Two days ago I finally had some pretty good luck with Short-eared Owls in the west desert.
Like last time, I found three of them and photographed several of them in flight and hunting from fence post perches. Sometimes they weren’t close and sometimes they were backlit or sidelit but I was able to take several series of photos of them that I like well enough to post. Today I’ll share one of those series.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The Shortie was hunting on the west side of the road, so the early morning light was good. But I wasn’t particularly close to the owl so these photos have been cropped significantly. I got quite a few shots before this one but this is the first one where the owl was ‘close enough’ and I had light on its face.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
At this point the owl was close enough to me that it momentarily looked my way, rather than looking down or forward while it was hunting.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Here I’m glad I caught the owl between the two largest whitish splotches in the background (rocks), instead of having one of them intersecting the bird. The smaller, slightly darker one behind the tail doesn’t bother me. Much.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I like the sagebrush in the background, but then I usually do.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This is the last shot I got where the owl was still looking at me. After this it…
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
looked forward for a moment and then turned away from me to continue hunting.
It goes without saying that I wish the owl had been closer, but the bird was sharp enough that I could crop significantly and still have acceptable image quality. In fact, these photos are sharp enough that I had to cut my normal sharpening routine down by half, so they didn’t look “crinkly”. During processing, all six photos were cropped to only 6 MP and I still think they held up reasonably well.
A very nice change from all those mornings in the same area when heat waves caused all of my photos to be soft. Sometimes dreadfully soft.
Ron
Note: I photographed other owls that morning too. I’ll be posting some of those photos in the near future. And yes, for those photos I was closer to the birds.
So excited to see Shorties gracing the pages of your blog again! This series is wonderful, even with the distance between you and the owl. Definitely don’t have to worry about softness. That Shortie is so sharp, he looks like he’s ready to fly out of my phone!
Thanks, Marty. When I’m in that area I never know what to expect when it comes to sharpness – no matter the temp or the time of year. An enigma.
How I wish that my early morning starts were so bountifully rewarded. Any day with an owl in it is immediately improved. Fortunately that includes ‘your’ owls.
EC, I don’t get rewarded like this very often, which makes me appreciative when it happens.
Just curious. Have you ever seen an Australian owl called the Southern Boobook? That name intrigues me.
Not in the wild. I had a close encounter at our local zoo with a barking owl that was magical. And they do bark – and set dogs off in the areas close to them.
The dogs in my neighborhood don’t need an owl, or anything else, to set them off.
Believe me, the barking owl would have them in a frenzy. And would no doubt be laughing.
Great work! Love the eyes!
Thanks, Judy.
Your commitment and dedication to your craft are (to me, not-a-morning-person) other-worldly: up at 3:15, on the road by 4:45?! And you have no idea if you’ll actually find your quarry … but lucky for you and us, you did! Love the third shot, with beautiful Shortie’s wings and face on full display. ❤️
I know, Chris. When I think about it, it does seem a little crazy. But this time of year there are only two alternatives – leaving later in the morning and arriving on site late in the day or just staying home. Both alternatives would make me even crazier.
Thanks for the photos you posted today. Nice to see them in action once in a while. Have a great day.
Thank you, Trudy.
All good photos Ron. Each has something to admire. Those looking right at you are powerful, and the last one in full light gives a wonderful look at the fully extended underside of the wing.
Thank you, Michael.
Beautiful series, Ron……. 🙂 The 1st shot in particular appeals to me. Hearing some owls at night I’ve been unable to identify with it’s wide variety of sounds – “some day” 😉
Heat coming on here as well and we sure don’t need it with our low snow pack. Oh well!
Thanks, Judy. We didn’t get as much snow as we hoped for but at least our reservoirs are in good shape for this time of year. It’s another story in southern Utah. Those folks are in tough shape.
Heat wave on its way here too. All good Ron, but like the last
one where it appears he is flying with just one wing. Good color and sharpness and catch eye in all. Hope you had a good Memorial Day.
Thanks, Everett. I did have a good Memorial Day. Stayed home and avoided the crowds and traffic.
Oh Ron, I love these! What an experience to have such a gorgeous creature looking at you (well, toward you!) This is a lovely series, thank you so much.
Thanks very much, Noel. “Gorgeous creature” indeed.
Always enjoy your day-hunting Shorties, Ron. And I’m just a bit envious….😉
Thanks, Diane. I understand your envy. That’s the same way I feel when so many folks in the northeast are photographing Shorties during winter, when I never see them.
You must have been up and at’m mighty early that morning ! What
a treat to have lots of shots at short-eared AND other species of
owls…..a treat for me to see your post this morning…..they’re my
favorite species of owl–those winsome faces and spooky eyes !
“You must have been up and at’m mighty early that morning”
I was, Kris. Up at 3:15 and on the road by 4:45. Sunrise comes early this time of year (6 AM) and it’s a long drive to get there.