Though Short-eared Owls are one of the worlds most widespread owls, the species is highly dependent on the density of its small mammal prey, voles in particular. Since vole populations fluctuate wildly, Short-eared Owls show significant local variation in numbers and reproductive success from year to year.
As every photographer knows, light angle can make or break an image. In static portrait shots especially, partial side lighting (at perhaps 45 degrees to your subject) emphasizes texture, patterns and shapes and helps to separate subject from background. It’s been said that side light “sculpts” your subject.
I’d been photographing a family of these birds for several weeks but typical of the species they were usually on the ground with obstructing vegetation in front of them or buried too deeply in the sagebrush. But as I approached them on this early August morning (in my pickup, from the road) there were two juveniles and one adult perched high on the sagebrush in nice warm light and there was a clean, pleasing background. My little heart went pit-a-pat at the opportunity but then I had to deal with the harsh reality of depth of field.
Head-on flight shots of owls have often been baited using live, store-bought mice. I’m of the opinion that baiting raptors is not only unethical (a debate I’d prefer to not get into here) but unnecessary for those kinds of images. However they typically require patience, intimate knowledge of the subject, a keen eye for interpreting behavior and even a little luck.
The burrow of these owls is at the base of this huge lichen-encrusted rock and the owls seemed to enjoy perching on it. These juveniles were having a blast with their flight maneuvers.
I love the half-closed, fuzzy eyelid and the ear tufts or “horns” that are just beginning to form on this young owl.
I’ve reported previously on this blog that Barn Owl populations took a huge hit this past winter in northern Utah. It was dreadfully cold for much of the winter with lots of snow. Normally that’s not a huge problem for these owls but with deep snow on the ground we had a warm spell that melted the surface of the snow and immediately after that we had an extended cold snap. Those conditions caused a hard crust of ice to form on the snow surface that lasted for weeks.
I’m curious about the right half of the tail feathers of the fledgling. They appear to be much lighter in color than the rest of the tail and I’m wondering if there isn’t some leucism going on.
A few weeks ago I reported a Glimmer of Hope for our Barn Owls. It turns out I was overly optimistic and I felt like I should update the situation.
I heard some very good news on the Barn Owl front recently. Hawkwatch International reports that a pair of Barn Owls has taken up residence in one of the kestrel nest boxes that HI keeps an eye on and they have laid 5 eggs!
This sequence is from the summer of 2010 in southwest Montana. The adult male was kept busy hunting and delivering voles to his family of two chicks and the female on the nest.
Prepare to lose your heart if you ever have the opportunity to photograph or watch juvenile Burrowing Owls up close. They’re full of spontaneous antics and personality and they’re cute as a button.
Barn Owls have rather intricate plumage patterns and interesting color gradations on their dorsal (back) surfaces but they are rarely seen in their entirety in a single image. That’s partly because to get such an image you need to get them in flight with their wings out and tail spread which is very difficult to do since they’re primarily nocturnal. And when you do manage a flight shot of one you’re usually looking up at them and can’t see much, if any, of the dorsal surface. I thought this image fit the bill. especially with the bird looking down so that we can also see the colors and patterns on the top of the head. Yes, I do wish I had more light in the eye… 1/1600. f/8, ISO 500 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in Another thing I like about the image is the clear look at the alulae (plural of alula) or “bastard wings – the first digit or “thumb” on the leading edge of the wing. And this shot shows one more thing that intrigues me – the right alula (left in our view) is extended further forward and at a sharper angle than the one on the birds left, perhaps in compensation for the tipped angle of flight. My research indicates that there’s still debate among experts about whether or not birds have muscular control of the alulae or they only respond to the pressure of air currents. This owl has just spotted potential prey below and is flying very slowly as…
This was a day I’m sure I’ll never forget – my first up close experience with an owl of any species in the wild. I’d only been photographing birds for about a year and I still had a lot to learn – about my gear, about technique and about my avian subjects.
I’ve posted once before about the fighting Male Short-eared Owls I photographed in south-west Montana but I spent several days with these sparring birds and thought they deserved some more attention on my blog.
