It all started with an itch.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
Two days ago just as the sun was coming up over the Wasatch we found this adult Burrowing Owl perched on a dried sunflower. The lower background is the Great Salt Lake. The bird was sunning itself and pretty static and I was hoping for some kind of action.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
Then it tried to scratch its face while perched on this spindly and unstable perch and that’s when the action began. (Full disclosure – this shot is a little out-of-order but it shows the scratching behavior better than any I got at the very beginning – it tried to scratch the same spot on its face several times during this sequence).
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
Every time the owl tried to scratch its face the sunflower stem would move around and throw the bird off-balance so the wings would go out and I got some interesting poses in nice light.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
I was able to get many images of the balancing act as it progressed but the owl was sidelit so in quite a few of them one or both of the wings and one side of the face were in shadow. These are the images with the best pose and light combinations that I was able to get. The secondary wing feathers seem to be still growing in from a recent molt.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
Even after the bird was through scratching it seemed to have a difficult time staying on the perch so its wings continued to flail intermittently for quite a while.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
Most of the time it kept its eye on my pickup and as a photographer I was grateful for the eye contact.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
This shot shows the effect of molting on the wings quite well. The primaries seem to have grown out nicely but the secondaries still have a ways to go (I’m no expert on the subject but that’s the way it looks to me).
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
Then the owl seemed to wave goodbye…
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
then turned on the perch and flew off.
I’m unsure how others will feel about the two-tiered background in these images but it works well for me and I like the clean look at the owl in all these varied poses.
Ron
Wow! So fantastic! Never seen a burrowing owl off the ground it’s almost a ballet!
Thanks for sharing!
I love the action so much that I never really noticed the two tiered background! So I had a second look and I think the two tones actually add to the photo!
Thank you Kathleen. I actually like that background too.
Consider me a fan of the two-tiered/two-tone backgrounds. I find it very appealing.
A perching burrowing owl! I have only seen them on the ground; once again: thanks for the beautiful shots and great info!
Tana, on the island it’s not unusual to find them perched up on sagebrush, rabbitbrush or large boulders. Bob Zeller, who comments here often, even has shots of them perched high up on utility wires – something I’ve never seen.
Ron, you never cease to amaze me. Here I am about to move to Idaho this weekend and I still have never been able to meet you and Mia in person. By the way, I share most of your blog posts on Twitter. They are just too good not to share.
Thanks very much Robert. Mia and I had hoped to run in to you out on the island but we’re always there early in the morniings and almost never on Saturday so that may have reduced our chances (that and the fact that we don’t know your vehicle). I’m very sorry that we missed meeting you while you were here but I hope your move to Idaho is a good one for you and your family. I’ve wondered where all the Twitter views in my stats came from. Thanks for that too!