Burrowing Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted June 27, 2010182 views13 comments

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)

Place: Gilbert, AZ, USA
When: June 6, 2010
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), monopod from car window
ISO 100, aperture priority center-weighted meter @ -1/3 ec, 1/640th @ F/8
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, modest crop for proportion

A companion shot to my previous post, taken 2 minutes later at 7:16 am. Since I had to work getting into position and close enough to photograph this bird I stayed with it watching through the viewfinder for any photo ops it would present. I basically held the shutter release down when it started to preen and have many very similar frames. I selected this one from a very similar image because in shows a bit more of the beak and eyes.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Larger image fro critical viewing provided.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on June 27, 2010 at 10:41 PM

Hi Richard, I like the simple graphics of this crop a lot, and think they are a strong part of the image. The somewhat monochromatic color tones throughout are also a big plus. Detail and techs, as with all your work, are spot on. The one legged pose and tucked face within the orb of the body line are what make the graphic quality of the image so compelling for me.

Top notch.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on June 27, 2010 at 11:52 PM

A very cool shot, Richard! I can see red on the beak; from its last meal, no doubt.

Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on June 28, 2010 at 2:42 AM

Excdelent detail and pose!
I'd personally move him a bit off center - but it's your image and just fine as is!

Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on June 28, 2010 at 7:31 AM

Interesting behavior and I like the similar colors throughout Rich. Amazing that there's still plenty of detail in the shaded areas between wings and body.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Ross on June 28, 2010 at 8:42 AM

Great behavioural capture Richard, lighting and sharpness both look good.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 403 Posts, 2729 Comments

Comment posted by denise ippolito on June 28, 2010 at 9:50 AM

Richard, Very nice pose and the details look good. The gradient BG is lovely as is the perch. I might try to off center the bird a bit if it were mine. But that is just a personal preference. Great image!

Registered on December 17, 2009, 202 Posts, 1529 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on June 28, 2010 at 10:27 AM

great details, action, and composition, Rich. normally I would want to see more of the eye, but I think this works really well--the great preening action and the fact that the bird seems so comfortable with you that he's not bothering to keep an eye on you gives this a nice intimate feel.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 28, 2010 at 7:14 PM

Beautiful, Richard. Perfect focus and dof, and the behavior is fun. I've always found preening images interesting.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on June 28, 2010 at 10:34 PM

I really like these owls. Nice pose and clean background as well.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by mark cillo on June 29, 2010 at 11:43 AM

I like it. Your BG is fantastic and the dramatic scene is a real attention grabber, Nice work!

Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on June 29, 2010 at 4:17 PM

An excellent companion image to the one you posted earlier, Richard. I don't think I would have aprreciated this as much if I hadn't seen that first. Very interesting pose.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on July 4, 2010 at 8:32 PM

I love it Rich because it shows a bird doing what a bird does naturally. In this case I especially like the closed eye while the bird grooms. As usual your techs, colors, sharpness and details are spot on. Excellent, interesting image.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on May 15, 2011 at 7:22 AM

Like this preening pose with the claws tightly clenched, and the bit of red on its beak stands out in this monochromatic frame..Really like this type of behavioral image - Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments