In my experience Barn Owls can look pretty goofy, even on a good day. With their conspicuous facial disc, small (for an owl) deeply set eyes and their long, ivory colored bill pointing almost straight down, they look, well… different. But I certainly don’t say that disparagingly. They’re magnificent birds and I love’m to bits.
1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM, not baited, set up or called in
And I thought this one looked a little sillier than most since I caught it in mid-rouse (ruffling its feathers). They typically put their head down to do this so I was lucky to get eye contact and even some light in the right eye during the process (especially since there was heavy overcast and little light). The image was taken almost exactly a year ago at Farmington Bay and I pretty much fell in love with this bird because it allowed me to spend 46 minutes with it as it hunted voles (successfully, several times), preened, rested and even slept.
Some of my readers are aware that many of our Barn Owls perished during our harsh winter last year. Since they rarely hunt during daytime (unless they’re food-stressed) I haven’t seen one for almost a year now and I can’t help wondering how many are still around after that dreadful experience last year. But two days ago (after dark) my friend Shyloh Robinson reported seeing four Barn Owls at Farmington Bay.
That’s a very good omen and I’m much relieved.
Ron
This owl knows how to accessorize! Beautiful image Ron!
Superb image of a really beautiful bird, Ron! Love all the detail. Hopefully, the local species will recover from last year’s tragedy. I finally laid eyes on a Barn Owl in our county a couple of months ago. Less than a handful have been recorded as breeding here. Sure hope that changes soon.
A little rumpled perhaps but charming and stylish to the max. I love the spangled coat… And the news that four of them were seen after dark at Farmington Bay is beyond wonderful.
“spangled coat”
That’s the perfect descriptive phrase for them, Elephant’s Child. I’ll probably steal it for future use…
Lol, she looks like she is standing on the bow of the Titanic. I really hope there is more owl activity this year. I know the four boxes I watch in Southern California have not laid eggs going on two years now. I sure hope things turn around soon. I always enjoy seeing your Barn owl photos.
I’m sorry to hear that, Debbie. I know that they’re declining in many areas.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I LOVE all barn owls, goofy or not! I even love them at their “dinosaur” stage as owlets. This is a beautiful photo to me, Ron. I don’t comment much but I try to read all of your blogs, thank you for your lovely photography and very informative commentary!
Thanks Kathryn. No need to comment unless you feel the urge. I just appreciate that you’re “here”…
This bird is absolutely precious. And definitely goofy looking. The pose and facial expression remind me of a sea gull vaudeville team I photographed in the South Pacific earlier this year. Thanks for making me smile when I’ve been feeling stressed.
Birds can absolutely be stress relievers, Susan. I’m in the middle of watching this (link below). So relaxing and interesting. It’s long (about an hour I think) but my own stress has been much relieved by watching it. Personally, I find it both soothing and fascinating.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-life-as-a-turkey-full-episode/7378/
One thing I always notice about Barn Owls, is how sleek they look…this one, not so much…
Yep, it’s hard to look sleek when you’re rousing, Patty.
Enjoy the Pic. I keep an eye on a couple live cams with Barn Owls… butt rarely see the true beauty of their color.
Again… thank you for sharing your talents with us.
CJ
Yes, it’s often difficult to see their true color since, if they can be photographed at all, it’s typically in extremely low light.
All Puffed up and no place to go…
John, It was too cold to go very far, unless it was for food…
HaHaHaHa!!!!! Absolutely very funny! I wish you would put some of your images in some good birding/nature magazines, or do you and I’m just not looking in the right place.
“I wish you would put some of your images in some good birding/nature magazines, or do you and I’m just not looking in the right place.”
Thanks for your confidence in me, Dick. Actually a fair number of my images do get published in magazines and books. One of the latest examples is in the October 2014 issue of Ranger Rick Jr. magazine. It’s a series of five images of parallaxing juvenile Burrowing Owls.
I’m also supposed to have a couple of images (Lark Sparrow and Marsh Wren) in the new edition of Cornell’s “Handbook of Bird Biology” coming out next year. I’m pretty excited about that one.
One of the reasons you don’t see many of my images that are published is that quite a few of them have been in European publications (England and France, especially). Not sure why that is…
But keep your eye out when you go to wildlife refuges. Several of them use my images, especially in western states, on their educational displays and refuge signs.
WOW!! Fantastic! That is great, I will certainly be on the lookout!
Many thanks for this info, I’m sure your readers will appreciate this as well!
Goofy but so beautiful. Wonderful shot.
Thank you, Dina.
Hmmm–all in the eye of the beholder , I guess—to me, Barn owls look not only ” sage”, but serene as well . I think this is a LOVELY image which has the feel of a Japanese brush-painting……
“all in the eye of the beholder , I guess”
Absolutely, Kris. I agree that they look “sage”, but personally I always see the goofy part too, especially after watching them for a while.
He has that just got up look going. Glad to hear they are back.
I’m very happy to know they’re still “out there”, Stephanie. With their typical strictly nocturnal habits it’s often difficult to tell.