A double dose of serendipity with the two related events being separated from each other by eight years. To the day.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
There’s a story behind this photo and I hope you’ll bear with me while I tell it below. It isn’t typical of the stories I often tell about my photos. In fact I really don’t remember anything about the events leading up to the behavior documented in this image. Hell, I don’t even remember the image.
Obviously we have two Short-eared Owls in flight. One of them has a vole in its beak and the other owl is lusting after the rodent and in pursuit of its “owner.” I think it’s a neat behavioral shot and the image quality isn’t bad either. Both birds are sharp enough (that’s never easy at long focal lengths), we can see the face and eye of one owl and nearly so on the other, the vole is obvious enough to explain the intention of the pursuing bird and I like the contrasting flight postures.
Based on its dark face I believe the owl in pursuit is a juvenile so the adult is probably one of its parents. perhaps deliberately enticing the youngster to practice its flight skills. If so the adult would have landed nearby and handed over the vole to its offspring.
But ya know what? I can’t remember taking this shot or even having it! All I know for sure is that it was taken on Antelope Island eight years ago today, on June 28, 2011.
- Ser·en·dip·i·ty – noun: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
So what are the two serendipitous events I referred to in my title? And why were they exactly eight years apart?
The first one should be obvious – getting such an interesting behavioral shot in the first place and having it be of better than decent quality. That took a huge dose of luck. But the second reason, the one I’m so blown away about, needs some explanation. And I’ll probably be too wordy about it but here goes.
Occasionally (only rarely, really) I go back into my files to see what species I photographed on this date in previous years so I know where to go looking for them now. That’s what I chose to do for this post and just by chance I chose to look in my archives for June 28, 2011 where I found this photo. I don’t remember taking it or ever seeing it and even though I apparently processed it once before (based on evidence that’s difficult to explain) I have never posted it to my blog or used it for anything else that I can find or remember. I find that hard to believe because I like the image so much but apparently it’s true. I searched all my blog post files and even did a Google reverse image search and no evidence of it exists anywhere other than my original RAW file.
And it probably would have remained in limbo forever if, out of about 4000 days to choose from, I hadn’t chosen to look in my files from June 28, 2011. I call that a serendipitous event in the extreme.
Makes me wonder how many more hidden gems I have in my files. And if I’ll ever find any of them if they do exist.
Ron
Superb photo! I am glad you chose to look back through your files… I hope its a regular habit!
Glad it did not met the delete button.
Me too.
Haha, what a shot! Nice gold in your bucket of didn’t-make-the-cuts.
I enjoyed your explanation of the setting and I think the expression on the chaser reads true to that. And I love that flight posture.
Great moment to capture!
Thanks very much, Dave.
I’m with EC — I’d love to go through your “trash.” I guarantee that your worst day is far better than I could get even on my best. 😉
Every time I see or hear the word “serendipity,” I’m brought back to the 1970s local KNBC show of the same name. It was a Saturday “must” in our household.
It’s a big pile of trash to go through, Marty. You wouldn’t have time for anything else, for weeks!
She would have many hands to make light work of it Ron. Many, many hands. And hours of fun.
I’ll supply the beer. Aussie beer if you prefer and if I can get it.
New medication means no booze for me at the moment. I strongly suspect the company would be intoxicating enough.
🙂
I’ll have EC’s booze! 😉 And as far as “free time” goes, I have lots! The only thing I have to do is clean the house and I’m MORE than happy to put that off. 🙂 As long as I can get over to the shelter a couple of days/week, I’m good.
As you know I, and some of your other regular readers/stalkers, would love to go dumpster diving in your discards. And, as this image shows, in ALL of your files.
Serendipity is a wonderful word (and thing). And owls (like rainbows) always make my day.
I’ll admit, it was nice to have my dumpster diving pay off this time. Thanks, EC.
Ron, glad you found this old photo, which is a great one. I don’t have the thousands of photos you have in your collection, but I still like to go back and look at old photos. They bring back such great memories, be they happy or sad. Thank you, Ron
Alice, I go back and look at old photos occasionally but not very often. I may have to alter that habit.
Lovely!
Thanks, Sallie.
Serendipity! Synchronicity! And other five syllable words of joy. 😀
Thank you, Arwen.
Thanks for not posting this back in 2011 since I wasn’t aware of your website back then. So, a happy happenstance for all Feathered Photography followers new and old. On the other hand, shame on you for not posting such a great photo immediately after coming back from the field.
Shame on me indeed, Lyle…
You must have had a lot of good owl photos that day, and just not chosen this one to post. We’re lucky that’s the case, as it is an amazing behavioral shot.
Nancy, I got some very interesting behavioral shots that morning but none of them were particularly “good”, except this one – which is part of the reason I don’t understand how I “lost” this photo.
Nice action photo Ron, and quite possibly it is indeed the scenario you have applied. Not surprising that you have forgotten a photo taken eight years ago considering the thousands of photos you have taken during that time. Maybe someday if and when you retire from actively pursuing these great photos you will have time to go through all your photos and find all sorts of forgotten gems.
Whew, going through all of those photos would take some time, Everett. An extended treasure hunt of sorts…
Serendipity it is! ❤️ What a great photo…love the circling appearance of the pursuer…like ‘Whoa…what do we have here!’ I really like his face also. It seems a bit darker…probably just the angle and lighting but it is nice. Going back into old photos is something I do for the same reason but also to check on the phenology of plants also. Makes checking records more interesting than just reading notes.
Kathy, I don’t think the darker face of the juvie is the lighting. Juveniles of this species have much darker faces than adults.
REALLY cool photo, Ron and fun that you found it exactly 8 years later! 🙂 Capturing the chase and in good light is amazing let alone pulling it up a long forgotten photo again..:) Probably many “gems” in your archives since you are prolific when it comes to taking the photos and have been at it a LONG time. 😉
I don’t know how many there are in my archives but there’s probably at least a few. Thanks, Judy.