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Barred Owl
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Barred Owl

by Ken Watkins

Gallery: AvianPosted December 10, 2014187 views8 comments
At least I hope it is?
There was no way to get this better framed, I was on foot and he was not scared :smile:
Taken in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
EOS 1D MkII
70-200 mm F2.8 MkII at 140mm
F 4.5
ISO 1600
1/100 (hand held)

Comments

8 comments
Comment posted by Hans Overduin on December 10, 2014 at 4:05 AM
Amazing species, what a pattern in the feathers ! Nice catch ! Cheers, Hans
Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments
Comment posted by Jerry Austin on December 10, 2014 at 8:15 AM
These guys always look creepy to me. However, the image is very nice. My only nit is the OOF limb at the bottom.
Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on December 10, 2014 at 8:58 AM
Ken, I think it's an African Scops Owl, which may be even tinier than the Barred Owl (or Barred Owlet, as known to those of us from North America who already have a different Barred Owl species :wink:). The Barred Owl/Owlet looks much more like the pygmy owls from the western hemisphere, while the scops owl looks like a mini screech owl with the gray coloration and those tufts. I still have a Barred Owlet shot on the second page of my gallery if you want to compare.

It's a nice find on foot, and despite the foreground branch interference, a very nice head-on view at eye level.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on December 10, 2014 at 3:39 PM
I'm not an expert on owls at all, so I will limit my contribution to agreeing with Jerry. :smile:
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Ashleigh Scully on December 10, 2014 at 5:44 PM
Hi, nice photo of this owl and I agree with Max on what kind of owl it is!
Registered on November 4, 2013, 36 Posts, 210 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on December 10, 2014 at 9:39 PM
Love the light in this and excellent exposure on this as well Ken. The OOF branch isn't prime, but it also doesn't detract for me much, because it mirrors the framing on the right side of the owl.
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 10, 2014 at 11:52 PM
Great look at this super cool owl in it environment Ken :cool: Love that plumage.
Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Watkins on December 11, 2014 at 1:02 AM
I really must do something to improve my bird ID and not rely on the guides :mad:
This definitely a Scops Owl!

Thanks to everybody for your kind comments :toast: :toast:
Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments