Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl -- Merced National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm IS II, 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO: 400

This owl looks like a real bad ass, doesn't it?

Pongo and I went to the Merced National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday.  We went for a walk around the Bittern Trail, which is a short little loop around what I imagine is more of a marsh during normal years.  I think my jaw dropped a little when I saw not one but two large silhouettes in a tree.  I'd read that this trail sometimes has owls on it, but I read that about a lot of places and it has never panned out for me.  Luckily the trail wound around to the other side of the tree where I had  good light for pictures and the birds were content to just watch as I struggled to find a clearing through the dense, leafless branches.  A truly clear vantage point wasn't possible without a pair of wings of my own, but I found a spot that wasn't too bad.

I dunno, pretty cool bird if you ask me.