My, what long wings you have!
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This male Short-eared Owl in Montana’s Centennial Valley was as much of a creature of habit as I am. He would reliably catch a vole, carry it in his talons to this metal post, rest on the post for a few moments and then transfer the vole to his bill just before taking off to deliver it to his mate and their chicks at the nest. That routine was almost like clockwork. Occasionally he would rest on a sagebrush instead of the post but not very often.
The photo was taken in late June of 2010 but when I posted it to my blog in September of 2011 I was dismissive of the image because of what I called the “ugly” metal post. Back then I had little tolerance for the “hand of man” in my photos. But yesterday while trying to figure out how to organize my photos on my new computer I stumbled across the image again and realized how much I liked it, for a variety of reasons – including the great look at the very long wings of a Short-eared Owl.
In the original post the photo was processed poorly. It was too dark, I’d cropped it to a more squarish composition (4×5) that doesn’t appeal to me now and I had sharpened the image globally so the background had a little more graininess than was necessary (sharpening increases noise). So I decided to reprocess the image and post it again to get the improved version “out there”.
This is the result. For me it brings back memories of one of the most delightful experiences I’ve ever had with birds in the field,
Ron
I can probably Google it but I wonder if the SEO’s wings are the longest (proportionate to body size) of our owls? Barnies and Ghows also have long wings, but they don’t seem to compare to this guy’s! Perhaps it’s just the head-on perspective, but at any rate, they’re gorgeous — and he’s quite the provider for a very demanding mate. Glad you found this down the rabbit hole and returned to post it for our enjoyment in 2022!
Chris, I don’t know the answer to your question but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Fabulous shot! I had no idea their wings were that long in proportion to the rest of their bodies. Thanks.
Thank you, Burrdoo.
Hope you don’t mind but I would be interested in your take on the “Great Salt Lake Enhancement Program” bill on its way to the Governor. Game changer, more of the same, or wait and see?
https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/static/HB0410.html
Ooh, good question, Lyle, I saw this in an Audubon email this morning, wanted to ask about it, too!
Lyle (and Chris), to be honest with everything going on (new computer, new camera and some other stuff) I don’t know as much about that bill as I normally would. But my inclination is to support it – in part because individuals and groups I’m familiar with (Great Salt Lake Institute etc) were instrumental in working with the legislature as the bill was being developed.
That said, I’m fearful it’s too little, too late.
Post schmost. I’m just marveling at those WINGS! 😍 And feeling bad for him because I know his mate’s gonna demand another vole — and quickly. So glad this image was still in your treasure trove.
Also, I got up early to water the oranges and lemons before it got too hot. One of the oranges is flowering all over and I was lucky enough to see a gorgeous, fiery gorget attached to either a Rufous or Allen’s Hummingbird. I immediately thought of you and Mia and wished I had one of you here for the ID (and maybe a shot or two).
“I know his mate’s gonna demand another vole — and quickly”
That’s exactly how she was, Marty – demanding. Sometimes he’d rest too long on the pole before delivering the vole and when he did she would call out to him, obviously to tell him to get his ass in gear.
Once he waited so long she came out of the nest, flew to him and took the vole from him; She was not happy with him. And he was actually afraid of her (long story).
Oh my gosh! Such a great photo. How I’d like to fly!
Thanks so much, Ron.
” How I’d like to fly!”
Wouldn’t it be fun! I have the same pipe dream. And sometimes it’s a real dream.
Really a stunning photo ! I’ve come to realize that the “acceptability”of a piece of art- -to the artist himself– has as much to do with the artist’s state of mind at the time of viewing it as it has to do with objective worth of the piece when viewed at another time, in another “frame of mind.” Glad you kept this one !
You make a very good point, Kris I agree.
A flying basset hound! Beautiful! Interesting that he always transferred the voles to his beak – you’d think it would be easier to fly a distance with the prey clamped in the talons, rather than flopping around in front of your face. My jaw is aching already, in sympathetic clenching 🙂
“A flying basset hound!”
Carolyn, my reaction to that part of your comment evolved from a chuckle to an outright guffaw as I slowly realized how accurate your comparison is. I now have a vision in my head of a running Basset Hound with its huge ears flopping.
Soooo sharp from nose to toes! Well worth reprocessing. Today’s editing is so much easier and better than when this was taken.
“Today’s editing is so much easier and better than when this was taken”
That’s very true, Nancy. But then so are my processing skills. I hope…
An image of long ago and harbinger of warm days to come. Glad you ran it through the virtual darkroom again. A nice escape from these still wintery days.
Thanks, Lyle.
Oh those eyes. Certainly hypnotized me to the point of not ever noticing the fence post– oh, there it is.
Owl eyes can to that, Kenneth – to me too.
Nice photo. Those wings look so out of proportion to the body.
Thanks, Michael. They do.
Looking at this startling bird, I finally believe in angels. Those wings mean business! They can carry a load.
“They can carry a load”
Exactly, Sallie – they can scoop a lot of air.
I have been wondering how long it would take for my editing skills to plateau so I would no longer look at every archived photo more than a month old and think, “I could do a better job of processing that one”.
Apparently you haven’t reached that point yet either! And I suppose as long as the technology keeps improving, the same thing will keep happening.
Nice photo. Short ears, long wings. I like it! If you blur that post just a little it will look like wood. In fact, if you hadn’t told us, I would have assumed it was wood.
Porcupine, some of the photos on my blog that I processed and posted years ago make me wince when I see them again because they were processed so poorly. Or because my tastes and preferences have changed.
I love this. Have only seen short-eared owls 5-6 times, but always perched. Just love those wings! That’s a great photo and I never noticed the fencepost.
Connie, there’s a lot to love with Shorties.
I absolutely LOVE this shot!! Great job!
Thank you, Dick.
That is a really nice photo Ron. I can understand why you like it. The talons dragging along behind look so sharp as does the vole and of course her face and eyes. I’m laughing thinking of the prey in human terms. Voles, gophers, mice, rats,etc seem so unappealing, but to our raptor friends they do just fine.
Not knowing a whole lot of technical stuff when it comes to photography I must admit that I did not know that adding sharpness increases noise.
” I did not know that adding sharpness increases noise”
Everett, typically it doesn’t increase noise a lot but it can be noticeable, especially if the image was cropped quite a bit.
Wow! Almost looks like those wings are an optical illusion! 🙂 His intense gaze indicating his “mission” 😉 Glad you reconsidered, reprocessed and reposted! We are always learning/evolving it seems – a good thing IMO…… 🙂
Judy, what amazes me is the amount of surface area the ends of his wings have.