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<\/p>\nMidwinter is Barn Owl “season” in northern Utah but it can also be an extremely grim time of year for them.<\/p>\n
With rare exceptions Barn Owls don’t migrate so when we have cold snaps in January and February in northern Utah our resident owls often struggle to survive the harsh conditions. Under most circumstances Barn Owls are strictly nocturnal so they’re rarely seen out and about in daytime but intense cold and\/or deep snow often forces them to extend their hunting hours so they become more crepuscular than strictly nocturnal. Occasionally I’ve even photographed them hunting at midday.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 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 photographed this Barn Owl at 9:53 AM on January 26, 2016 as “he” hunted along the canal edges at Bear River MBR. He wasn’t particularly close when this shot was taken but he was cruising low and slow which allowed me to lock focus on him and get quite a few photos as he came closer. I’ve posted several of my other shots of him in the past but these two are new to my blog.<\/p>\n The background is the snow-covered Promontory Mountains in the far distance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 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 Three shots later in the burst he was slightly closer, flying more in my direction and looking directly at me. Soon after this shot was taken he veered off to our left.<\/p>\n I always have mixed feelings when I have a Barn Owl in flight in my viewfinder. It goes without saying that I’m ecstatic – most folks never see a Barn Owl flying in daylight and I’m fully aware of how unique my experience is. But when a Barn Owl hunts in daylight it’s struggling to find enough food to survive the snow and\/or frigid weather so my empathy for them runs deep. Barn Owls in stress break my heart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Imagine trying to locate and capture enough voles to survive when the temperatures are freezing and the snow is deep. This photo was taken just after the owl had plunged into the snow after a vole. If I remember correctly this attempt was successful but with this much snow they usually fail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have my doubts whether this frost and snow-covered owl made it through the winter. This bird was actually shivering and I’ve seen several other shivering Barn Owls too. In these conditions it isn’t unusual to find a dead Barn Owl soon after a severe storm. I’m aware of one case where a struggling Barn Owl was rescued along the causeway to Antelope Island and delivered to rehab with a frostbitten face. Thankfully that owl survived and I believe it was eventually released back into the wild.<\/p>\n I don’t deny looking forward to photographing Barn Owls in flight this winter (if we get a cold snap in January or February) but if I had my druthers they’d never have to hunt in daylight. Not ever.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Midwinter is Barn Owl “season” in northern Utah but it can also be an extremely grim time of year for them.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/barn-owl-9192b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"barn-owl-9192b-ron-dudley\\"")
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