Ridgway's Pygmy Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted March 1, 20181,351 views4 comments

I'm about to head down to Costa Rica, where I hope to spot this species again. We've had luck with Ridgway's pygmy owls (formerly known as Ferruginous in this region, but that name is now applied to a separate species found further south in Latin America) the last couple times on my tours there. Though the dense branches made clear and clean shots more difficult to achieve, I did appreciate the golden background from this angle.

Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm + 1.4x
ISO 800
1/250th
f/5.6

Max

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 1, 2018 at 4:40 PM

Beautiful shot of the owl with excellent detail, Max. If you were so inclined, it wouldn't take much to recrop and clean up the background in this image, though I know a lot of contests don't like that kind of treatment.

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

Comment posted by Genny K. on March 2, 2018 at 12:29 PM

The branches don't bother me at all, in fact, I like have that environment added in. Really intense look on this little guy, but then, when DON'T owls have intense looks? Good, sharp detail on the bird, especially on those talons. Great image.
How big is it?

Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 2, 2018 at 4:43 PM

Delightful little guy!
The colour contrasts are sweet. Nice pose, detail, and habitat.
I'd be tempted to get rid of the non-essential branches to clean the image up a bit.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on March 4, 2018 at 2:35 AM

Max,
This is a joy to behold, I would leave it as it is!
Owls are not meant to be in the clear, well not that often.

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments