Taking a mulligan.
After yesterday’s post of a Short-eared Owl in flight that was soft I wanted to demonstrate that I can actually take a sharp photo of one. Besides I posted this shot over five years ago and looking back at it I don’t like the way I processed it back then so I wanted to take a mulligan on it and have a do-over.
I like this version better, in part because I cropped more tightly on the owl.
1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I got a series of shots as the male Short-eared Owl flew in my direction for a few seconds before he veered off to our left to deliver the vole to his family at their nest. In this low light I was lucky and very happy that most of them were sharp.
All of the photos in the series have this background that I love – the shaded Centennial Mountains above and sagebrush flats below. I really like the layers of blue and sagebrush green back there. This photo will likely look familiar to some viewers, in part because I’ve posted other shots from the series in the past. But this one has direct eye contact and raised wings to set it apart.
That aggressive direct stare from the owl makes me think that he’s almost daring me to try to steal his vole.
I like the series of shots well enough that I have a large canvas print of one of them hanging in my living room. It reminds me of one of my favorite experiences with birds in the field.
Ron
Love the light which makes those spectacular wings almost translucent. For a variety of reasons I had a rotten night. Your owl made a huge difference (I should have given up and got up earlier).
Megathanks.
Hope you can get a nap in today to at least partially make up for it. Thanks, EC.
Spectacular shot!
Thanks, Tony
I love the look he gives you, the stare, the look of defiance as he flies toward you, like “so what are you going to do about it” look. What a great shot processed beautifully!
All I can do recently is enjoy your fantastic shots – damn weather we are having is making it damn difficult to shoot, and especially haven’t seen a single butterfly yet! If this is what we have to look forward to it is going to be a hell of a long summer.
Many thanks for sharing, I’d be in a real depressed mood if it wasn’t for you and Mia’s blog.
It’s been “damn weather” here for a long time and it’s supposed to continue for the foreseeable future. Can’t remember the last time I went out shooting so I feel your pain, Dick. Thank you.
The difiant stare, tge backlit feather edges, the huge wing span and the luckless vole, all makes this a real winner…(I sure hope that vole is either dead or numbed!!!)
Patty, If I remember correctly I could see a catch light in the vole’s eye in one of the shots so it may have still been alive. That’s the way it is “out there”. Thank you.
Magnificent shot! I can even see the whiskers on poor Mr. Vole. I especially like the wing position and flared tail. Is this the SEOW with the rather impatient mate? Asking because a few of his feathers look a bit disheveled.
Yup, this is him, Marty. Once he waited too long to deliver a vole so she came out of the nest and took it away from him, then took it to the two youngsters.
My fave of this image is how the wing glows with the light. Just pretty!
I like that also, Arwen.
Gorgeous photo! I’m glad you reached back into your files so we could see it.
I’m glad I did too, Nancy. I do like this version better.
Photography at its best.
Thank you, Lyle.
Once in a lifetime type shot Ron. If I got it, it would be hanging in my living room as well. Is this the image on your wall?
I had a great horned fly toward me once in Central California and managed to get off a few in focus shots (nothing as good as this) and the few seconds (maybe three or four) of that experience are etched in my memory. It would take a lot to break down those synapses.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks very much, Frank.
No, this photo isn’t the one I have hanging on my wall. It’s the fourth image down in this post:
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2018/09/27/ornithology-foundation-analysis-and-application-a-mini-review/
I find that background most appealing…the layering of colors gives such interest vs the plain blue. The photo is spectacular; I especially like the way the white feathers seem almost luminescent. ‘Nonexistent’ is definitely a word I use with SEO’s sightings for me…not a single one since last October. I still find myself looking even though I know that are off to breeding grounds. Hope springs eternal. 😍
Kathy, I believe I’ve only seen one SEOW so far this year. In past years I’ve seen dozens by now. But they’re nesting territories are known to be unpredictable from year to year – more so than most raptors.
Excellent! 🙂 Even the vole is sharp! 😉 Wingspan relative to the bird is always amazing to me – how do they get them folded up? 😉 Background of the owl and the owl all come together VERY well for this shot. On a different note I discovered male Orioles are VERY vicious fighters also!
“Even the vole is sharp!”
Yes, that’s important, Judy. I was also glad to get fairly decent light on that little rodent. In direct sunlight prey carried in talons is often (usually?) in deep shade from the raptor and almost or completely in silhouette.
Shazam! That one must feel good.
It does, Jamie, without question.
Such a huge wing span and such keen eyes! And the owl is pretty spectacular, too.:) All of your shots are so beautiful, and I get really geeky about what a huge fan I am of what you see and capture. Thanks for sharing. Now if I can find one of those beauties to photograph.
Your “geeky” comment made me smile, Suzanne. I wish you luck with finding a cooperative SEOW. For me they’ve been almost nonexistent so far this year.