This male Short-eared Owl was taking off from the sagebrush plains of Montana’s Centennial Valley.
1/1600. f/5.6. ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in
I got three shots in the sequence that I liked well enough to keep. At lift-off he was heading mostly in my direction. I was shooting from my pickup and the vehicle didn’t intimidate him in the least.
1/2000. f/5.6. ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in
Almost immediately he began to veer off to my left…
1/1600. f/5.6. ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in
and then gave me a side view as he flew off to hunt voles for his family (female and two chicks).
I’ve never posted this sequence before because the very low light forced me to shoot at ISO 800 which is really pushing it for my Canon 7D so there’s some resulting noise in the images. I don’t like to use noise reduction but I’ve applied it to the backgrounds only for this presentation.
Like I said in my last post, every image has strengths and weaknesses and the low light I was dealing with (especially for flight shots) forced me into some compromises for these images. They may not be perfect but I’m still happy to have them.
Ron
Simply beautiful! Love it when the owl turns to give you the side view.
Okay, just so Len doesn’t feel too “noodle challenged”. Why the duct tape?
Wally, I’ve found that the “naked noodle” squeaks a little but the tape mostly prevents that. In addition, the noodles tend to be some outrageously bright colors which the tape covers up.
I think you got great results. Now that you mention the noodle, what I actually thought you used with the 500mm was a Wimberley Head, but that would take too much time to set up, I suppose. You could miss a shot trying to set it up, and scare the bird in the meantime. These images could be put together as a triptych and look nice too. Very nice sequence!
Maria, I do have a Wimberly that I use with the tripod occasionally but most of the time (by far) I’m shooting from my pickup.
Hi Ron,
One more question. Would you please tell me what the noodle is. I tried to google it with no sucess.
Len
They’re toys kids use around swimming pools, Len – usually to bash each other over the head. But they make great window supports for photography. Just cut them to size, slit lengthwise to fit over the winow and cover with duct tape. They’re cheap, longlasting and much better than anything else I’ve ever used.
You can see them in place on my pickup here. https://featheredphotography.com/blog/2011/08/29/a-license-to-bird/
In looking at these beautiful images,I’m constantly amazed at how long the short-eared Owl legs are ! Nice sequence Ron.
So am I, John. When they stretch out they REALLY stretch out.
Hi Ron,
I can’t tell you what a joy it is to see your pictures. Thank you so much for including your comments and camera info.
I have a Canon 7D and strugle with the noise. What program did you use to remove the noise in your photo? What lens
are you using and are you hand holding or using a tripod? You often say you are shooting from your truck. Do you use
any support and if so what do you use?
Thank you again for your wonderful work and for sharing.
Len Boeder
Thanks, Len. I used the NR filter in Photoshop for noise reduction. I’m using the Canon 500mm f/4 with attached 1.4 tc (listed in my techs under the photos). I was shooting from my truck with a “Noodle” on the window for support which is the way I nearly always shoot.
Thank you !
Len
Boy do I feel stupid!
Thank you.
Len