Tag: tyto alba

Some Hope For Barn Owls

I’ve reported previously on this blog that Barn Owl populations took a huge hit this past winter in northern Utah. It was dreadfully cold for much of the winter with lots of snow. Normally that’s not a huge problem for these owls but with deep snow on the ground we had a warm spell that melted the surface of the snow and immediately after that we had an extended cold snap. Those conditions caused a hard crust of ice to form on the snow surface that lasted for weeks.

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Barn Owl In Flight Showing Dorsal Plumage Patterns and Alulae

Barn Owls have rather intricate plumage patterns and interesting color gradations on their dorsal (back) surfaces but they are rarely seen in their entirety in a single image. That’s partly because to get such an image you need to get them in flight with their wings out and tail spread which is very difficult to do since they’re primarily nocturnal.  And when you do manage a flight shot of one you’re usually looking up at them and can’t see much, if any, of the dorsal surface.  I thought this image fit the bill. especially with the bird looking down so that we can also see the colors and patterns on the top of the head.  Yes, I do wish I had more light in the eye…    1/1600. f/8, ISO 500 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in Another thing I like about the image is the clear look at the alulae (plural of alula) or “bastard wings – the first digit or “thumb” on the leading edge of the wing. And this shot shows one more thing that intrigues me – the right alula (left in our view) is extended further forward and at a sharper angle than the one on the birds left, perhaps in compensation for the tipped angle of flight.  My research indicates that there’s still debate among experts about whether or not birds have muscular control of the alulae or they only respond to the pressure of air currents.   This owl has just spotted potential prey below and is flying very slowly as…

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Barn Owls On Unnatural Perches

It’s been a while since I’ve seen any Barn Owls out and about and I’m thinking they won’t be flying again during daytime until at least next winter so I decided  to bid them adieu for the present with one last post for the season. I generally prefer my avian subjects on natural perches but Ingrid Tayler’s affection for birds on man-made perches in the urban landscape is beginning to instill in me a little more flexibility.  Perhaps it isn’t too late for some new tricks from this old dog…     1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited set up or called in At Farmington Bay WMA there are numerous signs posted directing hunters to where they can hunt and where they cannot and those signs are favorite resting spots for hunting raptors.  When I come across an owl on one of these signs I’ll typically drive on by unless there’s a possibility for take-off shots but I made an exception for this one despite the less than ideal light.      1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited set up or called in Another favorite perch is this kestrel nesting box at the top of a hill.  From this elevated vantage point the birds can hunt visually over a large area without expending the energy required for flight – a significant advantage in the depths of a long, cold winter when calories are at a premium.  This owl looks like it might be wary of me and about to fly, but it isn’t.  It was calmly…

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A Tale OF A Barn Owl Tail

I learned something this morning.  It will likely seem inconsequential to others but it was sort of a big deal for me.    1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in A few minutes ago, while processing this recent Barn Owl image, I was once again struck by how short and stubby the square tail of this species is, especially when compared to the length of the wings.  And then some faint memory from long ago popped into my head. Bingo!  Now it all made sense.      1/320, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in By coincidence, exactly 5 years ago today I posted this image to an online nature photography critique forum (Nature Photographers Network or NPN).  At the time I was just becoming serious about my bird photography and I took the critiques I got on that forum to heart – trying to learn from my mistakes and improve my skills. In the version of the photo I submitted to NPN I didn’t recognize the “structure” marked with the red arrow as  being part of the bird so I had cropped the image in such a manner that I “clipped” the tip of that structure.  The critiques I got from the members of the forum “dinged” me for it, and rightfully so.  They all said that I had clipped the tail and in my inexperience I assumed they were right and went on with my life.  But I felt pretty silly…

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Nothing Wrong With A Butt Shot Now And Again…

This isn’t the sharpest image in my portfolio but it does intrigue me.  A lot. Six days ago this Barn Owl made an unsuccessful plunge into the deep snow for a vole and soon after took off almost directly away from me.  This is one of the images I got as it lifted off in the direction of its favorite hill-top perch – a “butt shot” to be sure but I’m fascinated by the wing angle and position.    1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This shot caught the wings toward the end of the upstroke.  The primary feathers at the end of the wings are in what appears to be an almost perfectly vertical position to allow for very little air resistance as they move to a higher position in preparation for the powered downstroke but the secondary feathers are pointed almost directly back at me. The skeletal structure of a bird’s wing is homologous (similar in position, structure, and evolutionary origin but not necessarily in function) to the forelimb of most other vertebrates (including humans) with a humerus, then radius and ulna, then metacarpals and finally phalanges at the end.  Like humans, the joint between the radius/ulna and the metacarpals is the carpal or “wrist” joint (see here if you’re curious and/or confused by the anatomy).   So the “wrist” is the joint between the primary and secondary wing feathers. Our wrist or carpal joint can be “bent” up or down and left or right but it cannot be rotated (try holding your…

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Barn Owl Hunting Adaptations And Techniques

One more Barn Owl post and then I’ll give them a rest for a while. Lately I’ve spent a lot of time watching these birds hunt and I’ve become intrigued by the process and their adaptations for doing so.  Hunting over deep snow presents unique challenges because their prey (typically voles) spends most of their time in tunnels under the surface, so the owls are often hunting by sound alone.  According to Birds of North America Online (out of Cornell) Barn Owls hunt prey by sound more effectively than any other animal ever tested (I’m unsure if this statement takes into account the use of sonar by cetaceans and ultrasonic sounds by bats but BNA seldom gets things like this wrong).    1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in They fly low and slow over the surface while watching and listening but with this much snow they usually locate the voles only by sound.   Notice that they can tuck their legs up into their ventral feathers so far that only the feet are visible.  It’s amazing that they can do so because…      1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in as you can see in this “butt shot” those legs are incredibly long.  This is an adaptation for grasping prey through deep vegetation or snow.  Their claws (nails) are unusually long and sharp and the middle nail has a pectinate inner edge, most likely an adaptation for grasping prey…

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Barn Owl Hunting Over A Hoarfrosted Hill

The Barn Owls are still hunting sporadically during daylight in northern Utah.  I’ve seen them doing so in a variety of areas and heard reports of it happening elsewhere. Some areas near the Great Salt Lake are literally “magical wonderlands” in the early mornings due to the thick layer of hoarfrost that covers nearly everything.  The frost falls off the vegetation during the day, then reforms during the night.  The hoarfrost produces a setting for my images that appeals to me. The camera settings for the images in this post were: 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4.  The owl was not baited, set up or called in.    Yesterday morning this owl was hunting along the upper edge of a steep-sided hill as it came in my general direction and then rounded the hill to my right.  In the first four shots you can see that its attention is riveted to the side of the hill where the snow cover is much less deep than it is everywhere else, which would increase the chances of spotting a vole. I chose to compose these images a little differently so that the frost-covered hunting ground becomes almost as important to the image as the bird.  If you have any thoughts on this composition I’d be interested in hearing them.     As the bird rounded the hilltop and got closer to me the frosted vegetation became more dominant in the images.     You can see that the snow on the hillside is patchy (most of the white is frost) so I believe that…

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Barn Owl On A Natural Perch

I had an enjoyable day yesterday while photographing birds with Mia and Brian Gatlin, a friend from northern Arizona.  Since we shoot from my pickup I was the “designated driver” and wasn’t able to do much photography but we did see a lot of great birds and I enjoyed the conversation immensely (in spite of the good-natured but merciless teasing from Mia that I endured all day…)   1/1250, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited set up or called in Strange as it may seem, over the years I’ve had much more success getting Barn Owl shots I like while they’re in flight than I have while they’re perched because of their tendency to land on unattractive and unnatural perches like metal posts and signs.  But this owl allowed us close while perched in a tree that didn’t have too many distracting branches in the setting. Good bird! Ron

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Barn Owls In Flight

This is the time I’ve both looked forward to, and dreaded – when Barn Owls hunt during daytime. Normally this species is strictly nocturnal so they fly only during times that photography is virtually impossible.  But around here, when it turns very cold and the snow is deep, they must continue to hunt during the day in order to survive.  It’s my guess that there are two reasons for the change in behavior; the cold increases their demand for body heat and the food to supply it, combined with the difficulty of hunting voles when the snow is so deep. The last time these birds hunted regularly during daytime was several years ago when we had a similar frigid winter.  Many of those birds didn’t survive until spring.    1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Yesterday there were several Barn Owls hunting in mid-day soon after our latest storm began to clear out which finally allowed for some good light.  It was brutally cold with perhaps a foot of fresh snow on the ground, on top of the snow from previous storms.  Notice the ice/snow clumped on the feet of the owl.      1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I’ve mentioned before how difficult it can be to get a catch light in this species because of their deeply set eyes.  I didn’t get any light in the eye in this image but I liked the wing…

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Barn Owl Hunting Low In The Phrags

Usually when I’m photographing hunting Barn Owls they’re flying above the stands of Phragmites so I typically get a sky background.  If I’m lucky they’ll be low enough so that I include some of the phrags at the bottom of the frame to include habitat in the image.    1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in But occasionally the bird will drop down low enough so that I get only phrags in the background and no sky.  For the sake of variety I like the effect, though it sure makes it difficult to keep focus locked on the bird with the vegetation in the background so close to the owl.      1/2000, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in  On the very next pass the owl was high enough that I got some sky in the background, along with the frosty Phragmites plumes.      1/2000, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Two shots in the burst later the owl was slightly past me and beginning to turn away but this angle gave me a strong catch light in the eye and a somewhat dramatic look at the fully extended left wing. It’s fascinating to watch these birds in the air.  Their buoyant flight with deep, slow wingbeats as they cruise rather slowly will change dramatically when they twist and turn at the beginning of a dive for prey. These owls…

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Road-killed Barn Owls

Talk about coincidence! Last night, as I was working up some images of Barn Owls for a blog post on the species, I received the following UBIRD email (used here by permission) from my good friend, enthusiastic birder and budding bird photographer, Shyloh Robinson.  Shyloh lives very close to Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (FBWMA) and this time of year he’s almost always at the refuge in the evenings looking for birds – particularly owls.   “:(   when a grown man uses an emoticon,  you KNOW he’s serious! Each night this week, I’ve visited my home at FBWMA to look at the owls. I went a bit early tonight to make sure I saw some hawks too. They were posted up in the usual spots. I drove straight to the 4way to wait for any short-eared. (That’s the good spot for them.) Sadly, I saw no owls… Until I left and was on Glovers Lane.  Another Barn Owl was dead in the road, and being collected. I got a lump in my throat. I’m quickly learning why moving vehicles are a Barn Owl’s worst enemy. These alba’s have meant a lot to me lately and I’m saddened to see them ghosted. Now what? Shyloh”   Knowing Shyloh as well as I do, I knew he was devastated.  He simply adores “his” owls – an emotion that I share because I’ve spent many, many hours at FBWMA looking for, and photographing, those Barn Owls.  They are a special species, in so many ways. Shyloh’s UBIRD post inspired me to change the focus of my Barn…

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Banking Barn Owl

I have just a single image for this Friday night post. This morning was my first frosty cold morning at Farmington Bay this season and it reminded me of all the very cold mornings I spent with Barn Owls out there a few years ago – an opportunity I haven’t had with the species since.  Hopefully, it’ll happen again some year soon.   1/2500, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This owl was making a banking turn in front of me so I was able to get a good look at the topside of the bird from my ground level position – something that very few of my Barn Owl flight shots show.  I was slightly further away from the bird than I prefer to be but I still thought the detail held up quite well. In order to anchor the bird in the frame and show habitat, I  cropped this one to include as much of the frosty Phragmites at bottom as possible, Ron

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