Northern Saw-whet Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted February 17, 2011127 views16 comments

Continuing with the Owls that we have around Vancouver, this cute small Owl is not usually found roosting in the clear, so to speak. I was delighted when a good friend located it late yesterday afternoon.

5D MkII, 70-200 f4, ISO 1600, 1/15 sec @ f5.6, tripod, natural dim light!

Anticipating your comments and thanks for looking.

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on February 17, 2011 at 6:07 PM

Great setting and comp KC. Love the gleam in the eye.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on February 17, 2011 at 6:56 PM

Nice catch. These guys are really shy. Lucky you! If you have the option, I might have cropped the bottom almost to his tail and given more room above the head. You would have lost some of the brighter (distracting) background and IMO that would be a good thing. Lovey image of the owl. Nice job

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on February 17, 2011 at 7:36 PM

Great little owl! It is a lovely shot KC.

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on February 17, 2011 at 7:45 PM

You are right that is a good friend. Well done as always.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 17, 2011 at 8:01 PM

Wonderful catch - great eyes and pose!
The bright whites are a little distracting -
Sandy

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

Comment posted by David Haynes on February 18, 2011 at 12:12 AM

Wow KC,
Stunning capture. Was this on a cable release? 1/15 of a second and no blur, tack sharp. Nicely done KC. I like this a lot.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on February 18, 2011 at 1:42 AM

Very nice capture KC. Great pose, very good detail, interesting complementary BG.
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by richard remington on February 18, 2011 at 8:29 AM

KC,

This is a terrific picture of this species. I really like the eye contact and soft lighting.

Rick

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on February 18, 2011 at 9:56 AM

Was this on a cable release?

Thanks, David! No, it wasn't, but only because I did not have it with me on this occasion. This Owl stays very still and in such a situation (quite normal under the canopy of forests in SE Asia) I find that a burst of many frames is good practice. I have some later shots at ISO800 @ 1/6 sec that are more than acceptable, and I am very happy with these as there was some wind, too, that swayed the branches a little bit.

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on February 18, 2011 at 10:52 AM

Cool little bird. Amazing to pull this off with a full frame body and a 70-200!! Tell me you were at the 200 end of this lens

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on February 18, 2011 at 12:56 PM

Excellent image.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on February 18, 2011 at 1:20 PM

KC,
I really like this beautiful little owl and natural setting too. Very well executed.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on February 18, 2011 at 11:56 PM

Excellent, Kwan.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 19, 2011 at 9:04 AM

Awesome shot of this bird. BG is not optimal, but then try to find this species with a shootable BG. Well done.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on February 19, 2011 at 10:18 AM

Really a fine shot Kwan, especially under those circumstances. My camera has never even experienced such a slow SS.

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on February 19, 2011 at 10:33 AM

Amazing to pull this off with a full frame body and a 70-200!! Tell me you were at the 200 end of this lens

This Owl roosts in this vicinity daily but not on the exact same spot or tree. It has only been to this perch twice in two months that we know of. It is at a Wildlife Sanctuary and it is not permissible to go off the public paths. However, the three or four NSWO's that winter there seem to prefer being next to the paths or roads, perhaps because they feel there is more protection with the human traffic. Strangely, all of the Owls that I have photographed here are all without having to go off road or pathways. So, to answer your question, Keith, this bird is within 8 feet or so of the path and I was at 138mm.

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments