I simply can’t resist photographing Burrowing Owls.
1/100, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
These youngsters often have a balance problem when they try to perch on the relatively unstable sunflowers, which can be a good opportunity for the photographer to get some interesting poses. One of the problems here was that the sun was just coming up and the light was very low as you can see from my very slow shutter speed. Even though this bird fluttered on the perch for quite a while I ended up trashing most of those shots because they just weren’t sharp enough.
But the other problem just about drove me batty for a while. For some reason my Canon 7D wouldn’t allow me to adjust my exposure (ev). How very frustrating to have this bird giving me such nice poses while I’m thinking the entire time that I’m over-exposing the shots and can’t do anything about it!
It turned out that my exposure for these shots was just right (I’ve done no exposure adjustment in post-processing with this image) but it took me (us) a half hour to figure out what the problem was with my camera. Mia saved the day by downloading the 7D manual to her phone and in the end the problem turned out to be that I had inadvertently switched on the “lock” button on my camera. Sheesh!
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 400, 100-400 @ 300mm
I thought some of you might like to “meet” most of the Burrowing Owl family I’ve been photographing this summer. From left to right #3 and #5 are the adult parents and the other four are their youngsters. There’s at least three (possibly four) other juveniles that didn’t participate in the family portrait.
What a challenge it was to get a good look at least one eye in all six birds! For that reason, most of these group shots were deleted and I haven’t had an opportunity like this since.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
This adult is from a different burrow that is much too far away from the road for photography but occasionally we find him (her?) perched near the road while it’s hunting for voles. As you can see by the very bloody beak it has had some recent success.
All three of these images have been taken in the last several weeks.
Ron
Awesome. Love these owls and your pics. You always make my day!
Also have you got any pics of snowy owls? Or are there any where you are?
Thank you Lily. No, I don’t have any Snowy Owl photos. They’re virtually unheard of in my area (though last winter a single individual did show up and was seen for one day only)
Your photos are amazing Ron. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks very much Kimara.
What amazing pictures Ron! You don’t post locations – correct? The state of Utah? or Montana?
Thank you Jolie. In certain situations I’m very careful to not post locations – there’s just too many folks out there who aren’t respectful enough with the birds. These owls however are fairly well known on Antelope Island, Utah.
Thanks Ron. They hang out behind the ranger station over by where they keep the hay -correct? Going there on Sunday to check them out.
Oh, these are great! A whole family is a treat, and you made my day.
They make MY day every time I see them Tana.
Beautiful shots, of one of my favorite raptors. Simply perfect! I adore burrowing owls.
I agree Christina, there’s a lot to like with Burrowing Owls.
Why do they even have a lock switch? It’s needed maybe… never(?), and has sure fooled and frustrated me a couple of times. Not a detriment to your owl series though- captivating as usual!
Mike, I know I never need that switch. I think I’ll solder it in place.. And to double my frustrations I bought another 7D today. Now I’m sure Canon will come out with its replacement almost immediately – just my luck.
Another gorgeous shot, Ron. Don’t fret. I have made that mistake, accidentally moving that lock button, too. Very frustrating until you find out what the problem was. I, too, just love those Burrowing Owls. They are irresistible. Happy shooting!!
Bob, I made that mistake once before but it was long ago and I’d forgotten about it. Sure had me befuddled for a while.