This Great Gray owl was sitting very close to the road. I figure it had been side-swiped by a car or something because it didn't move for more than 15 minutes and allowed me to stand very close to it. Even some of the "tamer" Great Gray owls of last winter would not allow such a close approach and this is what made me think it may have been injured. Or it could be starved. I read a recent report of a Snowy owl found in a field that was too famished to even fly. When it was brought to a wildbird care centre it ate 14 mice in a row. After laying there like a lump on the pavement for over 15 minutes it suddenly got up and flew across the road and was last seen heading across a field toward some houses. It was too dark to see if it had any injuries. One thing that struck me was just how small the owl looked all scrunched up like that on the pavement.


At the time I was only thinking about the owl's safety and MINE as cars were going by very fast. I didn't want to end up splat alongside the road while trying to compose a photograph. What I would like to have done was take a wider shot with cars going by in the background to give the image some context.