Great Horned Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted October 2, 2011292 views19 comments

Olympus E-5, 300mm x 2.0TC, tripod
f3.5, 1/80, ISO1600

Taken in predawn light. There's a pretty good story behind this photo, involving Gus the Stud Muffin. It's too long to set out here, but you'll have to decide if this female was baited in or not.

I'm pretty happy with the relatively low noise at ISO1600 in the E-5. Selective sharpening to the owl. Slight color correction. Full frame.

C & C, please. Thanks for looking.

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on October 3, 2011 at 12:26 AM

Very nice, and I'd never guess the ISO here.

I've never seen one this dark but recall my field guides saying there's a cline of color in this species, so nice to see one so much darker than I'm used to.

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

Comment posted by Guy Runco on October 3, 2011 at 1:46 AM

Nice shot Jim, beautiful owl. I know Gus well (I work at Bird TLC), glad to hear that he and Ghost had a good trip to Fairbanks.

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Deibert on October 3, 2011 at 5:32 AM

Beautiful shot, I am surprised how much detail you were able to keep considering the high ISO (I usually don't do so well). The eyes are incredibly sharp, which I'm sure I don't have to tell you make or break a picture. Anyway, fantastic!

Registered on September 30, 2011, 48 Posts, 125 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on October 3, 2011 at 6:27 AM

Marvelous capture Jim, the larger version in particular is a real treat for the eyes!

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on October 3, 2011 at 6:32 AM

A wonderful shot Jim. A great looking bird. I will echo Rich's comment on the plumage of this bird. Very different from the ones I have seen along the east coast. Very good IQ for ISO 1600 and the low light conditions. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on October 3, 2011 at 9:14 AM

Good looking gal. Congrats to both Gus and you Jim on such a great capture!

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on October 3, 2011 at 11:25 AM

Wow, stunning shot you have here ! Thanks for sharing the story as well

, Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Huff on October 3, 2011 at 1:21 PM

Really nice shot, Jim. Great color and detail in the owl.

Ron Huff

Registered on August 31, 2010, 69 Posts, 440 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on October 3, 2011 at 1:54 PM

Very nice full frame image Jim, love this one!
She's a beauty, and nature calls

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

Comment posted by Peter Conway on October 3, 2011 at 2:45 PM

Jim,

This is fantastic. One of the great things about the lighting is the size of the pupils. Beautiful!

Peter

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

Comment posted by May Haga on October 3, 2011 at 3:34 PM

Very nice Jim. I am always happy to see these guys. Pretty nice for ISO 1600
May

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on October 3, 2011 at 7:03 PM

Fantastic, Jim! I am envious!

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on October 3, 2011 at 9:25 PM

The bird's fantastic here Jim, love those claws! I'd run some nr on the bg here.

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

Comment posted by Verdon on October 3, 2011 at 11:08 PM

great shot, it amazed me how can be totally different in color tones what I used to see around here

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on October 4, 2011 at 2:58 AM

Fantastic Jim , what great feet and a lovely setting

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on October 4, 2011 at 1:17 PM

Nice to see an owl image in natural light with such good detail. Interesting story to go along with a wonderful picture and I am glad to read these owls had another chance. Way to go Jim.

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on October 4, 2011 at 7:46 PM

I enjoyed this post immensely Jim - both for the image (which is wonderful) and for the blog story. I plan on reading your blog more often - for more reasons than one.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on October 4, 2011 at 10:17 PM

Excellent work, Jim, particularly in the low light.

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

Comment posted by David Haynes on October 5, 2011 at 1:31 AM

Jim,
I just commented on your other post of this gorgeous gal and this one's even nicer. Much sharper, even at 1/80. What a fantastic capture. That camera is really working for you. ISO 1600 with pretty low noise. Well done Jim. Looks like you had a terrific trip.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments