With a little home decorating thrown in for good measure.
It had been 12 days since I’d checked up on the nesting female Great Horned Owl I’ve posted photos of recently, so yesterday morning I decided to pay her another visit to see if there was any evidence of chicks in the nest. If there were any, perhaps they’d grown enough to be seen over the lip of the nest.
Another goal was to arrive at the nest before sunrise, which is no small order since it takes me several hours to get there (no, I don’t need any sleep…). When the very warm light soon after sunrise hits the red rocks behind the nest, the reds are just too much – to the point that they overwhelm any photos I take. The downside to pre-sunrise photos is that I’d have no shutter speed to speak of. At my focal length, avoiding soft shots was going to be a big challenge.
So, today’s post is more about the charm of baby owls than it is about high-quality photos.
1/320, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
It was still half-dark when I arrived and found the female perched on a rock near the nest, so even at ISO 1600 and f/5.6 I only had a shutter speed of 1/320. She wasn’t close to me, which only added to the difficulty of getting sharp shots. This was the sharpest photo I got while she was perched there, which wasn’t very long.
I figured she’d eventually take off toward the nest and when it happened I wasn’t planning to even attempt flight shots at this shutter speed. But when she launched, my bird photographer’s instincts took over with…
1/320, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
fully predictable results – soft flight shots. I’m only including this one because I’m actually surprised she’s as sharp as she is at this shutter speed. In my other flight shots she was a blurry mess.
When she arrived at the nest and I finally got a good look at it I was…
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
thrilled to see parts of at least three owlets, with four birds “all in a row” like the proverbial pretty maids of nursery rhyme (and Joe Walsh) fame.
Clutch size in GHOW’s ranges from 1–4 eggs (very rarely 5, most commonly 2) so three babies raised to this size is doing pretty darn well and it’s feasible that there were more that I couldn’t see. This photo is the best look I got at three of them in a single image. At times I could see the owlet on the left a little better than this but in those shots the baby in the middle had hunkered back down.
This female owl (I still haven’t seen the male) impresses me. A lot. Not only did she successfully incubate her eggs for over a month (usually about 33 days) during an incredibly cold and snowy early spring, she and her mate have managed to raise at least three youngsters to what I would judge is more than half-way to fledging.
In addition, she’s a talented home decorator. Did you notice?
There’s a feather on the rock ‘wall’ behind her, just to the right of her head. And it’s positioned perfectly in the niche in the rock, as if it had been placed there deliberately and carefully.
Who knows, maybe it was. With all of her other accomplishments, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Ron
What a lovely family photo. And that feather? It’s an artistic ode to Feathered Photography. She knew you would be coming back.
They are beautiful! It’s definitely baby owl season. I’m working on getting two barred owl nestlings back to their parents. Their tree was cut down yesterday so we’ll be putting a nest box in a nearby tree. Unfortunately it’s pouring rain today so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.
I’m very late and have totally missed the party, but I have to tell you how much I appreciate your commitment to your craft and to the wild birds you discover and share with us. Getting up before o’dark thirty to drive several hours just to see *if* there are chicks in this nest is beyond dedication—and what a pay-off! Soft or not, I love every one of these photos, even that flight shot— fabulous wing span!
Wonderful family portrait, Ron! And what a super, clean view you are afforded. You will be able to photograph as the chicks grow. As John Sherrill commented, it is great to see a GHO nest unencumbered by a ton of branches. The nest in my yard is near the top of the tallest pine, at least 70 feet off the ground. The nest is not nearly as large as the one you found but it is sturdy and holds 2 chicks on the verge of fledging. Mom has kept a stoic vigil even when strong winds roar or a large murder of crows swarms the tree. It is so hard to see through the limbs and pine needles and now leaves that I have not been able to get a photo.
Thanks, Melanie. I’m glad you have some owls of your own.
Gosh, what joy the chick photo brings, Ron.
For me it’s nice to think of new life after the sad news of Galileo.
I’m just a softie for owls.
” it’s nice to think of new life after the sad news of Galileo”
I hadn’t thought of that, Nina. I’m surprised.
WONDERFUL. Yay for a diligent and successful parent and for a photographer who needs no sleep. And for three babes that melted my stony heart.
“and for a photographer who needs no sleep”
EC, I just got up after a nap. I’m good again!
Very nice captures, I look forward to your photos of branching.
Or in this case, rocking.. 🙂
They sure do blend into their surroundings. I was surprised to read that owls don’t build their own nests. That’s quite a brood patch on mama. Looks like she could easily fit five eggs in there. I regularly hear them at night but have yet to see one. I guess I’ll have to rely on FP to see them. Works fine for me.
Thanks, Lyle. As I’m sure you know, in many bird species both sexes have a brood patch because they both incubate. Male GHOW’s don’t incubate so they don’t have a brood patch.
So exciting to see my favorite owl species with all those adorable owlets! Mama looks proud sitting on the edge of her nest: “See what I made!” Also, the feather in the rock may not be her only interior decoration — it looks like there’s a feather next to the owlet on the left and another one at the edge of the nest on the right (as we’re looking). And the flight shot, though soft, is still pretty spectacular! 😀
Thanks, Marty. She has good reason to be proud.
Ron, even though I don’t comment frequently on your posts, I view and read them everyday and look forward to them everyday! Thank you for the photos, the educational narratives and overall enjoyment.
Since you’re expressed concerned about photographing flying owls in low light, I wondered if you had yet tried Topaz Photo AI software. That software can remove noise very well and sharpen very well (most of the time.) You could probably boost your ISO to 6400 or even 12800, adjust your shutter speed accordingly and still get very good results.
If you’re okay philosophically using such a program, it might be worth experimenting with it.
As I think you sometimes like to say, just my two cents. 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion, Den. Maybe someday…
Great to see such a clean view of a GHO nest unencumbered by a ton of branches.
I agree, John. Not many tree branches in this area.
This post put a smile on my face this morning. Mom and the kids look like they are doing pretty good. Thanks Ron!
Good. Thanks, Michael.
Good one Ron. Have always loved those eyes peeking out over the top of the nest. Have experienced many baby GHOs over many years here. Your mention of Joe Walsh brings back a funny memory. When dating my wife Margaret long time back we went to a Stevie Nicks concert at the Forum in L.A. and Joe Walsh was the warm-up act. The gal sitting next to us with her boyfriend was so stoned out she was sound asleep before Stevie ever made her appearance.
Everett, maybe a female going to sleep just prior to a Stevie Nicks performance is understandable. Hope you didn’t. I sure wouldn’t have!
And Joe Walsh cracks me up. Just watching him perform puts a huge smile on my face.
It was definitely worth the effort!
Thanks, Bruce. I think so too.
OMYGOSH! I chortled out loud to see those 2 little heads and 1 ball of fluff
( presumably a sib ) cresting the nest ! What a tickle– I’m so looking forward
to you showing us more of them this spring and summer. Congrats to Mama
for her accomplishment and to you for spotting the nest and its promise……
Thanks, Kris. Yes, “a sib”.
We have great-horned owl who seems to return yearly to an old Sycamore. Have been watching her since the end of. Feb. we finally saw two owlets. Last night we went to visit and they have fledged. We found them together a few trees away. The ten photographers beneath the tree was a dead giveaway. As we were staring at them, mama suddenly swooped in carrying a rabbit. Watching that was a real treat.
Sounds like fun, Connie, despite all the photographers.
Luv it! I SO miss the GHO’s in the yard here. Young GHO’s are so much fun to watch as they figure out their world. The feather placement is a “hoot” shall we say…. 😉
Low light and owls in flight doesn’t tend to work well – been there, done that with crappy results…….
Judy, as much time as I’ve spent with GHOW’s, especially on the MT farm but elsewhere too, I still haven’t been able to get any decent flight shots of them. GHOW flight shots remain a nemesis of mine.
Luving this post!
Thanks, CJ.
Baby owls are the best. Here’s wishing them many years of soaring flight and successful hunting!
Yup.