These pictures were taken in the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge during January 2010. The Great Horned Owl nesting season has just started. During that period, the male and female hoot to each other. When in close proximity they bow to each other with drooped wings. In this instance, they are using a recycled Great Blue Nheron nest. They show extreme aggressivity when defending the nest and will continue to attack until the intruder is driven off.

From a photography standpoint, none of these pictures were taken using flash and only a few using a tripod...including the ones shot passed sunset. The high ISO capability of the Nikon 3DS was tested all the way up to ISO 12,800 with mixed results. The lens used was a Nikkor 300mm 2.8 e/w 1.7TC. The EXIF files tell the story.

Updated February 17 2010.