An eleven photo series.
In a post three days ago I mentioned that I had fun with Short-eared Owls despite the fact that they “toyed” with me all morning by staying on the “wrong” side of the road, so they were always (and I do mean always) sidelit or backlit. I also said that I’d be posting some of those photos soon anyway. These are some of them.
Following is a series of eleven photos presented in the order they were taken and without any skips. Once again I’ll keep my narration to a minimum because the photos mostly speak for themselves.
This male (I believe) Short-eared Owl had been hunting from this fence post when it became obvious to me that he spotted prey to my left. He didn’t dive on it immediately, instead he stared intently at it and made several minor false starts before finally taking off after it.
He had a lot of fence line to negotiate.
The potential prey was about three fence posts away from the post he’d been perched on. Here his left wingtip must have nearly brushed the barbed wire. Maybe it actually did.
This is nearly the same spot on the same fence line that I cut Galileo, the fledgling Short-eared Owl, out of barbed wire almost exactly six years ago. So yes, having this owl fly so close to the same fence for so long made me nervous. At least I had my wire cutters with me, just in case.
I knew I’d get at least one shot with a wire blocking his eye.
The presumed vole was so far away in fairly tall grass I’m surprised he spotted it in the first place. Perhaps all he saw was the grass moving and not the actual vole.
In the end it was a miss. Immediately after this shot he abandoned the attempt and veered off to his right to hunt elsewhere.
Some of these photos aren’t quite as sharp as I prefer and the sidelight/backlight isn’t ideal but what should I expect in that kind of light and with the fence often in front of him? I was just happy to keep him in frame for as long as I did and that he was ‘sharp enough’, whatever that is. And of course that he didn’t get hung up on the wire.
Besides, in my view any time spent with a Short-eared Owl is time well spent.
Ron
PS – I want to devote as little space to my surgery recovery as possible but, in case you missed it and you’re curious, yesterday I added a “surgery update” addendum to the end of my post of two days ago.
Super series
Ron!
You are in our thoughts as you recover. Behave.
What an absolutely outstanding series of photographs! They have served to motivate me to do better. Thank you.
” … any time spent with a Short-eared Owl is time well spent.” Amen.
Thanks very much, Wally.
I am soooooo glad to see your post this morning. And the update is v promising. Thank you.
And huge thanks for the owl. I too wondered whether this was one of Gallileo’s relatives. And shuddered at just how close he was to the wires.
EC, those damn barbs always make me nervous. It’s almost like they can reach out and grab feathers whenever they feel like it. And the feathers come with a bird, usually.
I wonder if the owl is a parent or sibling of Galileo? Families can stay in the same area. I do hate barbed wire! I have my kit in the car again along with strands of smooth wire and a fence wrench for a repair.
Good to read the update on your surgery, thank you for posting a link. I am glad you are comfortable and continue to be so!
“I wonder if the owl is a parent or sibling of Galileo?”
I wondered the same thing, April. I even mentioned the possibility to Chris in my reply to her comment below.
Hope you’re getting along well with that new camera!
I have not tried it yet. The EF/RF ring arrived late Monday and the card is still delayed. They were all ordered from the same source same time. I could not make some of the camera adjustment without a lens attached. I will use my existing card til the CF express arrives. Thank you for the tutorial video, it was very helpful, especially the custom back button changes. I do LOVE all the back button possibilities. I have been home due to car and washer repairs for 2 days. Hopefully I will get out tomorrow. Now I need to save for a new RF 100-500 zoom lens.
I made a mistake when setting up my 3 back buttons. I don’t like the button furthest to the right because there’s a bump on the camera directly below it that makes that button harder to push with my thumb so sometimes it doesn’t activate when I want it to. So I’m going to change the function of that button to the function I use the least (zone).
You might be able to rent the ring (adapter) from Pictureline. Cheap.
I’m glad things seem to have gone very well and that you can be back at posting again so soon. And what a great way to restart. These are wonderful photos of a magnificent birdj. All too often I just see the back as the owl flies away from me.
Thank you, Dan. It’s good to be back, for today at least.
Beautiful series, even with the intrusion of devil wire. Perhaps this handsome adult owl knows enough and has the necessary skills to avoid being trapped in it like poor little Galileo, but still I shudder at the sight! And wish he’d gotten his vole reward after that pursuit.
Glad that you are recovering without significant pain so OTC drugs are sufficient to this point and you can do your FP thing at the computer — here’s to your continued improvement!
“so OTC drugs are sufficient ”
Chris, so far I haven’t taken any of the hard stuff and very little OTC – just 3 ibuprofen at this point.
I have to wonder if this owl could be a parent of Galileo. Probably not, but possible…
Thank you for the update. I’m pleasantly surprised you’re back in the computer saddle this quickly. Wishing you a quick, easy, and full recovery.
And so glad you’re seeing Shorties again. VBG as Dick would say (except for the devil wire part, of course).
So weird, Marty…I see your post just as my own post shows up, and we’ve said some very similar things (again). Are you my alter-ego? Or just, GMTA perhaps. 🤔
I was reading your mind 😈😉
Thank you, Marty. At this point I’m only back in the saddle one day at a time. I’m playing it by ear from day to day.
Say what you will about the photo sequence. I found myself grinning while going through them. The second and fifth photos are the most interesting and beautiful.
Thanks, Michael. Grinning is always good, at least for the grinner…
Wonderful photos!
You wrote: they “toyed” with me all morning by staying on the “wrong” side of the road, so they were always (and I do mean always) sidelit or backlit.
I began taking birds in flight four years ago. Began with easily found fearless and relatively large size targets like gulls.
Recently I’ve been trying small birds and discovering how acutely sensitive they are to humans who are paying close attention to them. They often ignore people not looking at them. But aim a camera at them and wow, they head for cover.
That being said, I’ve being getting relatively good results standing further away with a wider angle of view and relying on a very high resolution fast focusing camera (Sony A7R4A) and ultra fast focusing lens (Sony 70-200mm SEL70200GM) to get usable images. Small birds flying by at close distances at 30mph are very difficult to keep in the viewfinder. Much easier at 100 feet than 20 feet!
Robert, the strategy you describe in your last paragraph is exactly what allowed me to keep this owl in the frame for so long and still have plenty of resolution with my R5. I’m confident I’d have even more shots if he hadn’t veered off when he did.
What the heck, back surgery and back home the same day. I think you should get x-rays to make sure they didn’t just make the incision and close it back up. The surgeon must be an FP fan and sent you home early to start posting again.
Anyway, good to open the email this morning and see this series, albeit a bit nerve-wrackiing with the evil wire.
“The surgeon must be an FP fan and sent you home early to start posting again.”
Ha, I doubt that. He’s so focused on his profession, and his patients, he may not even know what a bird is… 🙂 Actually after two major surgeries I have a lot of confidence in him, so far at least…
“ Besides, in my view any time spent with a Short-eared Owl is time well spent.”
^ that!
Indeed!
Wonderful to see FP in my inbox this morning! The SEOW was the cherry on top!
Now I’m craving a maraschino cherry (or seven) for breakfast!
Great owl photos! I wish I could spend some with one of those birds! And I’m glad to see you are feeling well enough so soon to post these pics. Thanks.
Thank you, Joanne. I hope you get to see one (or more) sometime.
Hello Ron, glad the surgery is over. Speaking of operations and cutting I found that series of pictures agonizing and I nearly jumped into my pick up truck (which I don’t have) to buy some wire cutters. Ouch.
Frances, I’m never without my cutters when I’m out shooting. I learned that lesson long ago.
It only takes one time without to plant that lesson firmly in your brain! My lesson was learned, fortunately someone else in the area had access to cutters that day.
Update sounds good Ron. Sure you will be out there taking photos soon. Great Owl series. He looks so concentrated and determined as he dives down for his potential prey, Hard to believe he did not get caught up in the barbed wire. Interesting series.
Everett, I’d be out taking photos this morning but this damn incision is so long and so sore it pushes against the upper part of my pickup seat and causes even more pain. I hope that little problem goes away soon. It wasn’t a problem with the much shorter incision of my previous surgery.
I’m glad the SEO made it and that you decided to post the shots. Great wing action.
Thank you, Granny Pat.
Love to see this flight series, but I had to close my eyes for the fence! So scary.
Thanks, Mary. If I’d closed my eyes I wouldn’t have any photos… 🙂
Didn’t think to go back to other post to look for an update! You’ve been on my mind and glad to hear things seem to have gone well! 🙂 Size of the incision dressing would have given me a start also! Hope positive signs contine to occur!
Wonderful series and I, too, would have been tense over the SEO going through the fence – WHEW!
Judy, I actually had two wire cutters with me. These days I always do. One time I actually injured my arm (tore a tendon) when trying to cut a Barn Owl out of barbed wire with cutters that were too small.
Yeh – some of that wire IS tough! Have the fencing pliers that cover most situations……..tearing anything is NOT amusing…..