This was one inquisitive owl.
- All six photos below are presented in the order they were taken.
I found “him” along the causeway to Antelope Island almost exactly seven years ago, on January 28, 2013. There was about 6″ of fresh snow on the ground so he was much easier to spot than usual. He was perched on rabbitbrush and “stickier” than usual, most likely because of the cold and snow. The background is the snow-covered mud flats of the Great Salt Lake so all of these images are very high key which appeals to some but not to others.
Very soon after I got my lens on him he looked up at what must have been another bird flying overhead but I didn’t see it. It almost looks like he’s slyly checking me out but owls can’t move their eyes in their heads so he must have been looking upward.
He was extremely alert. He looked horizontally in every direction imaginable with that typical jerky movement of their heads. He looked to his left…
to his right…
and occasionally directly at me. After all, there’s no question that I’m a suspicious looking character.
Then as he became more relaxed in my presence he repeated the process but this time he was looking downward as he surveyed the snow covered ground around him. I’d say he’s now switched from wary mode to hunting mode. He looked left…
and right and in all other directions but most of the time I couldn’t see his eyes well so I didn’t include any of those photos. He hunted from the rabbitbrush without success so eventually he flew off.
I rarely see Short-eared Owls in winter and almost never on or near the island so this was a memorable experience for me. Shorties are nomadic by nature and only a partial migrant but some are present year round at mid-latitudes so you never know where you’ll find them from year to year. Here in northern Utah we’re the border of their winter range and where they’re found year round so in winter especially they’re always hit or miss (mostly miss).
During breeding season around here they’re what I call a boom or bust species because of their nomadic nature. Some years in certain regions they seem to be almost everywhere while they’re breeding but in following years there’s nary a shorty to be found in the same area.
For bird photographers and birders alike they’re a challenging species.
Ron
A stunning group of pics. You and the shorty are to be congratulated.
My prayers go out to Elephants Child. God bless every living thing.
This is such a cool series of images. Owls rock and rule.
Book…Work…Yikes!
Duck work like a duck and hope you have lotsa luck.
My heart goes out to EC, that conflagration is going on forever down under, best wishes for an end to the inferno soon. I drive every day through the aftermath of our blazes in Sonoma from 2017, still chilling to see the devastation, 50 years more to make it disappear.
To end on an upbeat, I was just treated to good fortune allowing me to capture a nice series with a lovely White-tailed Kite near my home, I needed that, its been a rough go for the past 5 months.
Cheers!
I really like the white background. 😀
Also to Elephants Child – my heart is grieving for your land and all the creatures and flora that reside there. I wish for your safety and the swiftest possible end to this tragedy.
Looked again…WOW!!!
LOVE this MAGNIFICENT SERIES!!! Each one is a winner!!! Theses are such wonderful essence of owl images…a feast of owls…
Thanks very much, Patty.
AMEN!!! Sharing some of that angst…for ALL in Australia…2-legged,4′, winged, those who creep and crawl, big, small, in-between, the standing people(plants), indigeonous people …All, especially YOU, ELLIE BABY!!! ❤️👍🍀
I love these photos! What an inspiring collection of an exquisite bird in it’s element! Ever think of making a book of your incredible portfolio. (Or are books old hat?) I’d definitely buy it – for the educational photos and the aesthetically beautiful ones. Thanks for sharing
Nope, there’ll be no book out of me. Folks keep suggesting it but I’m retired, lazy and a book would be too much work!
Ha-Ha! I hear ya. And I’m still working 🙂
Such artful images! When I lived in Dallas, Texas we had an invasion of this species one winter. It was an amazing experience.
An invasion of shorties. Doesn’t get much better than that.
LOVING THIS SERIES.
Any day with an owl in it is immediately made better. Thank you.
Today’s update. A State of Emergency has been declared. A line of flames is visible from our front veranda. A bigger line of flames than when I went to bed last night. On a positive front while it is already hot and expected to get very hot today there is no wind at the moment. I expect to see/hear the water bombers when it is light. And thank them. I am safe for the moment, but anxious.
I despair for the loss of human and animal habitat and lives. I hope for more rain in your forecast!
We have rain forecast for tomorrow. A forty percent chance of 1-5mm. An incontinent pigeon could do better than that. And yes, I despair and I grieve.
“An incontinent pigeon could do better than that.”
Despite your woes you still maintain your distinctive sense of humor, EC. That’s saying something…
I think that my sense of humour is more integral to me than my backbone.
Here’s hoping it’s at least an elephant sized piss! 😉 Stay safe EC
What April said goes for me.
In addition to habitat and lives there’s the anxiety and angst which causes suffering in its own right. I wish you and yours the very best, EC.
I’m andious for you…ALL OF YOU!!!
So beautiful! my favorite is the 5th. I call this pose the Madonna pose, due to the tilt angle of the head resembles the classic pose of Mary in paintings. Such a wonderful find, the contrasting colors are gorgeous.
Thank you, April. I’ll have to remember the Madonna pose.
The high key background couldn’t be more appropriate for this occasion. It’s like an owl version of getting an eye exam: look up, look down…
Like Nancy, I’ve only seen one. Lots of photos, though. Judging from them and the one I saw it should be called the Sometimes Short-eared but mostly No-eared owl.🤔
You’re right, Lyle. They don’t raise those ear tufts very often and when they do they’re not very big, especially when compared to some other larger owls like Great Horned or Long-eared.
I could happily look at any of these individual shots again and again, and as a series they’re just stunning……I’d love to see them laid out side-by-side,
as you do the others in your header…..
“as you do the others in your header”
That’s a thought, Kris. I haven’t updated my header in a long time anyway. Thanks.
Wonderful! I’ve only seen one short-eared owl that I can recall, so this is a special treat.
Nancy, they were almost nonexistent around here last year, even during nesting season. I hope this spring and summer are better, for them and for folks like me.
I love everyone of these shots but the one of him looking straight on..WoW ❗️
These pictures look like paintings with not one detail left out ❤️
Thank You ❗️
Thanks very much, Diana.
Love this series of photos! That very first shot could be captioned, “How dare you!”
Thank you, Kathleen.
What a wonderful way to start the day! Thanks, Ron.
Glad you liked it, Diane. Thanks.
AWWWWW…… Grinning from ear to ear 🙂 Wonderful series of the SEO in the snow! He just “pops” against that background. More than “breezy” this morning – high wind warning starting tonight(here) and red flag warning for tomorrow…… 🙁 Already under those warning in Glacier Co. Have had a couple of grass fires in the past few days. Not going to whine too loud tho given EC’s situation!
Weather extremes are relative, aren’t they Judy. I haven’t checked yet on the weather conditions in the Cut Bank area but I will soon.
Grass fires in January in MT – geez… !
Love this series!😍 I sure do miss seeing them…my last one was Oct 22, 2018 @ 6:01 p.m. as he was hunting in freshly cut alfalfa. He was doing the ‘look around’ as you show. Funny how you remember and treasure every minute of watching them! They were a total ‘no-show’ in and near the marsh last year so you are very correct about their nomadic nature. The previous several years they were quite abundant and I would find them whenever I went out. As you said a ‘challenging species’…but when you see one it certainly makes for a very happy occurrence!
Kathy, in the 13 years I’ve been going to the island regularly I only remember a couple of years when shorties were found there during breeding season and this may be the only time I’ve seen one out there in winter. Nomadic indeed.
Great shots, i’m sure it was really difficult to find this amazing bird in an ocean of white background ;-0. I do miss the EXIF info, in particular your exposure mode given the high key background. Thanks.
Elmer, sorry about the lack of image techs. I simply ran out of time. Most of these shots were taken at or near:
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon 500mm F4 + 1.4 tc, EV +1.33 using aperture priority (I was close to the owl so the dark bird filled quite a bit of the frame).
Outstanding series Ron. Against that solid white background the eyes just stand out so boldly. Love that look in the first one. Looks like he is very concerned about whatever was overhead. And not only the eyes, but his colors look so bold and pronounced against that white background.
Yes, something up there sure got his attention early on. Thanks, Everett.