Photographing Short-eared Owls in flight with naturally obtained (not baited) prey in a wild setting is near the pinnacle of my bird photography aspirations. Thankfully I’ve had that opportunity several times and I’ll be forever grateful.
I’ve posted another, somewhat similar image of this owl previously.
1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed this male several years ago at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Montana. The prey, a vole, is in near- silhouette, shaded as it is by the owls wings as they dip toward the sun. He was delivering breakfast to his mate and two chicks at the base of a sagebrush adjacent to a road. Despite the fact that there were many hundreds of acres of suitable and remote nesting habitat available, these birds chose their nest site very close to predictable intermittent traffic so they became quite acclimated to vehicles. I always photographed these birds from inside my pickup and never approached the nest or noticed signs that they were disturbed by my presence.
I’ve always wondered if their choice of nest site near a road was deliberate. The chicks of these ground-nesting owls would be extremely vulnerable to the coyotes that are so common in the valley but these coyotes are very shy of people and vehicles and they seldom come close to roads. Who knows…
This is one of the few times I had fairly decent light for the owls. Even though the male was hunting in daytime it was usually cloudy so typically I was shooting at significantly higher ISO’s. Here the background is sagebrush flats at the base of a mountain, in shade at top but in full sun at bottom.
The background color in this image will now provide visual meaning for me when I think of Zane Grey’s classic western novel, “Riders of the Purple Sage”.
Ron
PS – Sorry about the very late post today. It’s been a day of unpleasant technical issues.
Ron:
Nice photo and interesting speculation about the owls’ nesting site. Similar factors at play when wading birds select Gatorland as a rookery. Boardwalk around the rookery with lots of human traffic, but alligators in the water surrounding the rookery discourage predators that would prey on the chicks.
It amazes me that any ground-nesting bird can succeed, with all the predators combing the ground night and day.
Short-eared Owls can perform aerial reconnaissance and it’s likely they can recognize the areas coyotes avoid. Just as the coyotes have figured out that it’s dangerous to hang out around roads, the owls may have figured out that it’s relatively safe.
Ron, birds are way ahead of us grocery store shoppers who only have to look out for parked carts blocking aisles. I bet you are correct about where they nest. Cars give a little warning and I bet coyotes are steathy hunters. Lucky you to see this supurb hunter bring food home. Thanks.
Pueo in Hawaii. Lovely image of the short eared owl…….
I was thrilled to see a post from you (worrying is one of my talents) – and even more thrilled to see the subject. Ooh and ahh. And similar exclamations of pleasure.
And hiss and spit about the technical issues which I hope won’t resurface.
Technical issues – I feel for you, it is a constant hassel in our house.
Great shot Ron!
It wouldn’t surprise me if this Owl pair have associated car traffic with minimal predator presence or lack of predator investigation. Smart wild animals quickly pick up on how they can protect themselves and where food can be found.
It wouldn’t surprise me either, Dick. Can’t tell you how often I thought of that possibility during the many days I was with these owls and looking over all that perfect nesting habitat “out there” with the nest within about 40′ of the road.
What a lovely shot. Hope those technical woes are soon gone
Me too, Stephanie!!! Thanks.
My sympathy for your unpleasant technical issues, and my thanks for this beautiful shot of such a beautiful raptor!
I appreciate your sympathies, Chris – it’s been a trying day. But then we all have them, don’t we?
Sensational shot and interesting observations!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
I love this shot, Ron, and can imagine your excitement at getting this photograph! I wonder if the proximity to the road gives them enough access to road kill to compensate for the noise, etc.?
I don’t think so, Alison. I watched these owls for many days during several visits to the valley that summer and I saw them with prey many, many times. Without exception that prey (food) was voles. And there’s rarely road kill on the roads because those roads are so rough that if you drove fast enough to hit and kill anything your teeth would fall out from all the bumps and washboard.
Thanks Ron. You’ve given me a more vivid sense of the terrain and life on the road, to boot! 🙂
Alison, that place may be my favorite spot on earth but it’s not for the faint of heart or the spare tire deprived. So many stories to tell…