On my Montana trips Short-eared Owls are always one of my primary target species but sadly I seldom see them in recent years. This bird was one of two owls I found in almost five days of searching at the end of last month.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4tc, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in
The owl was hunting along an old highway near the border of Montana and Idaho and as it did so it rested between forays on old wooden fence posts that lined the road. The image was taken soon after it took off from one of those posts and it’s the same bird as in my post of July 8 – in fact the image is the next click after the photo in that post.
Despite the fact that the owl is already slightly past me I enjoy the shot because of the dynamic flight posture (including wing and tail positions), the darker background and the way the image illustrates the effort required to gain full flight from a static perched position.
Ron
Absolutely gorgeous!
Stunning, beautiful, powerful. And rather a lot of other superlatives. Thank you.
Thanks very much, Elephant’s Child.
Beautiful shot Ron and a beautiful Owl. I hope all the owls that left are able to return soon.
Me too, Debbie. I hope to make another trip up there soon and look for them once again…
Okay, I admit to being the dork who thinks, “Mail!” when I see an owl. 😀 Too much Harry Potter. But you can see the air push along the upper row of feathers as they poof just a bit out from the air coming up against the bottom of the wing.
Arwen, that wing shape you describe makes a perfect air foil for flight.
And it is easy to see where our own aviators got wing design for planes. 😀
I find the body proportions of this bird very interesting – it seems like it is mostly wings and tail… This is another shot where one doesn’t need a video to understand the effort the bird is putting into flight.
Interesting observation, Susan and I suspect that you’re right. They only weigh about 12 ounces and I’m sure the buoyant flight they’re known for is at least partly due to the large surface area of their flight feathers relative to their body weight.
Hi! Love the great photo! When I was about 21 years! I was fishing in a small stream and did not see the baby Owl(a little gray fuzz ball) in the bushes! All of a sudden the mother hit me full force more or less on the top of my head front to back and torn a small path and my hair to this day parts there! I respect them and still love them! Keep up the good shots! Have a great day
That sounds like an experience you’ll never forget, Hummingbbird Lover. From the behavior you describe it might have been a Great Horned Owl – they can be quite aggressive in defense of their young.
I love this shot! It gives an excellent look at the wing structure. I’ve never seen a short-eared owl except in photos. I hope to someday remedy that.
Sharon, I hope you get to see a SEO one day. Such fascinating and beautiful raptors!
What a wonderful flight shot Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.