Spectacled Owl perched on a mossy branch at night
"One night in Costa Rica I woke up really early (3:30am) and couldn't fall back asleep. Off in the distance I could hear the call of a Spectacled Owl and decided to go out and see if I could find it. I wasn't very optimistic as I have tried to photograph this species at least a dozen times with no luck. I wandered down into the forest to see if I could get a look at this stunning owl. I knew the bird was close by so I decided to give him a call. Unbelievably, the bird cooperated and flew right in. He even perched for me in a great spot and I was able to snap a few pics. What a rush! I haven't been so excited to photograph a bird in a while and it was a great reminder for me of what I absolutely love about bird photography." Glenn Bartley.