Hawk Owl & prey

Gallery: AvianPosted March 4, 2014232 views18 comments

This Northern Hawk Owl has been in Northern Vermont since mid-December and is the same fellow I posted back at that time. This morning I had planned to leave Vermont to check out a Barnacle Goose that had been spotted in Massachusetts, but on the way I thought I'd stop in to the site this Owl had been hanging. I spotted him in a snag on top of a hill and watched as he flew across the fields in search of prey. I'm still processing the many images I made this morning, but the quality of the light at the time I took this particular image struck me so I thought I'd post it first.
Great show this guy put on, as he has all winter.

I'll try for Massachusetts later in the week-hopefully the goose stays around.

Waterbury Center, Vermont

D3s
500mm f/4
TC-14E II
1/5000s @ f/5.6
ISO 640
0 EV
HH

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on March 4, 2014 at 3:56 PM

Great and moody shot ! Really nice atmosphere captured, sort of spooky

, Hans

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

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on March 4, 2014 at 6:00 PM

This is way Cool Chuck,
The choice of framing this composition is outstanding,
Well Done . . .

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on March 4, 2014 at 6:04 PM

Awesome shot. Love the atmosphere. A real winner.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on March 4, 2014 at 6:53 PM

Otherworldly. Quite the Image!

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 4, 2014 at 9:46 PM

unbelievable, Chuck. great light and atmosphere. on top of the setting, the prey, and the great looking eye, that open bill really makes it. this is just fantastic.

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

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on March 4, 2014 at 11:21 PM

This is impressive! Beautiful!

Registered on December 18, 2012, 162 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on March 4, 2014 at 11:53 PM

Love the composition you've chosen here because I love the two out of focus branches that sneak in from the right side of the frame and they almost mirror each other. The light is unusual in a GREAT way! Can't wait to see more of these. Must have been something to see. What a treat.

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on March 5, 2014 at 12:06 AM

I really like this a lot Chuck. The mode is what strikes me first and love the open mouth. I wonder if it might be even stronger at an 8x10 crop? Maybe loose more on the top and a tiny bit at the bottom so the bird is still high in the frame. It would also get rid of (most of) the branch above his head. Just a thought, but either way, I really like it.

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

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on March 5, 2014 at 11:37 AM

Fascinating lighting, with the owl showing up nicely against what seems like a background disappearing into fog. The bird is wonderfully sharp.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Cloran on March 5, 2014 at 11:43 AM

Wonderful image with an amazing mood.

Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 5, 2014 at 1:37 PM

A beautiful image, Chuck. What were the lighting conditions? It looks like you had plenty, but the image makes it look like it was foggy or something, so I'm curious. The open beak and eye are wonderful. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on March 5, 2014 at 3:40 PM

Dennis,
The sun was in and out of a diffused cloud layer, but it was predominately sunny. What made the lighting so unusual was the bird was perched on snag on the treeline up against the forest, and when the sun was obscured, the diffused light took on a very eerie quality. From my perspective shooting into the forest the light rendered an almost surreal tone. That's the best I can describe it. What is interesting is that the reason the bird's beak is open is that he had just swallowed a bit of the vole's flesh. I have several images of the owl with a morsel in his mouth in the same lighting. The images are very graphic and surreal, and I'm debating whether I should post them because many might find them a bit uncomfortable to view.

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on March 5, 2014 at 7:59 PM

This is a special image, Chuck. I love it!

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 5, 2014 at 9:48 PM

post more, Chuck! this goes in as the early leader for the avian photo of the year for me.

looking at this again, I'd have never in the world guessed your techs. would have thought the scene was much darker.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 6, 2014 at 12:07 PM

Way to cool and what a wonderful mood this scene invokes. I like the pose with prey, eye contact and open beak along with the background, excellent shot Chuck.

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

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on March 6, 2014 at 3:35 PM

This is great. My personal choice for POW. What is the gray BG?

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

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on March 6, 2014 at 3:46 PM

Robert,

The background is a mix of both deciduous and conifer. The snag could be poplar or one of the types of birch we have in abundance here, I'm really not sure.

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

Comment posted by Jeff Bushnell on March 7, 2014 at 8:54 PM

I absolutely love this one Chuck! The owl is so fantastically sharp against the seemingly foggy background. I wouldn't crop much as I like the strong vertical component of the composition.

Registered on April 3, 2011, 20 Posts, 122 Comments