Forest Watcher

When we were living on our acreage in western Alberta, there was a quiet ritual we found ourselves returning to again and again.

Scanning the fence posts.
Watching the treeline.
Searching for a flash of yellow.

Because once you’ve seen those eyes… you never forget them.

And then one day... there he was.

A Great Gray Owl, perched high among the lodgepole pines, so perfectly still he almost didn’t seem real. Blending effortlessly into the gray trunks around him, he became part of the forest itself - a true forest watcher.

Only those piercing yellow eyes gave him away.

He sat silently at the edge of the trees, listening more than looking. Great gray owls rely on their incredible hearing to locate prey beneath the snow or forest floor, often striking with astonishing precision even when they can’t see what’s below.

We kept our distance, as we always do.

Moments like this aren’t meant to be interrupted… only witnessed.

There’s something grounding about standing in the presence of an animal so perfectly adapted to its world. No rush. No wasted movement. Just quiet awareness.

And in that stillness, we were reminded once again why we do what we do.

Not just to photograph wildlife…

But to feel connected to it.

Grateful for the moment.

-Stan Masters

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