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>\nSeveral years ago this young Burrowing Owl and “his” siblings spent much of their time on or very near this old and rusty barbed wire fence. These fences are a clear and present danger to a variety of birds, grouse and owls in particular. I know from experience that a single barb is all it takes to snag an owl and end its life slowly and miserably.<\/p>\n
But based on what I’ve seen (and haven’t seen) in the field I suspect that the very small, quicker and more agile Burrowing Owls are somewhat less vulnerable to barbed wire than larger owls like Short-eared and Barn Owls. This youngster seemed to think so as he performed a wing stretch and brushed his left wing over the wire and barbs as if they presented no danger at all. His pose and attitude seem to be the epitome of nonchalance.<\/p>\n
Some folks don’t even like to see photos of birds and wildlife that include barbed wire but that devil wire exists in vast quantities so critters have had to adapt to it as best they can. I try to look at photos like this as evidence they’ve been able to adapt with at least some success.<\/p>\n
The alternative to adapting to the fences and even using them to their advantage when they can would be much worse.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/burrowing-owl-4550-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"burrowing-owl-4550-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
Here’s an alternative composition of the same image. I see strengths and weaknesses in both of them so I couldn’t make up my mind which one to post.. Aesthetically I like this vertical composition better but the horizontal crop includes more of the wire and barbs that play a significant role in part of the subject of this post – the danger barbed wire presents to birds and wildlife.<\/p>\n
So perhaps in this context the horizontal is preferrable.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Happy Easter to all!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Burrowing Owls are like humans. When they’re teenagers they think they’re invincible. <\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/burrowing-owl-4550-horizontal-crop-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"burrowing-owl-4550-horizontal-crop-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n