For me a completely natural photo of a Short-eared Owl on an elevated perch is unusual, bordering on rare. Owls perched on fence posts, wooden or metal, are the rule rather than the exception.
One of several reasons I gravitate toward flight shots of this species is their tendency to perch on man-made structures that are often unattractive and it’s my preference to avoid the hand of man in my photos whenever possible.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
So I was more than pleased when I found this presumed female (based on her overall dark color) perched on an old and weathered juniper stump in a remote area of northern Utah almost exactly four years ago today. She didn’t give me a lot of time with her and for some reason many of my photos of her were slightly soft but this one’s sharp and I like her stately pose.
Just because a perch is natural doesn’t necessarily mean it’s photogenic but I like this one a lot. Its weathered and flowing lines are dripping with character, none of the weather-bleached wood is too bright (as is often the case with old stumps like this one) and there isn’t a human-made cut or chop mark to be seen. All of the breaks in the limbs are natural.
In many bird photographs the background and/or perch can be almost as important as the bird itself. In my view this is one of them.
Ron
Note: Don’t get me wrong. I love many of my photos of this species perched on old and weathered wooden fence posts but given a choice I prefer to avoid the hand of man.
She is a pretty Owl and Yes, a great perch.
Ooh, is she a looker — in both senses of the word! Absolutely beautiful! I, too, was hoping that this might be a recent shot. Keeping fingers crossed that you get to at least spot a few while out and about this year.
Hope your garden is OK. Gotta keep those tomatoes going. It’s almost BLT time!
Marty, it won’t be too long before chicks are out exploring so you can bet I’ll be watching for them.
Everything looks OK in the garden. Last time I looked at the temp just after sunrise this morning it was 36° so I was beginning to get a little concerned. It’s supposed to be 90° by the end of the week…
To the very pleasing natural setting I would add the nice glimpse of the soft feathered legs – that turn abruptly into those formidable looking talons.
You point out an interesting dichotomy, Lyle.
Love that penetrating gaze. And the majestic pose.
I do understand why you prefer natural perches, but am very, very glad that many birds don’t share your prejudices and will happily make use of them.
I’m glad they like them too, EC – for obvious reasons.
Beautiful bird and perch. Every time you post a short eared owl, I hope you spotted one this year. I have only seen a few in early March and they were far away. I miss the abundance of both burrowing and short eared owl.
I miss them too, April. Like you I saw a few shorties in early spring but none since.
A glorious beauty! You have a knack of bringing outrageous beauty into my day/life and for that, I thank you heartily! I look forward to opening your blog every morning.
I’m with you on the natural (real) perch! I just love weathered wood. Its beauty is amazing, reflecting its exposure to winds, rains, and all sorts of natural phenomena. Your comments made me aware of something I’ve ignored. When the background is NOT pleasing to me, for example, if it’s man-made (barbed wire) fences or whatever, my brain filters that stuff out so that I focus almost entirely on the bird/critter in the photo! The man-made stuff, unless it’s cool like the barn where your GHOs live, just become invisible to me!
BTW, I forgot to warn you yesterday about footings from the raptors that LOOK small–the Kestrels, screech owls, etc. BEWARE! That small thing is merely an optical illusion. They seem to know how to place a talon between the joints of your fingers or up underneath your cuticles or underneath your fingernails–where they can inflict the most pain! And Kestrels are highly skilled at taking a chunk out of you with the quick bite, twist and swallow maneuver! Just a warning 😉
Sorry to have been late yesterday. I wasn’t doing vertical very well.
“When the background is NOT pleasing to me… my brain filters that stuff out”
You and I are different in that way, Laura. My brain FOCUSES on it rather than filtering it out. Can’t help myself…
Is that an optimist v. pessimist perspective? Don’t know, just pondering the question. And not sure which would be which, either.
Huge ouch on the small raptor damage. Sometimes the enormous privilege of being close to them obviously comes at a high price
Sadly I know your yestiday’s aversion to vertical only too well.
I’m a day late on the challenges of being vertical. I hope you both are doing better today!
Excellent photo – very sharp. I like that natural perch too. Old weathered wood like that always looks good in a bird photo. Hope your tomatoes are ok. Our local garden expert always emphasizes that we should not plant tomatoes outside until Mother’s Day, but sometimes even then it is risky.
Thanks, Everett. I know from experience that gardening and farming are always a big gamble.
Ours is Memorial Day – NOT when it’s early like this year either! 😉
Beautiful! Owl seems “at home” on the stump…… 🙂 Owls colors are lovely and fit with the background. It all “came together” for this shot……. 🙂
Thank you, Judy. 37° here this morning – made me think of you and MT. And worry about my tomatoes and cukes…
The past couple of mornings have been 34……… Not even thinking tomatoes and cukes for another week yet! 😉