Northern Spotted Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted July 6, 2010523 views25 comments

After a spring of hanging out with a family of great grey owls, I took a break to welcome our new son Forest into the world.

I'm now tagging along with a wildlife biologist working with spotted owls.....We've been hiking into some incredible places. It can be very grueling, off trail, over countless fallen trees, lava beds, steep upslopes, awesome stuff! My camera bag/tripod has never felt heavier.

The lighting for the most part is very contrasty( bad) due to so many huge trees combined with sunny skies...I do think I'm getting better at working in these conditions. I kind of like the way this bird "melts" into it's surroundings.

More to come.

ISO500, 7.1 @ 1/30...Canon 40D, 1-400mmIS, tripod.

Comments

25 comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on July 6, 2010 at 1:03 PM

Dan, I like how this shows the camouflage ability of these owls. This is what makes them so hard to locate...even when they are near us. Nice shot.

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

Comment posted by June Marie Wingert on July 6, 2010 at 1:24 PM

Totally incredible Dan, I especially like the eyes, very haunting look!

Registered on July 1, 2010, 8 Posts, 137 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on July 6, 2010 at 1:28 PM

Excellent example of how these owls blend in. I think you handled the light and the composition nicely.

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

Comment posted by Peter Conway on July 6, 2010 at 3:31 PM

Great work! I love the "hiding in plain view" ability that this shows.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on July 6, 2010 at 4:27 PM

Congrats Dan, on your new addition to your family. This photo is awesome, I am seriously envious.

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by David Hemmings on July 6, 2010 at 4:39 PM

Great work under the conditions Dan, makes the shot so worthwhile

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

Comment posted by Jeff Ross on July 6, 2010 at 6:08 PM

I've been tromping through the woods a lot lately looking for owls and haven't managed to spot a single one. Congratulations on a nice shot!

Registered on September 3, 2008, 12 Posts, 13 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on July 6, 2010 at 6:24 PM

Dan, this is too cool. I love the way it's camoflaged with the tree. I must take a trained eye to spot them! I'm envious of your opportunities and results!

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on July 6, 2010 at 8:28 PM

Nice. I really like how he is against the perfect camouflage background.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on July 6, 2010 at 10:26 PM

very cool shot, Dan. great job working with very little light. really like the way it blends with the tree trunk.

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

Comment posted by Darren McKenna on July 7, 2010 at 2:39 AM

Congratulations on your new son Dan. These guys really do blend in with their surroundings. I might try some fill flash with these difficult conditions. A fine image none the less.

darrenmckenna.com

Registered on October 28, 2008, 31 Posts, 214 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on July 7, 2010 at 8:33 AM

Congrats on the arrival of new son!

The capture looks brilliante, especially the large version.
Jagdeep Rajput

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

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on July 7, 2010 at 9:18 PM

Cool! Love the trunk as a background.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on July 8, 2010 at 4:28 PM

Wonderful image to show how well they blend in, well done.

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on July 8, 2010 at 10:53 PM

Nice one Dan - good job with the light and I like the patterns in the bird and trunk

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on July 10, 2010 at 12:49 PM

Great shot in the low light Dan, love how he blends in.

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

Comment posted by David Cobb on July 13, 2010 at 5:18 PM

Given sunny forest conditions or any conditions, this is a wonderful image Dan. Congrats on the EP.

Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on July 14, 2010 at 6:08 AM

NIce! Congratulations on the WP.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Kirk Greene on July 14, 2010 at 3:56 PM

Wonderful image you have captured to reward your efforts of hauling your equipment thru some tough terrain. Amazing how well the owl blends into the tree. Nice job adjusting to the elements and coming up with a great composition.

Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on July 14, 2010 at 5:38 PM

Congrats Dan

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

Comment posted by Doug Benner on July 17, 2010 at 7:44 AM

Really neat camouflage example. Congratulations.

Registered on December 8, 2003, 482 Posts, 1868 Comments

Comment posted by Nicolaus Wegner on July 17, 2010 at 1:33 PM

That is by far the creepiest owl I have ever seen. Totally awesome!

Congrats on the weekly pick!

Registered on February 21, 2010, 133 Posts, 1509 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 19, 2010 at 3:21 PM

Congrats on the new son!
And on the EP too! Great example of perfect camoflage.

Sandy r

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

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on July 20, 2010 at 9:01 PM

How on earth did you spot this?! What a great opportunity to be working with a biologist.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on July 21, 2010 at 6:42 AM

Congrats on the EP! Terrific image I missed earlier.

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