Short-eared Owl

Prelude: On gossamer wings a foraging Short-eared Owl silently swept the slough.  The Gentle Zephyr  The gentle zephyr quietly whispered secrets to the marsh, and the flora within the fen rhythmically rustled its acknowledgment by sensuously swaying to and fro.  Deep in the tangled depths of the wetland’s sedges, furry beasts of diminutive stature tunneled and scurried about in ways only voles understand and know how to do. Their secretiveness was practiced by design, for danger of immense magnitude ominously lurked overhead.  The menace from above came suddenly. It arrived without warning and was calmly delivered along with whispered secrets carried by the gentle zephyr. ~ Anecdote and Short-eared Owl capture, The Gentle Zephyr © Jerry L. Ferrara 

And The Storm Carried On The predawn light had difficulty expressing itself through the moisture-laden overcast … and the storm carried on. As sunup slowly brightened the ambiance, a gentle zephyr intermittently swirled a mixture of crystalline flakes and sleet through the grassland’s landscape and a silent-winged visitor flew stealthily over the terrain landing upon an ancient, snow-mantled fence post. The Short-eared Owl had arrived … and the storm carried on. For the better part of twenty minutes the plucky predator keenly scanned, with both eye and ear, the nearby expanse searching for telltale murid movements or sounds that would disclose the location of its quarry. The reticent domain balefully glared back and was silent … and the storm carried on. Then, without foreshadow, the diminutive dynamo stooped forward and firmly launched to the sky. Its flight in departing was as hushed and airy as its arrival … and the storm carried on. ~ Anecdote and Short-eared Owl capture, And The Storm Carried On © Jerry L. Ferrara. Image created during the winter of 2021 in eastern Washington State.