Great Horned Owl Fledgling.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Man, I chose the right day to book off last week as I recently got to spend some good quality time that day with this very recently fledged owlet. It was perch right out in the open as you can see, and only about 8 feet off the ground...which provided excellent photo ops. A "srategically placed" nearby picnic table allowed extra height to get at exactly eye-level.

P.S. Can anyone spot the fly??

Canon 7D + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/160s., f/5.6, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, FF, one leaf darkened, and one small reddish twig toned down in upper right corner.

[Joe Senzatimore]

Right place, right time. You took advantage of a great opportunity and maximized it. Very fine capture. I'm not sure if the greenery needs to be toned down just a bit.???

[Girish Prahalad]

love the stare. excellent IQ, pose & colors.
the fly is on a leaf in the lower left corner.

[Phillip Tomkinson]

Hi a image to have.

Phil.

[Loi Nguyen]

Daniel, what a cutie. Beautiful shot vertical and HH, not the easiest thing to do, but you were very lucky to be at eye level. This looks like a back lit and you exposed perfectly. Love the eyes stating at you. Great details.

[Marina Scarr]

Lucky you getting so close to this GHOwlet. Terrific colors and details. Wish you might have been a little lower or the owlet were looking slightly up. YOu really framed him beautifully and he just pops against that green.

[Robert Holguin]

Wonderful shot.
Details are excellent .
Terrific comp, I really like the greenery, and great stare.
Well done.

[Mike Landwehr]

Daniel, a beautiful image of something that few of us ever see. I love the slightly lowered head, and the wonderful stare. Also love the talons. While it would be nice to catch the subject with a less busy background, I like the way the owl pops against the bright green.

[Bill Dix]

Fantastic opportunity, and you nailed it. Love the stare, the details. And the fly.

[Vivaldo Damilano]

Stunning Daniel, love those eyes and huge talons.

[vishaljadhav]

Such a cute looking baby, i love it, love the stare

[gail bisson]

Are you an owl whisperer or something?!!
I have never found an owl in the woods during my treks. I must be a poor birder!
The shot is wonderful. Love the lowered head with the eyes looking up at you. (The classic Princess Diana pose).
It is really nice the way he is snuggled into the vertical branch. Great view of the talons as well.
IQ very good and you have managed to keep the fluffiness of the owl without losing sharpness.
Well done,
Gail
The beak looks a bit purple on my monitor. Is it in real life or a bit of cast?

[arash_hazeghi]

oh man1 I wish this frame was mine.

excellent sharpness! look at those talons

[Karen Forderer]

What a great shot. You are so lucky to get him at a low angle. I have been trying to get photos of a Great Horned Owl family with two babies and they are always at the top of a very tall tree!

Love the eye contact.

[Jeannean Ryman]

What a great opportunity and you made the most of it! I see the fly too. Nice!

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Stunningly good Dan! What a sweet image with loads of interest including the fly!
Well done.

[Bruce Enns]

Wonderful shot Dan! It has all the elements of a great image...exposure, sharpness, detail, great subject, nicely framed by its environment.

Excellent!
Bruce