Whooo are you …

Owl perched in tree branches.
“Photographing wildlife takes a lot of patience …”

It’s a new year—so it’s time to begin showcasing photos from our annual photo contest, Lens on Lake Minnetonka. Ann Beadle-Reinitz’s photograph, Whooo are you … placed second in the Wildlife & Nature category.

“I took the photo in Mound, in my nextdoor neighbor’s backyard,” she says, after noticing her neighbor staring up at the sky. “To my knowledge, it is a barred owl with how many I have seen on my Facebook photo groups and also looking it up online,” she says. 

Beadle-Reinitz has some preferred places to visit for picture taking. “I usually take most of my shots around Red Wing because of all the eagles around spring and fall season where they all come during the winter months,” she says.  “I also see a lot of wildlife in my backyard in Mound.” While she’s seen numerous deer, ducks and birds and heard an owl once before, this was the first time she saw one.

On this occasion, Beadle-Reinitz used a Nikon D500 camera with a Tamron 150-600 mm lens to take the shot. “Photographing wildlife takes a lot of patience and knowing where to find what you are looking for,” she says. “Sometimes going for a walk through state parks and just looking around you can find some great shots of wildlife”—not to mention right in your neighbor’s yard!