Young Snowy

Gallery: AvianPosted January 3, 2012260 views11 comments

I've posted one sitting in a corn field, one on hay bale, but this is probably the most typical way to find them here, sitting on a fence post (or telephone pole). I assume this is a young one with the heavy barring. Most of them we're seeing are young (or female). I have seen a few adult males that are nearly all white, but they're not as approachable as the young ones.

Canon 50D, 400 5.6L, ISO 400, 1/1600, f6.3, no flash.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 3, 2012 at 8:29 AM

such cool birds, Terry! I really like the bg here, as well as the comp and perch. I also really like the view we get of the talons and feathered feet in this one. it's interesting how the bill almost disappears into the feathers--I wonder it that's another cold weather adaptation?

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

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on January 3, 2012 at 11:08 AM

Nice shot of this beautiful owl as are the others you have posted. I like the old fence post perch and the clean BG and those formidable talons are really well displayed. The face with the one big visible eye and the nearly obscured beak caught my eye right off the bat. Do you have any idea how long these guys will stay in the area? Do they move around or pretty much stay put in one place until they head back north? If they stick around a while I might consider a trip up to SD in hopes of getting some shots of these beauties.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on January 3, 2012 at 11:31 AM

I'm sure they'll stick around until March or so, but I don't know if they'll stay bunched up like they are now. I saw over 30 last Friday in an area that's probably 8 x 8 miles in size, around Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge. They've been concentrated there for a few weeks, but I really wonder how long that small an area can support so many owls. There is a lot of open water on the refuge (amazing, considering this is South Dakota in winter!!), and a lot of ducks and other waterfowl. I'm not sure if that's what is attracting these guys, or if there are just a lot of voles/mice in the area.

Given how concentrated they still are, a trip would definitely be worth it! But my guess is the birds will start getting more dispersed.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 3, 2012 at 1:24 PM

Interesting to see the darker feather patterns on this one and they certainly look like they can take cold weather with all those feathers. I really like the one eyed pose and the larger image IQ is great, way to go Terry.

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 3, 2012 at 4:38 PM

A great comp Terry. I like the head turn and nice BG.

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

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 3, 2012 at 4:41 PM

Hello Terry

Beautiful Creature. & Beautiful Capture too !! Sharp with clean background. One Eyed... Was the opposing eye Closed ?

Thanks for sharing this Fine Image !!

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 3, 2012 at 8:43 PM

Terrific image. I love the pose and the detail. The setting is fine, and the colors are very natural.

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

Comment posted by Tonia Graves on January 3, 2012 at 10:23 PM

Terry, I like the subdued lighting & the background in this. Nice that you got in so close too!

Registered on October 29, 2011, 92 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on January 3, 2012 at 11:43 PM

Sure is nice of these Owls to be so copperative this year. Another winner, Terry!

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

Comment posted by David Hemmings on January 4, 2012 at 4:51 PM

Love the pose and bg Terry, nicely done!

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 4, 2012 at 5:09 PM

Nice image again Terry. Good detail and exposure. This is the same perch I usually find all my owls on (except Great Horned of course). Good that you get the chance to se and photograph these guys. In Colorado we rarely get one. I got a tip on one 2 weeks ago, but couldn't find it anywhere.

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