Barred Owl

NIce looking owl. I like the side light and warm BG of this. I'd tone down or remove the two bright sticks coming out of the head if mine.

Looks like a typical owl in a busy spot. Handled well IMHO and agree with Steve about the two sticks. I would also have used fill flash for the shadow areas. Well done nevertheless.

Great moment. The side lighting created some nice drama, but it also created some deep shadows on the left. Fill flash would have been nice to help with that, or maybe a little dodging in post processing could help bring out a bit more detail on the left. Is this cropped? It feels a little crowded on the left if you have more room.

Thanks for the comments. I always learn. Actually, I think it is a pretty ordinary image, but a nice Owl. Really, my first. I've never had such an owl opportunity. It got me looking into the bird books. As usual light shifted fast. I could have raised the iso a bit. Some of my other shots have differing poses and I love to crop in close, but this one is full body and frame.
(Funny: Steve Canuel's GHO portrait posted 5 mins. after mine blew me away---Also, I looked at Keith Bauer's website: "Curves Ahead" is too cool-a study in spacetime and gravity.)

I liked reading your second comment Tim - it shows me that you acknowledge the limitations of the image and fully appreciate the bird. That said, I think this has quite a bit of appeal given the interesting lighting and natural setting. I'm glad you posted it.