![\"short-eared](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/short-eared-owl-4125-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis was one of several Short-eared Owls I photographed three weeks ago in northern Utah.<\/p>\n
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1\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 1000, 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 This bird, like the others, was hunting from fence posts instead of on the wing. They would often choose ugly metal posts as perches but this one picked\u00a0one of the\u00a0old,\u00a0weathered wooden posts that\u00a0I\u00a0prefer. Here the owl is\u00a0scanning for\u00a0prey in the grasses. The light was from the side and filtered by clouds so for these shots I’d cranked up my\u00a0ISO to get\u00a0enough shutter speed in case the bird took off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The owl would look at me (in my pickup) occasionally but it seemed completely comfortable with my presence. Often these birds didn’t even fly off when noisy vehicles or farm equipment came by on the road next to the fence. It’s interesting how some owls become this acclimated to traffic but other individuals spook before a vehicle gets anywhere near them.<\/p>\n In my view this “stickiness” of some owls (of several species)\u00a0is a mixed blessing. It allows me to get high quality images\u00a0without\u00a0disturbing them but I’m sure it also contributes to their high mortality rate from collisions with vehicles, especially at night.<\/p>\n I’d much rather have them spooky than dead.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This owl, like the others, was hunting from fence posts instead of on the wing.<\/p>\n![\"short-eared](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/short-eared-owl-4128-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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