I like this bird’s rich colors and textures in the side light.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This older photo of a Barn Owl was taken five years ago, on February 22, 2019, at Farmington Bay WMA. It’s unusually bright light for a Barn Owl because this bird was still out and about at 10:17 AM. Usually they’ve stopped hunting by then and gone into seclusion for the day.
I have several photos with the owl in this pose but I’ve never posted any of them before because I didn’t think I had light in the eye in any of them. Last night I realized I had a catch light in just this one, but just barely. A head turn of another degree or two and there wouldn’t have been one.
I like the background (a mix of water and marshland) and the rich colors and textures in the owl’s plumage.
A vertical composition provides even more detail but for my tastes this version is cropped a little too tight on the bird. Tradeoffs.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Barn Owl because they typically only hunt in the daytime during extremely cold and snowy weather when food is hard to find. This winter has been a mild one so they find enough to eat at night and stay hunkered down and hidden during the day.
That’s a good thing for owls but not so much for bird photographers.
Ron
That is a gorgeous bird – with some very impressive talons.
Beautiful photos of a very handsome bird Ron. I don’t recall every seeing one, but might have many years back during my boyhood in Pennsylvania. They are certainly very unique looking. Would definitely not want those talons digging into my arm.
Thanks, Everett. They are impressive talons, aren’t they.
I think it’s a beauty both ways!
Thank you, Joanne.
It’s a lovely photo.
Thanks, Marty.
Such attractive markings! I like the vertical crop because the owl fills the frame. For some reason, I don’t get the heebie-jeebies from a Barn Owl’s profile like I do from a head-on shot.
I wonder where those heebie-jeebies come from, Marty. I guess I’ve never felt that way, about Barn Owls, no matter the pose.
Gorgeous. I go for the top one.
Thanks, Burrdoo. I do too.
What a lovely thing to wake up to. The detail in the tight crop is so beautiful – the “furry” face, and the little rim of “fuzz” on the edge of the tail feather on the right. Our resident Barred Owl was hooting to its mate about 4:30 this morning. Owls of all kinds, what a neat way to start the day!
Thanks, Carolyn. Maybe some day I’ll see a Barred Owl, somewhere. Hasn’t happened yet…
You’re so right about the richness of this bird’s coloration– the
little seed-like markings are unusually well-defined, and the tail
feathers look “sculpted” in that raking light– as Mark said, “Almost
like leather”………what a treat to see ! Thanks…….
“the little seed-like markings are unusually well-defined”
Kris, I know of no other bird species that has markings like that. I wonder if there are any.
Stunning, I’m envious. Barn Owls are quite rare in SE Nebraska.
Thank you, Cary.
Beautiful owl! They are “weird” but beautiful……. 🙂 #1 for composition tho I like #2 for detail…… Of course, we don’t have them here so have never seen one in the wild.
Thanks, Judy. That Barn Owl I cut out of barbed wire in the Centennial Valley years ago was one of the few Barn Owls ever seen in Montana.
Great photo. And I’m with you regarding the crop. #1 is the winner.
With the the owl’s bright white face partially hidden it helps accentuate the extraordinary patterns and colors of the rest of the bird. Seldom do we get chance to see just how beautiful these owls are.
People will tell me that they saw a large white bird flying by at night, and ask what it was. From the description I know it was a Barn Owl. When I send them a photo of a barn owl, I always get a message back, ‘no it was a white bird’.
“I always get a message back, ‘no it was a white bird’.”
Michael, depending on the light and what part of the bird is exposed, they can sure look white, or almost so.
I think I agree with you in preferring the horizontal version of the photo, but I do like the extra detail in the vertical version.
What a beautiful bird. Its plumage almost looks like leather.
I agree about their beauty, Mark. Thanks.