Short-eared Owl On An Old Wooden Fence Post

This was one of several Short-eared Owls I photographed three weeks ago in northern Utah.

 

short-eared owl 4125 ron dudley

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

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 one of the old, weathered wooden posts that I prefer. Here the owl is scanning for prey in the grasses. The light was from the side and filtered by clouds so for these shots I’d cranked up my ISO to get enough shutter speed in case the bird took off.

 

 

short-eared owl 4128 ron dudley

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

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.

In my view this “stickiness” of some owls (of several species) is a mixed blessing. It allows me to get high quality images without disturbing them but I’m sure it also contributes to their high mortality rate from collisions with vehicles, especially at night.

I’d much rather have them spooky than dead.

Ron

 

19 Comments

  1. Charlotte Norton

    Sensational shots Ron!
    Charlotte

  2. What a beauty. Glad he/she cooperated for you Ron.

  3. I like the color on the light bars of the primaries – such a rosy hue to the tan

  4. Love these shots. Such a beautiful creature.

  5. Lovely shots, just lovely. And I’m with you on those individuals who hang out by roads and highways, however, we don’t give them much choice, do we? Sigh.

    • “we don’t give them much choice, do we?”

      No, we don’t, Laura. I suspect all the fence posts and power poles are a hunting advantage for those species that hunt from perches but many of them pay a big price for the privilege because so many of those kinds of perches are right next to roads.

  6. These are such beautiful birds …I love their shape, the richness of their colors, the color patterns, especially on the breast, their golden eyes and the bright, white frost crystals framing the facial disc. I especially like images of them sitting on old, weathered wood posts…just looks right…metal posts, not as much….

  7. Killer shots Ron!! Clean pics at the higher ISO…no issues there. I really like your photography very much.

    • “Clean pics at the higher ISO”

      Thanks very much, Zaphir. I considered using noise reduction on the background but in the end decided against it.

  8. Great shots Ron!
    This is just my take on why some individuals spook and others do not. Back some time ago when I banded birds, it seemed that locals tended to be recaught in nets and traps more often. Whereas, individuals just coming into the area would leave as soon as they were released and never were recaught. When I go out and fill the feeders, there are some individuals that go to a nearby tree and wait and watch, whereas others will take off for the woods. When the Snowy’s were here two years ago, there was one that seemed to have been here for sometime and allowed my truck to get quite close. Other owls on the other hand would move a safe distance whenever vehicles approached or even passed. And, of course that safe distance was too far for my lens. I sense that once a bird or birds associate a vehicle or person(s) as a non-threat they will tolerate your presence at a closer proximity than if they are not local. Just my take on it.

  9. Christina Greutink

    These are so good, Ron! They really let me see the colors and identifying marks. So often the colors of this owl get distorted by lighting, etc., so I really appreciate these pictures. Thanks again!

    • “So often the colors of this owl get distorted by lighting”

      You’re right about that, Christina. I’ve deleted SO many SEO images with that very problem.

  10. Great photo’s, Ron. 🙂 It is a mixed blessing having any wild critter acclimated to human presence.

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