There’ll be just a single image in today’s post – the majority of a large family of Barn Owls that are resident on Antelope Island this summer.
Canon 7D, 1/80, f/7.1, ISO 640, EV -1.00, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
I have a special fondness for this species but like most avian photographers I’ve been frustrated by them because their almost strictly nocturnal habits make them extremely difficult to photograph (unless you use flash or some other form of artificial light, which I won’t do). Occasionally I’ve been able to find one out and about during daytime in winter but that’s a relatively rare occurrence.
This is four of a family group of five or six that hang out on the north end of the island. They are such striking and beautiful birds (in my opinion) that I find it a bit incongruous that they insist on roosting in the mornings on this decidedly unattractive perch. But hey, if they like it – so do I. Well, sort of…
Since this post consists of only one image I decided to make it 1200 pixels wide instead of my usual 900. Personally I always enjoy larger versions of images for their better detail.
Ron
Hard enough to find one but to get four in one picture is way to cool, your scouting trips have certainly paid off.
Thanks Cheryl and your point about UK barn owls being more crepuscular than ours is well taken. I regularly post images for critique on Nature Photographers Network (NPN) and many folks from the UK have posted Barn Owls in flight on that site – making the point that your owls are more active than ours during dawn and dusk.
Beautiful!! As I’ve mentioned before I have a bit of a passion for owls – but Barn Owls have to be my favourites! Interestingly our Barn Owls in the UK are not strictly nocturnal and can occasionally be seen hunting during the day – or more particularly at Dawn and Dusk – not that I’ve ever been lucky enough to catch more than a very fleeting glimpse of one!