I believe two of these images from yesterday morning may be among my personal best shots ever of a juvenile of this species taking off and in flight.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I encountered this youngster soon after dawn yesterday morning in northern Utah. The bird was partially side lit but I couldn’t maneuver my pickup to improve the light angle so in most of my shots the right eye had no light on it at all – it was just a black, bottomless pit due to their deeply-set eyes. But then for a second or two it looked slightly further to my right which put partial light on that eye. It made a big difference. I’m never fond of metal fence posts as perches but this rusty one is a little less offensive than most.
I always enjoy seeing these juveniles, partly because they’re so much darker than the adults.
After taking a few shots with my teleconverter attached I removed it in case of takeoff. Especially after my posts of the last two days I’d have been embarrassed if I clipped or cut off its wings when it took flight!
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
And this time I didn’t.
I caught the wings in a great position, the bird’s feet are still pushing off from the perch (which I like) and I have a good look at the face and eyes. This direction of takeoff was just about perfect given the challenging sidelight.
The near monotone colors in these images may not appeal to everyone but I think it’s an interesting effect and just a little bit different.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
The next shot in the burst just may be my favorite juvenile SEO flight shot of mine. I have mixed feelings about the fence post but I love the flight posture with the nice head turn in my direction and I think the subtle layers of light and color in the background add strength to the image. We even get a little glimpse of the alulae on both wings.
It’s a long drive for me to get to this area so I haven’t been there for quite a while and I was afraid I’d missed the juvies. Both adults and juveniles tend to disperse far and wide after the youngsters become fully independent so I was delighted to find this handsome young owl still in the area. It’s quite likely to be my last one of the year.
Ron
PS – For regular readers who may be interested, typing this post was much easier last night and this morning than it was the day before – no blood on the keyboard, very little pain and far fewer mistakes. The bandages on my finger still tend to make typing cumbersome and mistake-prone but I’m both surprised and relieved by the quick improvement.
Great complimentary pallet, Ron. Gotta love the boque of the 500. I guess I need to get out of the mountains for an owl fix. …and a cheese burger.
It would be fun to see you out there again, Neil.
Beautiful series!
Thanks, LS.
Glad you are feeling better! Blood on the keyboard, that had to have been tough!
Do you know what this owl was looking at? His focus seems to me to be very sharp!
Beautiful shots, love all the shots especially the last shot.
Dick, while it was perched and turned it’s head a little to look over my right shoulder I don’t know what grabbed it’s attention. Sure glad it did, no matter the reason.
Ron, I absolutely love these photos of one of my favorite birds. I think the background works well and enhances the colors of this beautiful owl.
Hope you continue to mend and sorry for your set back. Sounds like you need to mend on several fronts. Not easy.
Thank you, Ron
Thanks, Alice.
I’m no expert on photography, just know what I like, & I thought these were great. Glad to know you are on the mend with your finger. Laura, for heavens sake take care of yourself. The dust bunnies & pet hair will be there when you can handle it.
Thank you, Sarah.
Like Laura, I quibble at the monochrome comment – but not enough to stop me revelling in the images. WHAT a glorious bird. And shots. I am so glad that you left your trigger finger intact (and that you seem to be healing quickly).
Thanks, EC. Found out today that it isn’t going to heal as quickly as I hoped.
I love the tones of these photos. The color of the background, the perch…it all makes the image so stunning!
Thanks very much, Arwen.
And yet another glorious series of shots, but I’m back to that ridiculously redundant thing again, aren’t I? Nothing much has changed around here…LOL! But I have a nit to pick with you this time. I’m going to quibble with the idea of monochrome. While the colors are mostly on the brown spectrum, they’re far from monochrome given the red, yellow and orange hues playing with the browns all over the place, and those browns ranging from sand to dark chocolate, making the overall colors POP! Maybe you have to study the color spectrums in a redtail hawk to fully appreciate that? 😉
For those of you wondering where I’ve been, I’ve been struggling with severe lower back pain, which is just no picnic. Horizontal is the posture of the day, which is, at best, annoying. On the bright side, I’m caught up on my napping for a year or two. On the downside, I’m going to have to chase the roving bands of dog hair and dust sometime soon (preferably before they’re up to my neck).
At the same time, I’ve been mired in the bogs of computer and phone Hell–why did they both die on the same day? I’m still there, but crawling ever forward to the outskirts of town. The combination is just a hoot, having nothing to do with the wonderfulness of owls.
That’s why I said “near” monotone, Laura. IMO, it’s close enough to monotone for me to call it that…
I sympathize with your back pain because I know what it’s like. I hope yours improves soon!
Oh and I forgot to mention that you should probably stop to think before using sharp objects like knives. That said, I’ve nicked body parts with my sharp scissors while cleaning bird food. SIGH! Somehow I think it’s impossible for us humans to get through life with all the original equipment, but better to clip wings/feet photographically than to sever body parts with the attendant bloodletting involved! Leave the bloodletting to the experts–raptors and other predators 😉
Yup, I probably should…
I am so sorry Laura. And of course your ‘puter and your phone died while your back was giving you grief. They were following the rule and dying at a time guaranteed to add to other grief. I hope you are starting to mend.
Beautiful photos.
Thanks, April.
Sensational Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
Wow! Jaw-dropping beauty! The owl gets DOD points for being perched on just two corners of the post in the first shot and being able to successfully push off that little real estate in the second. Plus, he’s young enough to still be a bit of a “fuzz butt,” which makes me smile. Your third shot is a stunner — love the fanned tail and the way the wings look like a giant cloak. I can hear your wheels going about the perch in that shot, but I quite like it as it puts the owl’s position in perspective and fills in a little background narrative to the story.
So glad the finger is healing quickly! (Autocorrect on my iPad is being a little 😈 today — it changed healing to eating, so I leave you with the image of your finger munching away on chocolate donuts. Om nom nom. 😜)
Thanks very much, Marty. Yup, that perch is about the only nit I have and it’s a small one at that.
Just got home from the Dr. about my finger. The injury is worse than I thought. Damn…
Oh NO! I’m so sorry!
Beautiful images! Excellent timing.
Thanks very much, Keith.
I’m happy to know that you are doing so much better. I love the monochrome (as usual). For me it just helps to bring out the colors and patterns on the bird. These are all beautiful shots, even if the light wasn’t perfect for the first shot. IMHO, the light is perfect for the two flight shots.
“IMHO, the light is perfect for the two flight shots.”
I think it was too, Susan. But I was extremely lucky that the bird took off in the exact direction it did. Another angle one way would have put most of the owl in shade and the other way would have had the bird flying partly away from me. Occasionally things all come together but not very often.
These are spectacular Ron. I’ve been on the road and not on the web. I will need to look at earlier posts to find out about the fingers.
Thanks, Dave. It wouldn’t bother me if you didn’t go back to find out. I was in pure stupid mode when it happened…
Wow, what a comeback! Cut off your fingertip one day, post your best SEO flight shots the next. Way to keep on, keeping on!
Beautiful shots, glad you’re back in the swing.
“Wow, what a comeback!”
Perfect for the situation, Dave. I didn’t think of it as a comeback but you’re absolutely right.
Spectacular, Ron! Simply spectacular! Shorties are a winter bird in my neck of the woods, so I never get to see the youngsters. Thanks for getting up at o-dark-30 to capture these images!
Thanks, Diane. I’m an early bird by nature but those trips up north kick even my butt, in more ways than one.
Exceptional photos Ron and the owl was no slouch modeling for you. Take good care of that finger.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Yup, that young owl deserves much of the credit. Thanks, Everett.
Glad to hear your finger is doing better Ron! I do have to agree, I think that is the best SOEO photo I have seen yet! The dynamic wing position, as well as the background and the catch light in the eye all contribute to an amazing shot!
Good to know you like that shot as much as I do, Xavier. A lot of luck involved but then there always is with that type of photo.
Absolutely stunning, Ron! 🙂 🙂 🙂 The warm morning light sets them off beautifully and “those eyes”! VERY little night time this time of year here – sunrise VERY early for sure! 😉 Glad the finger isn’t hurting too bad – hopefully it’s not just “dead” nerves that will come back to life and give you more grief! 🙁
Judy, I remember those long Montana summer days very well. As a very young kid my mother would sometimes make me go to bed when it was still light and I hated that but I’ve always loved everything else about it.
Winter days are sure short though. Going to school and coming home in the dark (we had to allow for drive time because the farm was 17 miles out of town) wasn’t much fun.
These are absolutely beautiful! I cannot chose the best one; all three are perfection. 😍 What was the time…it looks to be quite early. The sun seems to be low enough for just that ‘golden hue’ to was over and paint the skies and the owl. To me monotone is the ideal…there is no color competition. You are one lucky man to have been there at this moment to capture these. Love them.
Kathy, it was 6:53 AM, just a few minutes after the sun came up over the mountain (my favorite time to photograph birds for exactly the reason you describe). With the sun that low it also puts good light on those deeply-sunk eyes. You don’t get that later in the day.
It sure means getting up early for me though, because of the long drive (90 minutes on the road just to get there).
So fabulous. I am glad you could make the trip. I went on Friday and found two vehicular victims on the road, so your photos make that a little easier to bear. The lighting is amazing and your clarity is so enviable. Congratulations on a spectacular series.
Thanks, Suzanne. I watched for road killed owls in the area but thankfully I didn’t see any. But a friend found one several days ago, perhaps one of the same birds you found. So many of them die that way, especially the young ones. I wish people would slow down!