Hi this is one of the owl chicks that me and eric have been taking pics of over the past week. like eric said they are very obliging at the moment, the adults were out hunting this morning as i came into work. about 9am. we need to do some research to find out what happens next with the chicks, do they hunt the same area for a while or do they get pushed out by the adults.
My only nit with this pic, is the eyes, would have been nice to get some catch light on the face.
C&C welcome.
D300
200-400 @ 400mm
1/30th
F6.3
ISO400
Lovely image mark and love the composition,all things come to those that wait hope you and eric reap the rewards of all your hard work+waiting, Very nice photograph
I like the idea and it is a shame about the lack of 'life' in the eyes. I also find the breaks of light in the canopy a little distracting. Nothing you could do about those in this natural setting but they do draw the eye. I'm sure we'll see a lot more and I'm looking forward to them.
Very nice Mark, not sure about the crop though, perhaps portrait would work better and help to remove some of the confusing background that adds little to the shot. ?. The catch lights are there, they just need bringing out in the processing.
Bob.
thanks for the comments guys,, I'll have a play with with image this evening, see if i can does some improvements. i whacked the exposure slide bar up in NX2, and the highlights do come up nicely.
You should find the young will hang about for a few weeks, as time progresses as the adults come in with food, they will be tempting the yougsters to venture further from the nest tree/site. Won't belong before the young are chasing whichever of the adults is carrying food, an amazing site to witness!! The adult belts about, encouraging the young to follow. As they get more adept at things, they will go off with the adults and start hunting with them, I should think the young will be around until mid August....ish !! Your pair may well go for a second brood if prey is plentiful, though to be honest, I think this year nationally for Barn Owls is going to be very poor. I checked four boxes over the weekend 3 had no signs of breeding and my box which has been used for the past 4 seasons had a single adult and one cold egg I'm pleased this family has kept you entertained and I'm sure you have both seen some things that will stick in the mind
Thanks for that input Rob. We look forward to seeing them all on the wing. A nice environmental with a few barn owls in it would be nice!
When we first started watching we couldn't believe how many voles he was catching. We often saw him bring back 4 or 5 in the first 45 minutes or so. All the youngsters look well fed and are in apparently good condition, so goodness only knows how many voles he has caught since we first started watching. Just about every time we have been we have seen him hunting just 4 fields although there is suitable land over about 90 acres. Are the youngsters likely to set up nearby or will they be pushed out to set up as far away as possible? Have you any idea how large a territory they are likely to require, I realise it depends on habitat, but there must be soome kind of limits?
Discussion
9 repliesMy only nit with this pic, is the eyes, would have been nice to get some catch light on the face.
C&C welcome.
D300
200-400 @ 400mm
1/30th
F6.3
ISO400
Mark.G
Matt
Brett
Bob.
Tony
mark
You should find the young will hang about for a few weeks, as time progresses as the adults come in with food, they will be tempting the yougsters to venture further from the nest tree/site. Won't belong before the young are chasing whichever of the adults is carrying food, an amazing site to witness!! The adult belts about, encouraging the young to follow. As they get more adept at things, they will go off with the adults and start hunting with them, I should think the young will be around until mid August....ish !! Your pair may well go for a second brood if prey is plentiful, though to be honest, I think this year nationally for Barn Owls is going to be very poor. I checked four boxes over the weekend 3 had no signs of breeding and my box which has been used for the past 4 seasons had a single adult and one cold egg
Regards
Rob
When we first started watching we couldn't believe how many voles he was catching. We often saw him bring back 4 or 5 in the first 45 minutes or so. All the youngsters look well fed and are in apparently good condition, so goodness only knows how many voles he has caught since we first started watching. Just about every time we have been we have seen him hunting just 4 fields although there is suitable land over about 90 acres. Are the youngsters likely to set up nearby or will they be pushed out to set up as far away as possible? Have you any idea how large a territory they are likely to require, I realise it depends on habitat, but there must be soome kind of limits?