Torotoroka Scops-Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted July 19, 2012277 views13 comments

This little Torotoroka Scops-Owl was sitting at the entrance of its hollow rather late in the morning. This endemic was photographed in the Zombitse Forest, Madagascar.

Canon 5DMkIII, EF500 f/4 + 1/4x tripod, ISO1250, f/7.1, 1/100, slight crop from top and right, three bright sunspots on trunk to right of owl toned down.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on July 19, 2012 at 3:57 AM

Fantastic Simon - it looks a tad annoyed, curious or both.

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

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on July 19, 2012 at 6:36 AM

Wonderful! I like the detail in the feathers next to the texture of the bark. Great pose.

Ray

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on July 19, 2012 at 7:12 AM

Wow, what an awesome owl Simon. Love the look at this bird. Very sharp. Nice habitat too.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 19, 2012 at 11:21 AM

Beautiful little owl, great pose, and nice habitat.
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Max Waugh on July 19, 2012 at 11:29 AM

What a cute little fellow. Nice find. The pose does evoke a sense of curiosity.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 19, 2012 at 11:53 AM

Excellent, Simon. I really like the pose.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on July 19, 2012 at 1:43 PM

Ever get that feeling that someone is looking at you? Wonderful look from this owl and I like feather patterns, well done.

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

Comment posted by Graham Brown on July 19, 2012 at 3:24 PM

Looks very natural in this setting Simon and I like his expression. graham

Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on July 20, 2012 at 1:45 AM

Great shot of this curious looking owl. Very pleasing composition, using the lines of the tree trunk and body of the owl.

Sweet One Simon

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by Bunn Martin on July 20, 2012 at 9:01 PM

I love tis owl. He is very sharp and has a great expression. I find the very dark tree trunk above the head a little distracting...a small thing.

Registered on September 17, 2011, 38 Posts, 167 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on July 21, 2012 at 6:28 PM

I love owls, Simon. I've never seen a photo of this little guy, and you've done a great job capturing it in this setting. Well done.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on July 23, 2012 at 7:34 AM

Simon, love the comp on this and the look you are getting. I am curious though....it seems to be a bit noisy on the subject and considering you are using the new 5D III, it took me back for a second. It looks like maybe it got underexposed due to the bright BG and maybe you brought up the shadows a lot in processing? It mostly looks that way on the eyes and forehead to me and can mainly see it in the large image.

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

Comment posted by Ed Williams on July 23, 2012 at 11:29 PM

What a cool expression on this owl. Looks a bit cross-eyed. Amazing detail in the feathers and those eyes. Nice job Simon.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments