The nest below was found in a recreation park but was apparently abandoned. It was on the other hand in the middle of the afternoon and it was not certain that they would have shown themselves until later anyway.
Unfortunately I had no time to stick around to see if it turned up some owls, and it was not until several days later when I searched the web again that I got another useful hit. This time I got several practical tips of where to find them so I decided to check them up.
After about a half-hour ride, I ended up in the middle of a residential area and sure enough, there were plenty of sticks with strings around. After a quick look around it seemed like all the burrows were abandoned. Since it was mid-day and I wasn't out in nowhere, I just waited until someone who lived there came by and politely asked if they had seen any owls. Sure, they had and they were also able to point out which nests were empty and which were inhabited. But they also said that the owls were out early in the morning and in the late afternoon but rarely midday. So I packed up my gear and planned for an early start the next day instead.
Filled with anticipation I got up early and went to the field. Because the residents had said that photographers with long telephoto lenses often parked along the streets I didn't hesitate to do likewise and hopefully I should avoid getting the police mistaking me for a bad guy. Unknown cars who park in the middle of the residential area under cover of darkness could easily get someone to dial 911...
In the faint backlight at the first nest I could barely see an owl sitting on a T-stick. I took some pictures at a really high iso but without any image quality. I could see that it would be a good picture with blurred background when the sun would rise. But the nice warm light didn't show up and the owl moved to the ground. I took some additional images at a high iso mostly for documentation purposes and kept on waiting.
It seemed to be the most cloudy day on the whole trip and it was never really bright. Finally the owls disappeared down the hole. I decided to wait a while, but no one showed up again. Disappointed, I decided to look around at the other places to see if I would have a better luck there.
Next place seemed empty as well. But when I pass, I see a small movement in the rearview mirror and something was peeking out of the ground!
Now began a long wait while it became brighter and memory card slowly filled with jack-in-box images. It sat there and looked right and left, right and left.
Eventually I got bored because it was the same expression and composition all the time and the light was not better. So I began to head home. When I drive past the final settlement, I see again a movement in the rearview mirror. So I make a u-turn and park at the side of the road. The nest was a bit more hidden in the grass and the angle was a little different. A few pictures later, I noticed that there were someone other than me that was getting tired and I took it as a sign that it was time to go away.
Around the same time I see a police car show up and I start thinking about what to say and I put the lens out further through the open side window and simulates intensively photographing and it seems to work and the police only glances at me and then keep on driving away and I can relax and drive back to the hotel to finally have some breakfast.
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