Its rude to stare ! + repost

Yeah, well Ferrari makes a cheap version too but it still goes fast. Definitely an in-your-face shot. Good depth of field has the talons sharp. I might try to lighten this just a touch.

Wow! What an expression. Very nice.

Great shot John and I do like the intense stare ! Good to see great results from this new camera ! Cheers, Hans

Here.s a lighter one Charlie
Cheers
JR

love it . Wish I could get an owl shot.

I prefer the lighter version.

What attracts the owl to the Hide this way?

Richard
Its a long story so I,ll be brief. I have worked with these birds at this farm fo several years. They nest in a cavity wall in the old drying area. At the top of the gable end is a small rectangular entrance (or exit!) The birds often sit there for hours, even during the day. They can watch the ground from there and as you can imagine they catch all sorts of stuff. Its quite high up so if there are some perches for them over the grass and herbage lower down, they can get a better view. So its a case of sticking a load of perches up and sitting in the hide and waiting. They are so used to the hide that I have to scratch the inside to get them to look at the camera. In hard weather in the winter we help them along with worms or mealworms. I have thrown corn down to attract small rodents but only in really hard times,Mind you we seem to be getting plenty of those lately !!
Cheers
JohnR
Forgot to mentioThats how the old gamekeepers used to trap owls with gin traps on the top of a pole (So they were called "pole traps")
The keepers knew the Owls couldn't resist a good perch !!
Cheers
JR

A winning shot John, besides your curious subject I like the squared off crop, perch and OOF BG. Very nicely done, look forward to seeing several more.

Craig
You must be one of the few that goes for a squarish crop !! I love them but no one else seems to! Don't know why ?
Cheers
JohnR

Excellent, John. I also prefer the lighter version, but having never seen one, I wouldn't venture to say which is more accurate-wet climate birds do tend to be darker. Wonderful pose and you put up a neat perch.

Very nice. Thanks for the lighter repost and the explanation on what attracts the owls.

Awesome Portrait John. Love the intense eye contact. I think the second version is a bit better. Excellent details.

Ken Archer

Excellent in your face pose. I think you could sharpen things up around the eyes a bit more to bring out more details there. Sharon

Thanks again all.
Good to have the stuff so near at hand which doesn.t cost a lot
Cheers
JohnR

No attitude there If it were mine, I might try to selectively lighten the owl. A minor nit on a fine shot.

John,

You certainly got a great pose. Looking at the original post I thought it looked a little too dark, the re-post looks better to me

John,
While it might be rude to stare, he can stare at me any time he wants. Great shot.