Perched Barred Owl

Attachment 147627

Hi all,

It's been a long time since I posted, but I've kept an eye on the forum and the quality is still extremely impressive. I actually started law school and it turns out that law school is really time consuming. I'm now in between semesters, so I'll try to post frequently, but enough about my academics. This past summer I found a pair of barred owls that raised two owlets at a NWR close to where I live. Their nest was near a very large and deep ditch that runs along the roadway and separates the road from the woods. The owls would hunt for crawfish along the ditch. While feeding their young, the parents and owlets were very approachable. I would just stay in my vehicle, approach them very slowly and photograph them out the window. The owls would swoop down and grab a crawfish out of the water or out of the roadway as the crawfish would frequently cross the road, which I had never noticed before. The owls would allow me to follow them along after they grabbed their prey and flew to a different perch. They did this every day for weeks. I thought we had gained a rapport but as soon as the owlets were on their own, the parents stopped allowing me to get close enough to photograph them. The owls frequently chose eye level perches and this was one of their favorite spots which suited me fine because I could photograph them at eye level without a teleconverter. So, long story long, I'll post several of my favorite owl shots from the summer, don't say I didn't warn you!


Techs:
D3S
500 f4 AF-S
ISO 1000
500mm
f 5.0
1/500

A little bit of BG cleanup and I sharpened the owl a little bit.

All C&C appreciated.

Hi Lyle,
Thanks for the story. It sounds like you had a terrific opportunity and you made the most of it.
First thing though is a housekeeping issue- you can post images at 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels. The bigger the better so my eyes can see!
I really like the eye level view and the clean view to the owl. The slightly raised wing and sweeping tail is a bit of a different pose which is nice to see.
Good IQ. I think the image overall could go a bit brighter.
I think this would be much more powerful as a vertical if you have enough pixels to do so and keep the IQ.
Gail

I like the eye contact, sharpness and setting. When I saw the thumbnail I was thinking of a vertical as well. Very well done Lyle.

I love the story, that was a very exciting time you had!! I love the image too, and I am digging the composition as is...the central placement of the owl is just perfect, and the surrounding habitat balances everything out nicely. I'd probably remove the white leaf at very bottom left corner, and darken the one just above the horizontal part of the perch, but everything else is to my liking. Nicely done, and good luck with your studies!

great story and look forward to more images. The horizontal presentation looks fine, to me, but would like to see a vertical...might set off the owl more ( but I can see the vegetation might create a problem )

Lovely image, good details and sharpness. The inclusion of the habitat is lovely and the panorama comp works for me. The center placing is great here.

Rather rare that centered works, but I agree that it is nice here. Thanks for the back story and I look forward to more of this beauty. Nicely done, Lyle and glad that you have reconnected here.