Volume 2 of a new but sporadic feature of Feathered Photography.
I’ve been posting photos daily to Feathered Photography for about ten years now. Many of them haven’t been seen since the first day they were published and I think some of them deserve better than that. So it’s my intention, once or twice each month, to post a few images from the distant past.. They won’t all necessarily be my ‘best’ photos – some will have behavioral significance and others will be images I have a sentimental attachment to for a variety of reasons. Long time followers of Feathered Photography will have seen some of them before but I think most of us enjoy the occasional ‘golden oldie’.
Each of the following four photos was published in November of 2010. Today’s selection is heavy on owls.
A very young Burrowing Owl performing a wing and leg stretch, although at the time I had to wonder if ‘he’ was actually telling me that his siblings ‘went thataway’. That impression was enhanced because he’s looking in the same direction his wing is pointing. I’ll never forget this adorable little owl, in part because he was one of the first very young Burrowing Owls I’d ever photographed.
Every time I see this image I think I see a word written vertically on his side in front of his right wing, as if his parents had written his name there to help distinguish him from all of his similar siblings. But I’ve yet to find the rosetta stone that allows me to translate that word from ‘Owl’ into English.
This was a winter morning that remains deeply etched into my brain. I’d been photographing birds at Farmington Bay WMA after a snowstorm the day before and I had the entire place to myself. Fresh, clean snow covered everything and made my tires squeak on the dirt road. Suddenly I noticed it was rapidly getting dark and when I looked to the northwest an incredibly dark and foreboding storm front was nearly on top of me. I was already having trouble negotiating the deep snow on the dirt road from the previous storm so I quickly turned around and headed for home. I sure as hell didn’t want to get stuck on the refuge with no one else there to help pull me out of the snow.
As the snow began to fall it was so dark I almost didn’t see this Barn Owl hunting silently along the frozen canal. I was immediately struck by how difficult life can be for birds in situations like this. I almost never assign titles to my images but for me this one has always been thought of as “The Lonely Hunter”. It’s one of the very few ‘butt shots’ that I really like.
The first print I ever sold to a client was this one so along with everything else its sentimental significance is strong.
A male Canvasback that has just popped up onto the surface after diving into the mud of the pond for food. Muddy water is still streaming off his back, his head and neck are covered with thick mud and his muddy nictitating membrane is just beginning to open revealing his red eye. He had a bill full of watery mud in his mouth that he was straining through his bill for food, thus the gush of muddy water streaming out of the tip of his bill. I think he looks like the creature from the black lagoon.
Part of the reason I like this photo so much is because it was so very, very hard to get. These ducks pop up to the surface quickly and you never know where they’ll come up so getting a sharp shot at the exact moment of emergence with no body parts clipped or cut off is the epitome of a Hail Mary shot. Over a period of more than ninety minutes I probably tried far more than a hundred times and this was my only real success.
As I’ve said before, for me degree of difficulty matters.
Two young Burrowing Owl siblings hanging out together. I’ve always loved the contrast of the intense curiosity of the bird on the left and the apparent boredom of its sibling. This is one of a handful of my most popular photos of all time.
OK, that’s enough time spent strolling down memory lane. I hope at least one of these photos stirred your juices a little like they do mine.
Ron
Wonderful…second and last really grab me…
Thank you so much, I really needed this post today . . The first and last photos made me laugh . . Thank you so much!!!
Good. I’m glad today’s post contributed positively to your day, Sheila.
I had to post even though it’s a bit late.
So happy you’re planning on posting oldies but goodies. I’m ready… Let’s see what you’ve got 😁
You’re not too late for me, Diana. Oldies but goodies will be coming, but sporadically.
They’re all my favorite shots in this post! 🙂 I can definitely see why The Lonely Hunter was requested as a print — absolutely stunning in its beauty.
I can’t help but to anthropomorphize the Burrowing Owl youngsters. The first shot is a maitre d’ showing you to your table. In the last shot, the one on the right is cracking up laughing, while his brother is trying to figure out what the hell is so funny. Perhaps it is that clicking truck. 😉
Marty, there’s no question that my clicking truck was responsible for the pose of the owl on the left in that last shot.
Beautiful owl, adorable owlets and a muddy duck! What’s not to love? You really do have a way with a camera and commentary! 😎
Thanks, Chris. I’m very pleased that you included “commentary” in your comment. I have to work hard at that aspect of my blog.
I can’t pick a favorite, they are all stand out in their individual way. Thanks for revisiting, I have not seen the first two, that I remember. The hunting barn owl in the snow and dark skies is fitting for a symbol of 2020. Striving through hardship, alone.
You’re right, April. That photo may be over a decade old but it sure fits humans in 2020.
I think that “The Lonely Hunter” is just breathtaking….I’m so glad that you included it in this post, because I’ve never seen it before. Since you included
2 Burrowing Owl images– may I mention that if anyone in your posse is
looking for a gift to interest young readers in bird matters, that they couldn’t
do better than to give a copy of “Hoot”, Carl Hiaasen’s wonderful book about
a bunch of kids working together to save a colony of Burrowing Owls’ home
habitat ?
Good suggestion, Kris. I love the idea of getting (and keeping) kids hooked on birds.
Wow!! I look forward to your photos in the coming year. Thanks for all the fantastic images. Peace.
Thank you, Fred.
Thanks for publishing Volume Two. At first I thought “How does he remember the circumstances of photos from 10 years ago?”. Then, duh.
Lyle, actually I’d remember many of the circumstances of these particular photos even if I didn’t have my older posts as references. When I get shots I like very much they stick in my mind. I didn’t refer to any of those older posts while I was composing this post.
What a great collection. Now you’ve got me trying to decipher the hidden message on the first little burrowing owl, too!
Cathy, I’ve used a mirror and even rotated the image 90° to try to find a word the ‘writing’ looks like. So far no luck… 🙂
Love the series. The walk thru your memories is great and at my age almost everything is new because memories seem to evaporate at will. Your talent and artistry are welcome every day.
Thanks for the very kind words, Betty.
THANK YOU!!!
I adore each and every one of these. They are a truly delightful start to my day. A long day, a probably hard day (early shift on the crisis line). A day I will face a little better with these beauties to sustain me.
EC, I can only imagine the stress you deal with where that crisis line is involved. And you do it as a volunteer. You’re good folks…
Go down memory lane all you want, Ron! 😀 Some I’ve seen, some not – doesn’t matter. The owl flying away in the snow is magnificent. Of course, I LOVE owls! The “mud monster” is great!
Thanks, Judy. If there’s some you haven’t seen I’m sure there are other loyal followers in the same boat.
Wonderful ones Ron.
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
Bring on the golden oldies! Really enjoyed traveling back in time this morning. Thanks again, Ron.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Diane. Thanks.
So fun. I love the pointing owl so much.
Thanks, Arwen.
I love these photographs Ron. All 3 are very special in different ways. Thank you for sharing them with those of us who haven’t been with you since the earlier days of Feathered Photography.
Seasons greetings and best wishes to you.
Linda, a few of my readers will likely have already seen all four of these photos so it’s nice to know at least some of them are new to you and probably to some of my other blog followers as well. Thank you.
The first owl is saying, “Is this pose ok Ron or would you like me to turn the other way?” Love the lonely hunter and often wonder how they all survive when I am out in that kind of weather. Super shot of the mud covered Canvasback and appreciate any capture of a pop up. I have fooled around with trying to get a pop-up with Buffleheads and I think I might get one good one out of fifty tries. And of course the two Burrowing Owls photo is a CLASSIC. Excellent post.
A success rate of one out of fifty is nothing to sneeze at in that situation, Everett. Thank you.
Loved them all.
Good!
Love that ‘fly-away owl’ ! I find myself drawn back to it after looking at each photo. It certainly evokes a lot of feelings. Perfect title with a touch of perhaps ‘the unknown’ with that indistinguishable background/horizon. From ‘went that away’, to ‘lonely hunter’ to ‘that was fun’ to ‘curiousity’…you have a winner of a post today. Your next installment is going to have some mighty big shoes to fill! 😍
Thanks very much, Kathy. I know I won’t always fill those shoes but I think/hope that all of the photos I eventually choose for this feature will hold at least some interest for my readers.
Ron –
When did you take up serious bird photography and why? Just wondering. Your Blog post is a part of my early morning online ritual. Thank you. 🤗
Mark, I became serious about bird photography in the summer of 2007 when I bought my first Canon 500 f/4 lens. I was a recently retired biology and zoology teacher and bird photography was my way of continuing my intense interest in birds and other elements of the natural world.