Great Horned Owls On The Montana Family Farm

Note: When I first started blogging 19 months ago, I somewhat arbitrarily decided to post my photos at 720 pixels on the long side.  It didn’t take me long to change my mind and begin posting significantly larger images for the much better quality that becomes apparent at that larger size.  Since that time I’ve pretty much ignored those early posts, until yesterday when Ingrid Taylar brought my attention to this Great Horned Owl post and it reminded me just how small the images are.  So, I’ve decided to repost a very few of those very early works, with some additions and changes which will include:

• larger images – 900 pixels on the long side
• additional images, in most cases
• techs included with the photos
• updated narrative

I’m thinking there might be two or three of these reposts over the next several weeks.  I hope you’ll bear with me…

 

For many years now there has been at least one pair of nesting Great Horned Owls on the farm where I grew up near Cut Bank, Montana.  They were never there when I was a kid but they’ve sure taken to it since.   This farm still seems like home to me and I return to it at least once every year for a visit with family and of course to check up on the owls.  It’s the perfect place for these birds as it’s isolated, there are many old barns and granaries for the owls to find sanctuary and the area is literally crawling with field mice, voles and the ubiquitous Richardson’s Ground Squirrel (gophers).  Both the owls and I love the place!

 

 1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

Most often I prefer my birds on natural perches but there’s just something about owls and old barn wood that appeals to me.  I think owls, particularly Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls, often just seem to ”fit” in many rustic settings.  In the image above, I like the relatively warm tones of the bird contrasting with the cooler tones of the black background and some of the wood.  This was taken with the sun fairly high in the sky so the eyes are in shade.

 

 

 1/250, f/7.1, ISO 250, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

This youngster was sitting in an east facing cutout of an old granary just as the sun came up.  The effect of the warm light on both bird and wood is fairly dramatic (no saturation added).  The bird is wet from the dew, thus the “spikiness” on the top of the head.  They look very different from the adults before they develop their namesake horns.

 

 

 1/200, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

 This shot was taken in shade and part of the bird is obscured but I like the suspicious look I’m getting from the owl.

 

 

 1/400, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

This photo appeals to me for two reasons.  It gives us a good look at both the front and back views of the species in one image and it so well illustrates reverse sexual dimorphism.  Sexual dimorphism is a difference in form between males and females in the same species.  In most birds, males are larger than females – one type of sexual dimorphism.   Not so with these owls and most other raptors.  In the image above, the female on the right is larger than the male on the left – thus reverse sexual dimorphism.  There is still debate as to precisely why this trait was selected for in many raptor species.

It’s virtually impossible to tell the sex of a Great Horned Owl unless you can see both the adult male and female at the same time and compare their relative sizes.

 

 

 1/400, f/13, ISO 400, 100-400 @ 110 mm, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

Usually the owls raise their family up high among the rafters in one of the granaries or barns but one year they raised them on the  floor of a cluttered old granary.  I was surprised that predators didn’t take advantage of the situation but these two owlets thrived.  GHO’s are known to be extremely aggressive in defending their nests and young and I suspect that fact may have played a role in the survival of these owlets.

Notice the eye color of these young birds compared to those of their parents.  The eyes of chicks tend to be yellowish hazel at 2-3 weeks old, compared to the bright lemon chrome yellow of adults.

 

 

 1/640, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

The fledglings can fly at a surprisingly early stage, when they still look too gangly, awkward and undeveloped to do so.  You never know where you will find one (or two), especially in the early morning.  They seem to make a concerted effort to explore the farm as soon and as often as possible.  It’s amazing where they turn up sometimes.

 

 

 1/400, f/8, ISO 320, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

 I found this fledgling on a rung of an old wooden ladder just as the sun was rising in the east.

 

 

 1/30, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

This was taken before the sun came up.  This youngster was perched on an old, junked motorcycle near the granaries that these birds feel so comfortable in.  Even though I had very little light for this shot, it’s one of my very favorites, for sentimental reasons.

 

 

 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

 This adult liked to perch on a large wooden pole that is one of the supports for an old children’s “fort”.

 

 

 1/25, f/16, ISO 400, 100-400 @ 285 mm, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

Both adults are perched on the remnants of that old fort as they wait for dark to go hunting.  The bird in the previous image was on top of the post on the left.

I really enjoy these owls every time I go “home”.  They seem to add a certain character to the farm that I appreciate and so does everyone else in the family.  It’s nice to know that in at least some situations, truly wild animals can coexist among humans – and even thrive.

Ron