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Great Horned Owl
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Great Horned Owl

by Lisa Cuchara

Gallery: AvianPosted June 18, 20063,873 views36 comments
This Great horned Owl took over an Osprey nest on an Osprey platform in the marsh. From a nearby hill the view was pretty much eye level. It was great watching the little owlet develop. The other birds gave this GHO a pretty wide berth (almost like their was a "no fly zone around the nest"), except the crows. The crows bothered the female (perhaps trying to get at the dead animals in the nest?)

This image was captured when a crow came by and the female fluffed up her feathers and opened up her wing.

Canon 20D, tripod, sidekick, 500 mm IS f4 lens with a 1.5 teleconverter. 1/1000 sec f 4.5

Comments

36 comments
Comment posted by Kim Kaiser on June 18, 2006 at 10:53 PM
mahvelous!!
Registered on November 1, 2003, 45 Posts, 370 Comments
Comment posted by LG Price on June 18, 2006 at 10:56 PM
Awesome!!! :toast: :toast: :toast: :wavey:
Registered on March 9, 2005, 160 Posts, 1500 Comments
Comment posted by Bob Steele on June 18, 2006 at 11:34 PM
Oh my... This is incredible! I can't imagine what you could do to improve this one. :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 354 Posts, 13896 Comments
Comment posted by Jake Dingel on June 19, 2006 at 12:08 AM
super shot :toast:
Registered on April 24, 2006, 34 Posts, 633 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on June 19, 2006 at 12:17 AM
:toast: :toast: :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments
Comment posted by Neil Losin on June 19, 2006 at 12:41 AM
Hi Lisa,

This is incredible. If there's a little more room on the left in the original photograph, I'd include it here. If not, it's great as posted. Sweet!

Registered on September 16, 2005, 145 Posts, 3524 Comments
Comment posted by Felix Wilson on June 19, 2006 at 12:42 AM
Fantastic, everything about this shot is great.
I would love to see more of the nest and young etc
Registered on February 28, 2006, 0 Posts, 45 Comments
Comment posted by Garth McElroy on June 19, 2006 at 5:29 AM
Awesome stuff Lisa!!! :toast: :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 248 Posts, 4406 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Garber on June 19, 2006 at 6:42 AM
Awsome!
:toast:
Registered on November 17, 2003, 704 Posts, 3535 Comments
Comment posted by Ian Mason on June 19, 2006 at 6:54 AM
superb!
Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments
Comment posted by Barb Hansen on June 19, 2006 at 7:06 AM
Terrific Shot Lisa...... the light and bg really compliment the Owls. :toast: :toast:
Registered on May 16, 2005, 380 Posts, 5157 Comments
Comment posted by Hans Spiecker on June 19, 2006 at 8:35 AM
:toast: :toast: :toast: What else is there to say?
Registered on March 23, 2006, 366 Posts, 4649 Comments
Comment posted by W. Tracy Parnell on June 19, 2006 at 10:01 AM
:toast:
Registered on March 4, 2004, 27 Posts, 1638 Comments
Comment posted by Tom Grey on June 19, 2006 at 10:17 AM
:eek: :toast:
Registered on December 2, 2003, 144 Posts, 2069 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Zipp on June 19, 2006 at 10:19 AM
Hey Lisa, As I've told you before.... out of all the shots I've seen from this nest you by far got the best series of images! :toast: :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 86 Posts, 940 Comments
Comment posted by Mike Danzenbaker on June 19, 2006 at 10:32 AM

Fantastic!

Is there more room on the sides?
Registered on December 2, 2003, 40 Posts, 791 Comments
Comment posted by Juza on June 19, 2006 at 12:12 PM
:eek: Gorgeous! :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 374 Posts, 10466 Comments
Comment posted by Kenneth Kijewski on June 19, 2006 at 1:00 PM
:toast: This is spectacular!!! :toast:
Registered on February 17, 2004, 166 Posts, 3390 Comments
Comment posted by Kevin Thompson on June 19, 2006 at 2:07 PM
Awesome work Lisa! :toast:
Registered on March 15, 2005, 114 Posts, 2639 Comments
Comment posted by Lisa Cuchara on June 19, 2006 at 2:40 PM
Thank you. I was very lucky indeed to have the opportunity to even see, let alone photograph, this owl & baby!

Yes, I do tend to crop very tightly.
Here is the original, much more room and nest...
Registered on May 10, 2006, 52 Posts, 48 Comments
Comment posted by Bryan McCarty on June 19, 2006 at 3:15 PM
WOW, THAT IS SWEET!
Registered on March 26, 2006, 64 Posts, 316 Comments
Comment posted by Robert Royse on June 19, 2006 at 3:54 PM
Excellent! Where in the world was this taken? I can't imagine a GH Owl allowing that kind of approach to a nest.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 218 Posts, 2427 Comments
Comment posted by Lisa Cuchara on June 19, 2006 at 4:46 PM
It was strange with her being so out in the open like that, right on the marsh -- on an osprey platform (image the osprey coming back and finding its nest taken over, they had to build a brand new nest further down the marsh). Her GHO mate sat up on a pine tree nearby, very well camoflauged and not within range of cameras.

Actually she was not bothered at all by people or by the loud train that roared thru blaring its horn. I actually had a cough/cold and she wouldn't even open her eyes or move at all when I coughed or sneezed. Some birders came one morning and tried tcalling her with that the GHO call (that can often bring this territorial bird right in) -- that "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" -- but she didn't even notice. It was great because the top of the osprey platform was pretty much eye level with the hill we were on. The owlet would sleep for 30-90 minutes and then get up and stretch and eat and have his eyes oepn, but she pretty much just slept (after all she is nocturnal).

The ONLY thing that bothered her were the crows.
Registered on May 10, 2006, 52 Posts, 48 Comments
Comment posted by Satie Sharma on June 19, 2006 at 5:15 PM
Awesome! :eek: :eek:
Registered on November 11, 2003, 189 Posts, 5335 Comments
Comment posted by Joe Vincent on June 19, 2006 at 5:32 PM
Lovely shot Lisa! :toast: :toast: :toast:
Registered on August 16, 2005, 69 Posts, 792 Comments
Comment posted by richard ettlinger on June 19, 2006 at 8:54 PM
Killer! :toast: :toast:
Registered on June 17, 2004, 377 Posts, 1565 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on June 19, 2006 at 9:31 PM
A jaw-dropper! This is incredible.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Paul Fusco on June 19, 2006 at 11:22 PM
Great shot, Lisa.
I like the full framer, myself.

- Paul
Registered on November 17, 2003, 283 Posts, 1163 Comments
Comment posted by David Williams on June 20, 2006 at 12:22 AM
Simply amazing!!!
:toast: :toast: :toast:
Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments
Comment posted by Ganesh H Shankar on June 20, 2006 at 1:51 AM
Amazing ! :toast:
Registered on March 1, 2004, 324 Posts, 1867 Comments
Comment posted by Richard & Gail Buq on June 20, 2006 at 9:44 AM
Absolutely fantastic Lisa!

Richard Buquoi
Georgetown, TX :toast:
Registered on December 18, 2005, 151 Posts, 811 Comments
Comment posted by Krijn Trimbos on June 20, 2006 at 12:03 PM
That is one amazing shot Lisa!! It looks a tiny bit soft on my monitor another round of USM would make this shot perfect IMO! Still an amazing shot of an amazing moment!
Registered on October 18, 2005, 260 Posts, 2979 Comments
Comment posted by Christine Adams on June 26, 2006 at 9:54 PM
Hi Lisa! VERY nice image!! I prefer the repost more. Congrats on the EP!! You do very nice work.





:toast: :toast: :jump: :jump:
Registered on January 24, 2006, 119 Posts, 1871 Comments
Comment posted by Dan Walters on June 26, 2006 at 9:59 PM
Very beautiful image! :toast:
Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments
Comment posted by Rachel Bilodeau on July 2, 2006 at 8:20 AM
fantastic shot - I would have been so excited to see this in real life - I also love the nice soft beiges and browns and the very yellow eyes staring back at the viewer
Registered on January 4, 2004, 32 Posts, 12 Comments
Comment posted by Andrey Antov on March 22, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Gorgeous! Did you make them pose like that? "Please, stretch your wing. I need to fill in the rest of the frame. Keep your heads at one tird of the horizon and one third of the vertical grid line!"
Greetings,
Andrey
Registered on March 18, 2008, 292 Posts, 341 Comments