![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/short-eared-owl-5866b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"short-eared-owl-5866b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nI believe two of these images from yesterday morning\u00a0may be among my personal\u00a0best shots ever of a juvenile of this species taking off and in flight.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I encountered this youngster soon after dawn yesterday morning in northern Utah. The bird was partially side lit but I couldn’t maneuver my pickup to improve the light angle so in most of my shots the right eye had no light on it at all – it was just a black, bottomless pit due to their deeply-set eyes. But then for a second or two it looked slightly further to my right\u00a0which put partial light on that eye. It made a big difference. I’m never fond of metal fence posts as perches but this rusty\u00a0one is a little less offensive than most.<\/p>\n I always enjoy seeing these juveniles, partly because they’re so much darker than the adults.<\/p>\n After taking a few shots with my teleconverter attached I removed it in case of takeoff. Especially after my posts of the last two days I’d have been embarrassed if I clipped or cut off its wings when it took flight!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n And this time\u00a0I didn’t.<\/p>\n I caught the wings in a great position, the bird’s feet are still\u00a0pushing off from the perch (which I like) and I have a good look at the face and eyes. This direction of takeoff was just about perfect given the challenging sidelight.<\/p>\n The near monotone colors in these images may not appeal to everyone but I think\u00a0it’s an interesting effect and just a little bit different.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The next shot in the burst just may be my favorite juvenile SEO flight shot of mine. I have mixed feelings about the fence\u00a0post but I love the flight posture with the nice head turn in my direction and I think the subtle\u00a0layers of light and color in the background add strength to the image. We even get a little glimpse of the alulae on both wings.<\/p>\n It’s a long drive for me to get to this area so I haven’t been there for quite a while and I was afraid I’d missed the juvies. Both adults and juveniles tend to disperse far and wide after the youngsters become fully\u00a0independent so I was delighted to find this handsome young owl still in the area. It’s quite likely to be my last one\u00a0of the year.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n PS – For regular readers who may be interested, typing this post was much easier last night and this morning than it was the day before – no blood on the keyboard, very little pain and far\u00a0fewer mistakes. The bandages on my finger still tend to\u00a0make\u00a0typing cumbersome and mistake-prone but\u00a0I’m both surprised and relieved by the quick\u00a0improvement.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I believe two of these images from yesterday may be among my personal best shots ever of a juvenile of this species taking off and in flight.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/short-eared-owl-5884-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"short-eared-owl-5884-ron-dudley\\"")
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