Late Summer Doldrums

[Steve Large]

Not having a lot to shoot in southern B.C. this time of year can just make you sick. Seriously though, can't wait for raptor season to start.

This image taken last winter during the peak of short-eared owl season at Boundary Bay near Delta B.C.

Stats: Canon EOS1-d mark4, 500mm, ISO800, 1/160, F/7.1

Thanks for the comments,

Steve

[Karl Egressy]

Looks like you have a SEOW there. Nice pose, detail and excellent background. The perch has green cast, you might want to de saturate the green color in it.

[Steve Large]

Looks like you have a SEOW there. Nice pose, detail and excellent background. The perch has green cast, you might want to de saturate the green color in it.

Hi Karl,
Thanks for the comment. It was taken at a hydro grounding station so I am assuming that the green cast is the cuprinol preservative used in the post. Also might just be weathering and fungus of some sort.

Steve

[Diane Miller]

This is a seriously wonderful image! Sharp, well-exposed, and very different! I assume the vole (?) hadn't been prepared as ordered?

The greenish color on the post looks natural to me, like a patina of moss.

[Steve Large]

This is a seriously wonderful image! Sharp, well-exposed, and very different! I assume the vole (?) hadn't been prepared as ordered?

The greenish color on the post looks natural to me, like a patina of moss.

Hi Diane,
Thanks for your comment. This is a natural occurrence with owls. It is the remnants of the vole that was undigestible such as the hair and the bones. They are called owl castings. So you might say that the owl goes from both ends on a regular basis. Not very appetizing but it is an interesting behavior to be caught on camera.

Steve

[Tony Whitehead]

Excellent behavioral capture, Steve. Love the sharp plumage and eye details and the motion blur on the castings. The green tinge looks like moss/algae on the perch.

[MohsenVahedipour]

Excellent Job. Great timing with nice details, perch & BG. TFS

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Steve, just watch the blacks in & around the eye, don't let it clog/fill in so you loose detail. A quick fix is if you import your image as is into LR or ACR and change the WB to Auto the colours look far better and it takes out the slight 'saturation' overall.

It is the remnants of the vole that was undigestible such as the hair and the bones. They are called owl castings.

Steve, we call them Owl pellets, which, as you quite rightly said, the owl regurgitates every now and then, stuff it normally doesn't pass. A great source of information contained in them and they can be quite large too. If you find one it will probably be dry, just soak it in a container of water and you will then start to see what it has been hunting, small claws, skulls, bones...

Is the Hydro to your right with the sea to your left, if so I know it thanks to another BPN member. If you are around next year we may bump into you.

TFS
Steve

[Steve Large]

Hi Steve, just watch the blacks in & around the eye, don't let it clog/fill in so you loose detail. A quick fix is if you import your image as is into LR or ACR and change the WB to Auto the colours look far better and it takes out the slight 'saturation' overall.



Steve, we call them Owl pellets, which, as you quite rightly said, the owl regurgitates every now and then, stuff it normally doesn't pass. A great source of information contained in them and they can be quite large too. If you find one it will probably be dry, just soak it in a container of water and you will then start to see what it has been hunting, small claws, skulls, bones...

Is the Hydro to your right with the sea to your left, if so I know it thanks to another BPN member. If you are around next year we may bump into you.

TFS
Steve

Hi Steve,
Yes, you know the place. Just turn to your right when you leave the 72nd street parking lot and you can't miss it. This owl seems to be the center of attention every winter. There are lots of images of her on flickr and other sites on the web. She really doesn't like dogs and will usually stand on one of the fence posts near the dike and hiss at them. Personally I will be looking more for the long-eared owls this year there. Seems my timing was poor last time and several people got some nice pictures of them right out in the open.

By the way, I will be the guy in all the camo. Look for a 600mm IS 2 this year ,

Steve

[Melissa Groo]

This is fantastic Steve. I would just about pass out if I got a shot of a SEO expelling a pellet. Great work. I think I see a bit of blur on the body but that makes sense as it's probably moving while upchucking. Super behavior shot. And I love that view of the tongue!!

[Robert Kimbrell]

Nice behavior shot, I did not know they did that. Nice sharp eye. Were you anticipating he was going to do that?

[Steve Large]

This is fantastic Steve. I would just about pass out if I got a shot of a SEO expelling a pellet. Great work. I think I see a bit of blur on the body but that makes sense as it's probably moving while upchucking. Super behavior shot. And I love that view of the tongue!!

Thanks Melissa,
Too bad you aren't closer to the west coast. You could come for a shoot. Last year was particualrly good for short ears. Over 50 reported in the area near Delta B.C. where I got this image within just a few kilometers of coastline and at least 8 at our local estuary. Not to mention all the harriers, a few snowy owls, and at least 4 long eared owls.

Steve

[Steve Large]

Nice behavior shot, I did not know they did that. Nice sharp eye. Were you anticipating he was going to do that?

Hi Robert,
You can kind of tell it's going to happen. It is especially easy to see if you are a cat owner like me because the gag reflex is very similar to a cat with a fur ball. Just get the focus and the exposure right and then start a burst about when you think it is going to happen and you can be pretty much right on most times.

Cheers,

Steve

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice, great details and sharpness. it does a have subtle green cast to my eye

well done