WILDLIFE THIRD PLACE Balancing act (great gray owl) Grand Teton National Park Steve Mattheis Jackson, Wyoming Nikon Z9: 1/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 A fter finding a great gray owl in a lovely piece of old-growth forest in Grand Teton National Park, the owl became very active at dusk and started hunting. As it moved from perch to perch in search of prey, it eventually landed on this old, deadfall log. After a moment of sitting and listening, it started walking down the log, presumably because it heard something interesting in the grass below. While great gray owls are elegant and graceful in flight, they are somewhat awkward and comical when they walk. 10 | February 2023