself grabbing my camera and heading to a local waterfowl hotspot.
For context, I have never really been that into ducks and waterfowl. Even while living in a migratory hotspot, I still found myself spending my time looking for other wildlife - mostly owls.
I immediately noticed the empty parking lot as I pulled in, likely thanks to the well-below-freezing temps. The lake before me was frozen over, with a portion of open water creeping out from a nearby river. The conditions appeared to congregate the local wildlife into a small area. Waterfowl scattered as I made my way down the bank of large boulders. For the next hour, I found myself hunched over, with my lens just above the water, photographing anything willing to wade by. A Hooded Merganser was the one who gave me the best looks. The merganser moved smoothly, back and forth, through the fog, water, and frosty background. After 10 years of photography, I had just gotten the first duck photo I was pleased with. I couldn't help but chuckle at the reminder that the environment often dictates a photo more than the actual subject.
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