GGO wonder day

Beautiful, I like the size of the subject and included enviroment.

Nice, Lindy. It looks like the bird was baited, and if it was some of us think the preferred practice is to say if it's so. If you were using bait, a slightly different angle to the tree wouldn't be behind the bird would improve the shot.

you are correct Jim in saying the bird was baited. There were around 20 photographers there and I was quite happily taking portrait shots of GGO in the trees until someone asked the group to move out of the way. They did mention that there was going to be a mouse released and I was then in a position to decide whether to take the shot or not take the shot. Guess you know the decision. I agree with your composition point but I wasn't hanging around after the first mouse to adjust. However, I would be so much more proud of this if I had happened along the scene naturally. Certainly creates an ethical dilemma in my head.

Jim, after thinking about your comment, are images like this always a baited situation or do I stand a chance of seeing a natural hunting GGO in the wild? I was thinking of driving up to the same spot in hopes of catching another image like that early in the morning before anyone else would show up (without bait).

Hi Lindy: While this is a pleasing image, I'm glad you disclosed that it was a baited image. I realize you were not the person with the mouse baiting the Great Gray.

From the Avian Posting Guidelines:

Avian Gallery - All images with birds as the main subject. Images of captive birds, or birds baited with seed, other non-live bait or recordings must be disclosed as such. Photos of birds taken using live bait are prohibited. Note - the ethics of baiting should not be discussed in this gallery, only in the Hot Topics forum!

The photo is nice but to me personally it is a major detraction that it was baited. I am curious if this was a one time event or were several mice released to bait the owl during this photo session. I imagine it would be extremely difficult to get a shot like this without bait. I think your motto "patience, wait for the ordinary miracles" is the way to go in nature/wildlife photography as opposed to the option of trying to create your own miracles. Your quote " I would be so much more proud of this if I had happened along the scene naturally" says it all.

Nice wing position, Lindy. Image quality looks good and I like all the environment you included in the image.

An interesting BIF shot but it was unfortunate that the tree trunk was pretty well aligned with it in the BG. Really takes away from it popping out from the BG.

Hi Lindy - Wow, you sure got a great look and pose from this beautiful owl...one of my favourite species anywhere. Great timing and I like your comp, even if in a perfect world that tree woudn't have been right behind him.

I wanted to comment on your question about whether or not you can reasonably hope to get images like this in a natural, wild, non-baited situation. But FIRST I wanted to encourage you to not beat yourself up about this too much! For starters, you were put in a very challenging and awkward situation and it's difficult to always know how to react when things outside of your control unfold like this. It sounds to me like you were true to yourself and your own comfort level here.

Now back to your question. The short answer is yes, you really can have some wonderful photographic encounters with owls, and Great Greys in particular, in a completely natural context without the presence of bait or other attractants. My family and I absolutely love our annual quest to find and photograph Great Greys in the foothills of Alberta. We have never photographed owls with the aid of baiting or calls or any other such technique (though we certainly get shutter happy every time we visit our local rehab centre...what can I say, we're owl fanatics!). We work hard at spotting wild owls and photographing them in a way that does not put any undue stress on them. Sometimes they are super cooperative (check out this guy that actually flew several fence posts CLOSER to us and continued his hunt for dinner right in front of us) and give you opportunities you'd never expect, and lots of times when they do leave their perch, they head in a direction that doesn't work very well for pictures. BUT sometimes they do the unthinkable. My daughter, Marlise, photographed this owl after it suddenly left its perch and flew almost straight at us, smashing into the grass just to our left to grab a vole it had spotted (which was apparently scurrying around just a few feet from us without us having the faintest idea!). Unfortunately even with three of us photographing him on his perch, not one of us got a useable image of the approach like you did here...but we COULD have! (Frankly, we were a little startled!) As it was, we had to quietly and calmly move away from the owl to even get any pictures! There are lots of other wild and natural Great Grey pictures in my and Jenaya's galleries, and that's just a fraction of the images these majestic birds have given us without ANY manipulation from us...and that's just us--there are countless more photographers right here on NPN that nail amazing shots of owls in flight and even hunting without the use of any bait or other aids.

SO...my long-winded answer to your question, "do I stand a chance of seeing a natural hunting GGO in the wild" is a definite yes! But it sure doesn't happen often...which makes it all the more special when you witness it. It also gets you out into the owls' natural habitat more in search of that special moment, and that's never a bad thing either!

Out our way, the species that give us the best opportunities for all-natural captures are Great Greys, Northern Hawk Owls, and Short-Eared Owls. Although the latter two have not been particularly kind to us the past two years. Despite a fantastic population of Great Horned Owls, we've never yet gotten a decent in-flight or hunting image of one. There are also Barred, Saw Whet, Boreal and several other owl species that we occasionally hear but have yet to photograph. More good reasons to get out there often! From what I understand, Ontario is an excellent region for owls (though I recognize that's painting in some pretty broad strokes!). I'm confident with a little homework and a lot of legwork, your quest will be rewarded, and you'll be proudly (and rightly so) sharing some fantastic images with us of wild owls hunting the fields for mice or voles!

PS I just noticed your signature line, "Patience, wait for the ordinary miracles!" I'm thinking you already figured out how to get the shot you want of a wild owl hunting naturally!

Hi John
Thank you so much for all the information and insight. I will wait for a natural setting. Things around the GGOs are rather hectic and I will not be heading up that way again. Maybe I will get lucky and see some local owls in the woods around here. A kestreal, Peregrine, or Harrier would make me just as happy. Thanks again.