In previous posts of this male Barn Owl I mentioned that he had good hunting success while I was with him. Here’s evidence of that fact – three butt-shots in flight with prey.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 500 f/4, not baited, set up or called in
Usually when he caught a rodent (vole or mouse) he quickly gobbled it down on the spot. But this time he chose to look for a dining area more suitable to his preferences.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 500 f/4, not baited, set up or called in
The long tail indicates that this rodent was a mouse. Farmington is about the only place I shoot where I see mice as prey, instead of voles (though voles are also present). Farmington is a WMA bordered on the east and south by suburbia, which likely accounts for that fact.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, 500 f/4, not baited, set up or called in
These three images are in sequence – same bird, same mouse and same flight.
Anyone who follows my blog knows my general disdain for butt-shots. One of my long-standing goals has been to photograph Barn Owls in flight with prey. I’ve been quite successful at doing so with Short-eared Owls but until this day two weeks ago I’d failed miserably with Barn Owls. So, what happens? The owl takes off mostly away from me! I got 14 sharp shots as this bird lifted off and in each case I captured the rear view of both the owl and mouse. Drats!!
So I’ll simply say that this post is more about behavior than aesthetics and keep plugging away at my goal…
Ron
My favourite is the first one – a bit more mystery to it! Barn Owl plumage is beautiful.
Some days are like that but they are great shots Ron!
Charlotte
If only digital cameras had been around in my rehab days!
Hi Ron. As far as I am concerned, you can keep posting barn owl shots from any angle whatsoever. The textures and the gold-brown-white color variations are just gorgeous. Thanks again for sharing.
The patterns on the plumage are mesmerising. I have gone back and gazed at these images several times already, and can see it being today’s obsession.
Your butt shots have given me soooo much pleasure this morning. Which sounds very wrong when I look at it on the screen, but what the hell, you know what I mean.
Thank you.
Your comment about “my butt shots” cracked me up big time, Elephant’s Child! (as did the way I phrased my reply, which was accidental at first…)
I think the last shot shows the prey is a house mouse – small eyes, dark belly – rather than a deer mouse.
I agree, Pam. As I remember, deer mice have more white on them.
Hi Ron, I really like this sequence ( particularly the second shot) ! If not only for the “subtlety” of the subject matter, It tells the story without “hitting you over the head” IMO.
Thank you, John.
I, too, am bummed out by the baited snowy owl BS. going on…we’re having an irruption of them along the shore areas and anything goes to get the “perfect” shot. As one who loves to paint wild life, especially birds of prey, I really appreciate the butt shots. It’s hard to get, or find, good butt shots when you need them for accurate detail. Again, I feel so sorry for the mouse, though glad the owl has found one more meal. This is an amazing sequence and, again, shows the soft, subtle, velvety richness of a barn owl’s coloration and great feather detail (including that mysterious dark spot on the tail)…
Thanks, Patty. I noticed that dark spot, too. There’s some of the black on a couple of outer tail feathers too. I just looked through all my shots that show the tail spread from above and behind and couldn’t find any other Barn Owls that show this. Not sure what’s going on…
Nice shots Ron, I love seeing the intricate patterns of feathers on the topside of the owls wings. It is nice to see the owls getting wild prey. ( The past week or more I have been bummed seeing all the photos of baited Snowy Owls back east…).
One time I got very lucky at Farmington. I photographed a sequence of shots of a Barn Owl getting a sub-surface vole, and the owl flew directly over my truck while switching the prey from its beak to its talons. Although the photos came out great that time, the best part is the vivid memory I have that experience.
Good for you, Ed! I’d love to get such a sequence.
I couldn’t agree more about the baited Snowy Owls. I recently read that some of those owls aren’t even hunting any more – they’re just waiting at a perch where they know they’ll be fed by ethics-challenged photographers and they have so many store-bought mice presented to them that they can’t eat them all. “Nature photography” my gluteus maximus!
I think it was beginner’s luck when I got that sequence, I just parked just south of the hill and waited for about an hour — on my first of two visits there… so now I realize just how lucky I was :-).
The owl baiting for the Snowy Owls has me wondering how to influence human behavior away from this practice. I hate to say it, but I think it is a lost cause. The photographers who capture the incredible shots will probably never go back to more ethical, and more respected methods. Hopefully I am wrong. The instant gratification culture seems to be growing. I bet though that these baiters do not have valuable memories of their less than proud moments.
Your photos of the short-eared owls are incredible (along with your other photos). The SEOW photos are excellent, however I am willing to bet that your memory of witnessing those events are the most precious, and the feeling of achievement you must have for capturing those fleeting moments on the camera in perfect focus also precious? You are a great role model for what is achievable in ethical wildlife photograph Ron!
I suspect it was more than “beginner’s luck”, Ed. Usually we make (at least part) of our own luck.
I’m afraid I agree with you about this “lost cause” to some degree. Beginning photographers learning these unethical ways from other photographers will likely never change. However, I think we can keep the practice from becoming “acceptable” to some degree and prevent it from becoming as bad as it would without some of us speaking out about it.
And you’re right about my “memories” of the SEO’s. Just yesterday morning, on my way home from an unproductive photo outing, I was thinking about those Montana owls and the fascinating behaviors I witnessed. Those memories are precious!