After turning on a dime and diving, a Short-eared Owl flies low through an Illinois prairie in search of an evening snack.

A Short-eared Owl hunts low over open grassland, its buoyant flight and focused gaze scanning for prey.

A Short-eared Owl fixes its gaze on a vole moving through the grasses of an Illinois prairie, fully committed once the hunt begins.

A Short-eared Owl squeezes in a bit of evening hunting before the sun slips behind another bank of clouds and disappears into the horizon.

After clouds lingered all day, the last few minutes of sunlight bathed an owl in unexpected golden light.

After missing a vole, a Short-eared Owl lifts from the field and flies toward the evening sun, gaining speed as the last light spreads across the prairie.