Watching short-eared owls on the hunt is one of life's little joys along the journey . . .

A short-eared owl dive-bombs for a vole in the Illinois prairie. They can change directions on a dime, and truly a joy to watch them as they float, hover, dive and then move on with their moth-like wing flaps.

Instead of a golden hour, it was more like a few golden minutes. Tom Skilling said the clouds might break toward the end of the day, but they held tight until the very end when the sun finally emerged from the main cloud layer only to sink into another layer of clouds before it disappeared into the horizon . . .

The beautiful and agile short-eared owl, giving the look before it floats and swoops above the prairie. Don't worry, I'm not hunting for voles, they're all yours . . .

A few more Short-eared Owls in flight over the Illinois prairie.

When we pick our spot at the edge of the prairie in anticipation of the evening's Short-eared Owl show, you just don't know if their hunts will keep them on the far side or perhaps close enough to grab a few frames. Fortunately, one picked up the sound . . .