Barn Owl in Flight – Finally Again!

It’s been over four years since I’ve been able to get flight shots of Barn Owls and it’s been a very long wait.   Typically Barn Owls hunt only at night but during the cruel winter of 2008 a few of them were forced to hunt in the morning hours just to survive and I was able to get quite a few nice shots of them in flight.  I haven’t seen them hunt in daylight since then, until just recently when I’ve discovered one individual that has been doing it regularly.

 

 1/800, f/6.3, ISO 500

So far Mia and I have had two chances with this bird.  It was flying along the side of the road so I had to speed up to get in front of the owl then quickly turn around so I could photograph it as it flew toward us with the light at the best angle.   This owl was flying very fast toward an apparent destination (rather than hunting) so we’d get a few shots off as it passed by very quickly.

 

 

1/640, f/6.3, ISO 500

Then I’d very quickly turn around, race up the road to get ahead of the owl, turn around again and fire away as the bird flew by.

 

 

1/800, f/6.3, ISO 500

I was able to do that three times before I ran out of road.  Very exciting! 

 

 

1/800, f/5.6, ISO 640

Then a few days later, as we were returning from a morning of photographing other birds after clouds had moved in and we lost the light we came across the same owl again in roughly the same place.  We didn’t expect the owl to be there because it was so late in the day.  Same regimen – “creative” driving to get ahead of the owl, then quickly turn around to get some shots off as it flew by and then do it again.  And again, till we ran out of road.  It’s a tough way to photograph birds in flight, especially with the truck still rocking from the quick stop when you get off your first shots but both Mia and I got some images of this owl that we like.

On both days this bird had a wet belly and muddy feet and on the second day it had blood on the bottom of its facial disc.  It obviously had a successful hunt. 

I’m simply delighted to see these beautiful and unique owls flying again during daylight and to have another opportunity to photograph them (despite the fact that some of these aren’t the sharpest flight shots I have of the species).  I’ve missed them!

Ron