Some up close and personal looks at a very handsome bird.
Just over three years ago I spent some time with this Short-eared Owl in Box Elder County. I don’t remember the exact circumstances of why I was as close to the bird as I was but with my teleconverter attached I couldn’t fit all of him in the frame so I took a few portraits before I removed it.
In this profile view I enjoy the detailed look at the facial disc, eye and bill. I think the clean and homogenous background works well with this type of shot because there’s nothing back there to pull our eye away from the owl so we can really concentrate on nothing but the bird.
One thing I typically do when I have a very sharp closeup photo of a bird is perform an extreme crop so I can see detail I’d never be able see in the field. I rarely post those highly cropped versions but this time I decided to make an exception.
If you’ve ever held an owl in the hand you know from experience how very soft their plumage feels compared to other birds and this highly detailed view gives us a hint as to why. Their feathers are extremely fine and not so “crisp” as other birds. This is something that bird photographers often notice in their photos because fine detail in owls can be more difficult to see in our images. A few other species like waxwings share that trait, though to a slightly lesser degree.
Head shots like these aren’t my typical fare. Usually I prefer to see the entire bird but occasionally I like to spread my photographic wings a little…
Ron
PS – I have to share one of the frustrations of bird photography with my viewers. We’ve had mostly gloomy skies for many months now but yesterday morning we actually had some decent light and I’d have loved to have gone out shooting but I was stuck at home. I had an appointment for a repairman to visit my home and fix an ongoing and highly mysterious furnace malfunction in my camping trailer. So stay home I did.
But in the end it was a wasted photographic opportunity for me because the repairman still can’t figure out for sure what’s wrong. He’ll come back again on Monday but I made damned sure it would be in the afternoon this time so I can still go out shooting in the morning if we have any light.
Another unwelcome visit from my old friend Murphy…
Beautiful Portrait of the Owl. It does look like fine fur. We could use some rain here – we have a 150,000 hectare fire burning a couple hundred miles north of here and it got so dark in the city in the middle of the day, from the smoke, that the streetlights came on. I think of all those people and wildlife getting caught in it.
Thanks, Jane. The smoke from Alberta wildfires is effecting some of us down here but I’m sure it doesn’t even come close to what you folks are enduring.
That close crop is absolutely stunning!!! Wow! Here’s hoping you can get out in the field (and come across some more SEOWs) soon! And that your trailer’s furnace is fixed quickly and without having to take out a 2nd mortgage. 😉
We started the “June Gloom” right on time today — totally overcast and drizzly; started clearing about 30 minutes ago.
I began thinking about that 2nd mortgage after paying his bill yesterday, Marty. Sadly there’ll be another bill on Monday.
I remember the June Gloom from when I lived down there.
Yeesh! Sorry to hear that!
I spoke to soon about the cleaning — that lasted only about an hour or so. We’re socked in again.
Murphy and his rules plague us all.
Love the owl portraits.
And that incredibly touchable looking soft plumage.
Megathanks, another most excellent start to a difficult day.
I’m convinced Murphy has a special attraction for me. Thank you, EC.
Ron, fascinating photos and informative narrative. Those feathers must be very fine to touch. Thank you
Thank you, Alice.
Wow, some of those feathers above the beak look like fur. The perimeter of the facial disk looks rope-like. The closeup also leaves me pondering eye anatomy: yellow iris, black cornea?
I thought of that “rope-like” similarity too, Lyle.
Spectacular, Ron! Simply spectacular! Most of my experience with Shorties is at dusk on a frigid winter day, with biting winds and poor visibility. I envy your ability to see them where they’re breeding! Thanks for posting such a handsome portrait.
Sadly most of them apparently chose some other area to breed in this year, Diane. That’s typical of shorties but frustrating for me.
Beautiful bird you should do more close-ups. I always blow your photos up and look closely at the detail. I enjoy looking at the feather condition and sometimes I can see mites and mite damage. Short-eared always look out of focus due to the soft feathers around the face and neck. I miss seeing the short-eared very much this year.
Sorry about the double frustration. I feel your pain, seems like the sunny mornings I am stuck at work. Weekends roll around and it is cloudy. I had the rack and pinon replaced on my car and bought new tires this week, Sunday looks like it might have good light so I hope to be off birding tomorrow morning.
Maybe we’ll run in to each other “out there”, April. It would be fun to see you again.
Gorgeous photos Ron. Beautiful sharp portraits of a very attractive bird. Hope your heating problems are soon solved so that you can be out there with uninterrupted photo time.
So do I, Everett. So do I!
Sooooo BEAUTIFUL!!! The detail is wonderful….and those golden eyes!!!
Thanks very much, Patty.
Ron, can you describe where the actual port to the ear canal would be in these pictures? I know the facial disk is for the purpose of focusing sound waves to this port but I have no idea where it is.
Art, it’s easier to link you to a photo than it is to describe. Check out this Northern Saw Whet’s ear openings. They’re huge!
https://allyouneedisbiology.wordpress.com/tag/facial-disk/
But keep in mind that owl ear openings are placed asymmetrically on the head to facilitate directional hearing.
WOW! That ear opening is HUGE! Thx for the link…… 🙂
Nice informative link, but the barbwire shot made me ill, all too common.
Lol @ Murphy! His law gets in the way often enough! It figures that the repairman would come on the one sunny day you’ve had in a month and a half!
Your owl portraits are beautiful.
Thanks, Shelley. Ol’ Murph and I are much too well acquainted.
I had the pleasure of being very close to an educational owl (Mexican ?? owl). The feathers are so fine. We were not petting her or anything like that. Just giving her some time out around strangers as part of her training. This is a beautiful bird, indeed.
Intimate time with any owl is precious time, Arwen. I’m glad you had the experience.
Ron. Check for my comments down lower. Somehow my comments appear to be posted as a sub-comment below those of Kris Eberhard. Not sure how that happened, but look there of if you have a way to move them to their proper place, people may see them easier. Thanks.
Dan, I can’t “move” your comment and still have it connected to your name and I think that’s important.
But I encourage all of my readers to scroll down and read Dan’s first comment. I found it highly interesting.
The interplay of appointments and rain is ironic and frustrating sometimes. The good news is that you always have something wonderful to share.
Thank you, Nancy. I wanted to make yesterday’s appointment in the afternoon but with his schedule he said he “might” be here in the morning and by the time I learned that he wouldn’t arrive until later in the day it was too late to go shooting.
Absolutely beautiful closeup! Thanks for sharing!
One thing for sure be thankful you are not south where it is 100+ degrees, I sure am. Here it is June 1 and although I’ve seen a moth here and there, NOT one butterfly yet around where we live. Probably due to the cool, cold, cloudy, rainy, windy weather. Sorry just discouraged!
Dick, I’m surprised. I’ve been seeing butterflies for weeks now, though not in great numbers yet.
I also think we don’t have the right flowers in bloom yet. Spring bulbs have flowered, but hummers and Orioles are drinking sugar water like crazy. Our bush lilac, not the tall common lilac which has been in bloom, is not in flower yet. That lilac is a week to 10 days behind past years and is usually a draw for Tiger Swallowtails. I think we will catch up, we are just behind for now. I just miss the butterflies, what can I say?!
What precise detail– I was fascinated to see that the facial disc “markings” are actually distinct rows of differentiated feathers– your camera is a wonderful teaching tool !
Thanks, Kris. My high quality lens gets more of the credit than my camera but they’re both part of the equation.
Wonderful shots and as you say, they allow us to see details missed by even the best of our binoculars. Thanks for sharing.
Those soft feathers are important. In most birds there are small barbs on the feathers that project up into the plumage which prevent the feathers (mostly in the wing, back and tail) from slipping past one another, allowing for a more efficient flow of air and thus, more efficient flight. These barbs are absent in owls and the feathers do slip past adjacent feathers, disrupting the airflow and decreasing flight efficiency. The tradeoff is silent flight so owls can listen for prey without the noise of their own wings interfering. This loss of flight efficiency means that there are few long-distance migrants in owls. Those that do migrate do so in short hops. The one exception is the Flammulated Owl which goes to Mexico each winter. But, a Flammulated Owl does not have silent flight. Northern Pygmy-Owls are also nearly silent but you can hear their wings if they happen to fly close to you. Isn’t nature wonderful?
You’ve provided excellent information here, Dan! I knew some of it but had never made the connection between silent flight and the fact that migration is mostly lacking in owls. I also didn’t know that Flammulated Owls don’t have silent flight.
I’ll go back and read your comment several times so more of it will sink in. These days I’m finding it takes a little longer for my “brain cement” to dry 🙂
Ohhhhhhh – just Beautiful! 🙂 Certainly brings out a softer side of the owl yet no question it’s an owl. Their soft feathers are amazing to the touch! Didn’t realize waxwings are the same way to some extent – would explain their smooth, dusty appearance…… 🙂 VERY frustrating with the furnace! 🙁 Still smoky here……..:(
Judy, Owl feathers are so soft and fine that they sometimes confound camera focusing systems, making it hard to lock precise focus on them.
I’m heartbroken by the smoke up there so early in the season.
Simply beautiful! Those feather do not look like feathers…more like very fine down or silk. I can imagine to very sort texture. Truly a magnificent creature. Thank you for sharing these. ❤️
That is soft texture…I dislike ‘auto spell check’ guessing what word I’m going to use next…
“Those feather do not look like feathers…more like very fine down or silk”
I agree with that observation, Kathy. Thank you.