Short-eared Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted July 31, 2011254 views24 comments

I've been frustrated by this species in flight in Utah for a long time, though I've had some luck with Montana birds. Finally, last month, I found a mated pair on Antelope Island who were busy trying to keep track of and feed at least four juveniles spread out over several acres. Occasionally one of the parents would fly by relatively close as it returned with a vole for the juvies. If you look closely at the larger version there's a catch light in the eye of the vole.

7D, 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window on 6/28/11, minor exposure adjustment in ACR, cropped to 50% of original image, brought shadows up slightly, sharpened bird and vole, no additional processing or adjustments, natural light, not set up or baited

Larger version provided

Comments/critique appreciated

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on July 31, 2011 at 10:54 AM

Nice work Ron...I have yet to even see one in the wild, so of course I have some owl envy

Very nice flight shot here, love the eyes on the SE and of course the mean is a huge bonus...especially when you manage to get catch light on the meal

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on July 31, 2011 at 11:24 AM

nice Ron, I like the angle of the bird's wings and the angle of approach too. the prey is a nice addition. I share Kurt's owl envy.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on July 31, 2011 at 11:41 AM

Ron,

Nice work getting the catchlight in the vole's eye. Love the comp you used with enough OOF vegetation at the bottom to give a sense of place, beautiful look at the eyes & face. Lovely light too. It has been such fun photographing them here in Utah.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on July 31, 2011 at 11:49 AM

A wonderful image. Nice wing position; god look at the face of the owl; nice setting and composition.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by denise ippolito on July 31, 2011 at 12:22 PM

Ron, The gradient background adds so much to this image, nice pose and sharp details. I enjoyed your recent blog post very much. Great timing for the pellet!

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

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on July 31, 2011 at 12:24 PM

Nice image Ron, these guys are great, so it's good to see them in flight. You have to love those piercing eyes.

Not sure on your thoughts about 'gardening' but might suggest removing the green part on the RH so the BKG is a nice even tone?

TFS
Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on July 31, 2011 at 1:38 PM

Nice one. Those eyes really pop. I like it alot but I looked at your website and actually this is only about average for you. You have many killer birds of prey (and other birds). I was impressed.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on July 31, 2011 at 5:14 PM

Nice capture and the bg really helps give the sense of soaring. Well done! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on July 31, 2011 at 5:17 PM

Great flight shot! Love the eye contact!

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on July 31, 2011 at 6:51 PM

Beautiful shot with the owl coming at you, like that BG overall too.
Great detail, light, colors, and the vole's a big plus of course..
Nicely done Ron!

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

Comment posted by John Robinson on July 31, 2011 at 7:40 PM

Great shot ! need to see the biggie to appreciate it.
JohnR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on July 31, 2011 at 8:05 PM

Wonderful in-coming flight shot. The eyes are great, the owl and the prey.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on July 31, 2011 at 9:32 PM

Amazing to get catchlight on the vole... perfect sharpness, great BG and real nice lighting.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by David Hemmings on July 31, 2011 at 10:48 PM

Wonderful capture of one of my favorite owls, excellent work

Registered on May 26, 2006, 178 Posts, 1680 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 31, 2011 at 10:59 PM

Neat to get that little catchlight, Ron. Beautiful image of the owl. I like the intent look.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on August 1, 2011 at 1:20 AM

Another fantastic flight photo Ron. Beautiful background for the subject(s). I look forward to seeing this species someday.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by David Sewell on August 1, 2011 at 5:34 AM

You are very lucky, Ron. I've been frustrated by this species in the UK for over 35 years! this is a great photo, and the catchlight in the eye of the vole is a bonus.

David

Registered on September 10, 2008, 63 Posts, 801 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on August 1, 2011 at 7:59 AM

Love it; the spread wings, captivating eyes, and of course the meal. You do nice owl work, Ron. But this made me smile because it looks like a flying face.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on August 1, 2011 at 9:05 AM

Very - very impressive !!!
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on August 1, 2011 at 12:22 PM

You nailed this one Ron!!! Sweet Photo

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on August 1, 2011 at 4:46 PM

Beautiful capture Ron.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on August 1, 2011 at 8:40 PM

Excellent flight shot Ron, man do those eyes really draw you into the image. I also have never seen on of these in the wild. Patience finally paid off, nice job in getthing this shot, well done. The larger image looks great and I can just make out the catch light on the vole, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on August 1, 2011 at 9:24 PM

Great shot Ron - nice detail in the face and a soft yet defined background

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on August 2, 2011 at 2:16 PM

Love the catchlight in the prey!

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