{"id":61805,"date":"2019-11-28T06:15:58","date_gmt":"2019-11-28T13:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=61805"},"modified":"2025-05-08T14:32:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T19:32:02","slug":"great-horned-owl-in-desert-habitat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/11\/28\/great-horned-owl-in-desert-habitat\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Horned Owl In Desert Habitat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GreatGreat Horned Owl in a desert – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/640, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy Thanksgiving to all<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Overnight more snow has fallen in the Salt Lake Valley and I am not sure if I am going to be able to get out into the field to fulfill my tradition of photographing birds on Thanksgiving morning.<\/p>\n

Time will tell and if nothing else I may hop into my Jeep and head to the local pond for a few minutes to view the birds that gather there at this time of the year even though the clouds are thick overhead.<\/p>\n

I reached back into my archives and found this photo of a side lit Great Horned Owl in desert habitat that I spotted from one of the dirt access roads that lead to the Mt. Moriah Wilderness<\/span><\/a> of eastern Nevada in 2012.<\/p>\n

I noticed this owl from a long way off only because the tip of the owl’s left ear tuft moved in the breeze which caught my eyes. If that tuft hadn’t moved I might have missed seeing the owl altogether because it was well camouflaged against the rocks of the outcropping.<\/p>\n

Pointing out the owl to person with me was not an easy task. Not at all.<\/p>\n

It was the first time I’d photographed this owl species in such an arid area and although I wish I had been closer and had a better light angle I am still glad to have this photo in my portfolio.<\/p>\n

I remember wondering while I photographed this Great Horned Owl if it used crevices in the rocks to nest in during the breeding season because there weren’t any trees, old buildings or other man made structures for miles and miles that would have been suitable. My mind does get plenty of exercise when I am out in the field photographing and observing birds.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good and I have so much to be grateful for.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Great Horned Owl photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I reached back into my archives and found this photo of a side lit Great Horned Owl in desert habitat that I spotted from one of the dirt access roads that lead to the Mt. Moriah Wilderness of eastern Nevada in 2012.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,209,8082,1886,8084],"tags":[4004,6510,5230,970,4203,8085,5131,4098,8086,4620,4108,8083,3967,294,4470,5699,4342,4307],"class_list":["post-61805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-great-horned-owls","category-mt-moriah-wilderness-area","category-nevada","category-white-pine-county","tag-adult","tag-arid","tag-arid-habitat","tag-autumn","tag-bubo-virginianus","tag-camouflaged","tag-cliff","tag-desert","tag-desert-habitat","tag-fall","tag-great-horned-owl","tag-outcropping","tag-owl","tag-owls","tag-rocks","tag-rocky","tag-side-lit","tag-wildflowers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-mt-moriah-wilderness-nevada-mia-mcpherson-1701.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-g4R","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3782,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/12\/01\/double-delight-and-an-observation-great-horned-owls\/","url_meta":{"origin":61805,"position":0},"title":"Double Delight and an Observation – Great Horned Owls","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm excited that two Great Horned Owls are using the same roosting location on Antelope Island.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Horned Owl - November 11, 2011 on Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah\u00a0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-nov-11-mia-mcpherson-8209.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-nov-11-mia-mcpherson-8209.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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morning winter is trying to creep back into northern Utah but I am thinking of warmer weather, Montana and Great Horned Owls.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Horned Owl fledgling and an old granary, Glacier County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-fledgling-mia-mcpherson-6731.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-fledgling-mia-mcpherson-6731.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-fledgling-mia-mcpherson-6731.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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setting sun","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"What can I say about this image of an adult Great Horned Owl feeding its young that is strongly back lit by the setting sun on Honeymoon Island State Park in Florida?","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Horned Owl adult feeding fledgling on Honeymoon Island State Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-chick-adult-mia-mcpherson-1317.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-horned-owl-chick-adult-mia-mcpherson-1317.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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