Burrowing Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted April 11, 2010140 views21 comments

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)

Place: Maricopa, AZ, USA
When: April 4, 2010
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), monopod from car window
ISO 200, aperture priority, 1/320th @ F/8
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, minor crop from top for proportion

I haven't been out shooting much lately – just too many other things getting in the way. But I did manage to find some Burrowing Owls last weekend in a new spot. It was too late in the morning for decent light but since these birds have become harder to find in recent years I wanted to post this in spite of the contrasty backlight.

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

Comments

21 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on April 11, 2010 at 5:12 PM

Beautiful shot Rich - would love to see this lit up with that morning glow you are so good at getting.

- Luke

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

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on April 11, 2010 at 5:25 PM

Wonderful Richard. Makes me really look forward to when they make it back here for the year!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Michele Williams on April 11, 2010 at 6:04 PM

I think this is wonderful. The light is certainly less than perfect but you made the most of it, and you have a great subject. These guys are in serious trouble as a species. I had the privilege of releasing a rehabilitated burrowing owl (came in with a broken wing) to the wild last year and it was an experience I'll never forget. Of course I couldn't get a picture ... would have needed a couple more hands for that. Anyway, thank you for sharing this beautiful image.
Michele

Registered on April 3, 2010, 28 Posts, 146 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on April 11, 2010 at 6:36 PM

You dealt with the contrasty light very well Rich. I like the direct stare and the wonderful background. I find it very difficult to get this species unobstructed like this so for me this view is a real treat. If it had been me I'd likely have cropped this differently - more off the bottom to get rid of some of the OOF perch and then given it a little more room at top to compensate. That said, my composition aesthetics often leave much to be desired so I suspect that you made the best decision in the end.

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

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on April 11, 2010 at 7:32 PM

I'm excited to see these here this summer. great angle and detail. The bg is sweet also

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 11, 2010 at 7:46 PM

Nice job handling the light, Richard. I like the composition and bg.

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on April 11, 2010 at 8:52 PM

Rich, I like the light. I also like the BG and the bird. Overall comp is good with me. I need ot find me some of these guys. I know they are around, but every time I go looking for them I never find them. Glad you found this guy.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on April 11, 2010 at 10:05 PM

I find it very difficult to get this species unobstructed like this so for me this view is a real treat.

- Ron Dudley

I've added a post on my blog that shows the view from inside my car when I shot this. It illustrates how I work from the car with a monopod. It also shows the typical open country these birds prefer here in AZ, and how nasty the light already was when I took this.

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 11, 2010 at 11:01 PM

Richard, I really like how you handled the later light in this shot....very nice job! The eyes still pop and you managed plenty of details i the shadows. I agree with Ron about it being impressive getting this unobstructed. I have the same issue with them.

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

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on April 11, 2010 at 11:16 PM

I think this is nice as posted...good detail, great perch, bg, and pose. I liked the idea of the monopod from the car...I'll have to try that sometime instead of the beanbag. Sharon

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on April 11, 2010 at 11:52 PM

a very good shot given the difficult conditions, Rich. I enjoyed looking at your blog post too--I'm going to have to keep the monopod-in-the-car technique in mind.

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on April 12, 2010 at 12:15 AM

A very good shot in difficult light. I like it a lot. You've captured the insouciance of the species very well.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on April 12, 2010 at 10:48 AM

It's always nice to hear that these birds are "out there." They don't seem to do all that well around people. I like that you chose sidelighting and kept those bright yellow eyes somewhat subdued.

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

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on April 12, 2010 at 11:17 AM

A fine composition, but I agree about the light.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on April 12, 2010 at 12:05 PM

Love it. Excellent POV and DOF.
May

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on April 12, 2010 at 12:13 PM

I like the inquisitive pose and your comp here Richard, the light was tough but you handled it well.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Spiecker on April 12, 2010 at 1:40 PM

I remember when we had them at Gilbert, before the cats... Yes, they are getting harder and harder to find now. Check out the one that lives in the drain at Scottsdale Community College

Nice shot in difficult light.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 366 Posts, 4649 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on April 12, 2010 at 11:00 PM

Nice photo of a bird with an attitude!
This is an unchecked bird on my bucket list!

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on April 12, 2010 at 11:52 PM

Very nice, Richard. I like everything about it - the stare, pose, surroundings, background and your composition. Not much you could do about the light. But I think you did very well despite it. Thanks for sharing this.

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

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 13, 2010 at 2:17 PM

Great pov for a burrowing owl. Like the comp as well.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on April 15, 2010 at 3:33 PM

Well done Rich. I do not mind the bright light aspect of this. To me, it adds to the image as the front of the bird is well exposed but you also see good detail on the back side of the bird. Very nice look the owl is giving and interesting posts on your blog about the shot process.

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