In my mind I was preparing all afternoon for this image.  It didn’t end up quite as planned.  Mommy Great Horned Owl spent much of the day in the nest with her two babies, napping and peering out to the group of photographers that eagerly watched their every move.  In the late afternoon, Mommy owl came out of the nest and perched on a branch to the right of the opening.  Her flight away from the nest to look for dinner was inevitable.  It was just a matter of when it would happen.  In my mind I prepared to take my first ever owl in flight image.  I pulled back on the zoom, moved to a faster shutter speed to avoid blur, changed the focus point, and tried to anticipate which direction she would fly.  In no way was I ready for how suddenly she sprung into the air.  I was looking through the lens the whole time, but she went completely out of frame and I could only take my eyes away from the camera and watch her fly into a nearby evergreen tree.  I managed two quick photos – this one, and one follow up which is completely blurred and shows only the owl’s feet.  The lesson I learned is that in wildlife photography, you must learn the behaviors of the animal/bird that you are photographing.  This is critical to being able to anticipate their movement.  I hope to make my way back to the nest and try again.  In the meantime, here’s mommy owl going to find dinner for her babies who are in the nest beneath her.  Look at those toenails!!  Next time I can hopefully include her wings in the photo!