{"id":38823,"date":"2016-04-15T05:47:45","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T11:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=38823"},"modified":"2016-04-15T07:35:29","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T13:35:29","slug":"a-close-up-look-at-the-endearing-face-of-a-wild-short-eared-owl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/15\/a-close-up-look-at-the-endearing-face-of-a-wild-short-eared-owl\/","title":{"rendered":"A Close-up Look At The Endearing Face Of A Wild Short-eared Owl"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being\u00a0this close to a wild\u00a0owl inspired in me\u00a0a feeling of deep and solemn respect.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"short-eared1\/8000, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I photographed this Short-eared Owl 12 days ago as it hunted voles from a fence post next to a paved, rural road. It had apparently become quite acclimated to traffic because it\u00a0didn’t even flinch when the occasional vehicle came by. Normally I wouldn’t even attempt to get this close to\u00a0a\u00a0wild\u00a0owl but in order to get past it I had no choice. As I did so I stuck my lens out the window and fired off a few shots. I had no\u00a0opportunity to remove my teleconverter or adjust camera settings (thus the crazy-high shutter speed) but my exposure was right and I was able to get\u00a0excellent detail on the face.<\/p>\n

I had no time to appreciate that detail in the field\u00a0through my lens\u00a0but I become transfixed by the intimacy when I look at the image on my screen. I enjoy the details of the facial disc, the rictal bristles wrapping around the front of the beak and of course those riveting bright yellow eyes deeply set in the blacks of the eye orbits. And I was happy to see that this bird apparently has healthy eyes.\u00a0A significant number of owls I photograph have “blown” eyes <\/a>– apparent injuries often caused by struggles with prey or collisions with vehicles.<\/p>\n

Nature is\u00a0just about the only thing that inspires reverence in me these days and I definitely had that feeling with this owl. These rare experiences are one of the many reasons I photograph birds.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n