This adult Great Horned Owl was perched in one of the granary cutouts on my family farm in nw Montana. I’ve had many opportunities with them in such a setting because the owls have been there for years and there’s lots of old weathered granaries and barns there that they like to roost in.
This time I thought I’d go with a composition that brings the wood a little more into play.
1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in
This bird faced me for a quite a while but they often don’t sit in the cutouts for long since during daytime they prefer their sanctuary on the rafters and in the relative darkness inside the buildings so here the owl had just turned around in preparation for entering the granary.
1/1250, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in
Then it turned its head the other direction before flying to one of the rafters inside the building.
My grandpa, uncle and father built most of these old farm structures back in the 1930’s and I know some of the stories from their construction. Life out there wasn’t easy back then and just looking at this old wood, the nails and the cutouts has special meaning for me, especially when one of “my” owls is part of the picture.
Ron
Note: In case you’re wondering, there’s an errant feather below and to the left of the eye in the last image.
BEautiful shots. Very intimate feeling
Thanks very much, Diana, Chris, Charlotte and Wally.
Thank you for sharing your Owl, your barn and your memories. Very special images!
Wonderful shots and wonderful memories! Thanks so much for sharing both!
How I would love to find an owl!
Charlotte
Ah Ron, textures and colors– what a great day to be here! Thank you for my favorites!
Thanks for sharing your family memories and “your” owls, Ron.
Your photos have special meaning for the start of my day
Excellent shot, and interesting composition. I love the detail in the old weathered wood grain contrasted with the owl.
Must be good hunting for the owl in this area if there have been Great Horned’s for that length of time.
Dick, these owls have plenty to eat. The area is usually crawling with what we call “gophers” – Richardson’s Ground Squirrel.
The textures in these photos are incredible. The owls plumage almost looks like fine crochet work and I love the graining in the wood. And, as always, the owl. A stunning bird. Thank you.
Thanks, Elephant’s Child. You mentioned some of the things I like, too.