Long-eared Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted February 26, 2011357 views21 comments

It certainly has been a great Owling winter here in the Vancouver area. We are at this very uncommon Owl's limit of its winter range. So, it was with great excitement that I got a call (from my same good friend) that this bird had been located.

It had decided to roost in the clear, and I have shots of it at its perch by a ditch bordering a golf course. But, a few of us waited out the afternoon in the hopes of it flying off to hunt. It did so at 5:15 just before the sun went down, taking off without warning, when we observed it seemingly still dozing off. He flew to this perch first about 30 yards from the roosting perch.

It's a Lifer for me so I am not too sure of its habits, but it would fly low and not perch any higher. Hence, the background is fencing that marks the Out-of-Bounds from within the golf course. There was just enough sun for the few minutes and luckily it fell on its face on a couple of the perches he chose.

1D MkIV, 1.4X TC III, 500mm, ISO800, 1/250 @ f8, tripod, almost sundown. Do I still have to mention that I do not bait?

Thanks for looking; do comment freely!

Comments

21 comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on February 26, 2011 at 7:48 PM

KC,

I've yet to photograph this species so it would be a lifer for me too. I love the pose, the light angle, beautiful view of the eye, those ear tufts and the sharpness and detail I can see. I think the post wth the rusty barbed wire works very well for my tastes. The fencing material in the background I am not so sure about, perhaps at f6.3 it would have been softened further and not been so noticeable? It really doesn't detract from the beauty of the owl for me. I'm rambling, sorry.

I can say that I would be very proud to have this in my files.

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on February 26, 2011 at 7:49 PM

Darned neat shot Kwan, especially with the light on the face. Love those ears and I actually really like the post perch with the rusty wire. Big congrats on the lifer! I do think I see a slight softness but that's always hard to judge at this size. IMO it's always a good idea to add that the image wasn't baited, each time - esp with a raptor.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 26, 2011 at 8:00 PM

great looking pose and detail, KC, and congrats on the lifer. I've seen these, but never nearly this well. for me the chain link fence does detract pretty significantly--I'd consider experimenting with blurring it more, as the rest of the shot is great.

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

Comment posted by dan elster on February 26, 2011 at 8:27 PM

What a great bird to get in the open like this. It's kind of a bummer about the fence backround, but you could make an argument that it enhances the photo too. Perfect techs as I always expect from you.

Registered on September 23, 2005, 299 Posts, 2443 Comments

Comment posted by wade pettitt on February 26, 2011 at 8:31 PM

KC, excellent detail and nice pose. I love those eyes, to bad about the fence and I would experiment with trying to blur it further. Well done!!

Registered on May 6, 2009, 184 Posts, 471 Comments

Comment posted by John Blumenkamp on February 26, 2011 at 8:39 PM

Hi KC... great composition and detail! I like the casual look backward, and I think the perch with the barbed wire works wells, and also that the oof background fence is a nice uniform background. Nice work.

Registered on February 26, 2011, 58 Posts, 313 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on February 26, 2011 at 10:50 PM

Way to go, KC. I still don't have a shot of one of these guys, even though they are around here. Very nice head turn and light on the face....like it a lot. Near a golf course, eh? I guess that is appropriate.........

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

Comment posted by Richard Teller on February 27, 2011 at 12:07 AM

Great shot. No nits from me.

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

Comment posted by Balan Vinod on February 27, 2011 at 2:31 AM

Well done KC ..and a great image with some fantastic detail on the bird..and you have got an apt BG for this one....

Balan Vinod

Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on February 27, 2011 at 5:09 AM

Great light on the face KC and the post and barbed wire add character.

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Des Ong on February 27, 2011 at 5:45 AM

The stare & light make this, though I'd agree with Mia perhaps a shallower DOF might help diffuse the fencing further. But a nice catch all the same.

Registered on July 12, 2007, 23 Posts, 234 Comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on February 27, 2011 at 11:06 AM

Very nice picture! I love the sharpness and the way he is looking at you.

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on February 27, 2011 at 11:34 AM

First, congratulations on the lifer. Second, even bigger congratulations on finding a Long-eared out in the open; in my experience, they roost in dense thickets. And third, congratulations on a near-perfect shot. Wonderful use the the opportunity, KC, and an exceptionally strong shot of a difficult species.

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

Comment posted by David Schoen on February 27, 2011 at 1:43 PM

Very nice. Wish I could find one so out in the open but they always seem to hide in the branches for me. Love the very serious face...

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on February 27, 2011 at 7:48 PM

Congrats on capturing a Long Eared Owl. The frece in the background was only noticeable to me after reading your shot information. The detail in your bird is excellent.

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on February 27, 2011 at 8:02 PM

I do think I see a slight softness

I must admit that I have been a little concerned about my 500mm's sharpness lately.

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

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on February 27, 2011 at 8:55 PM

The eyes are magnificent and light and detail great as well

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

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on February 27, 2011 at 10:24 PM

Hi KC.

A fabulous capture of this splendid Owl.!! All aspects of this shot are awesome

Albert Darmo. Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 28, 2011 at 4:22 AM

An awesome species KC. Love the light. The post and rusty wire are perfect. For me the fence in the BG is noticable, but not an image killer. The bird is too nice for that.

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

Comment posted by May Haga on February 28, 2011 at 5:11 PM

Congratulations on a lifer. And, congratulations on such a fine image. Love the light and even the perch adds interest.
May

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

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on March 1, 2011 at 11:56 AM

Terrific KC, the pose and the lighting on the face make the shot for me.

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