It's Snowing

[Grace Scalzo]

A few owls are around this winter. Not nearly as many as last year but the season is early still. I found this beauty at sunrise sitting on a snow fence. She spent a few minutes harassing a flock of snow buntings then flew to her favorite (ugly!) spot for daytime resting and my photo ops were over. Happy to have a few flight shots of her.

1/1250, iso3200, f 5.6
Canon 1dx, 600f4+1.4tc + tripod

[Randy Stout]

Grace:

Lovely full down stroke pose with slight angle towards us. Soft bg.

Only minor observation. From a comp point, would have preferred the bush to be more to the right in frame, to balance things, but then of course the wing position probably wouldn't have been so nice.

Of course, this comes from someone who has never had the chance to take a single image of a snowy, so take it for what its worth.

How early did the birds arrive last year? Has the weather been milder this year?

Cheers

Randy

[Grace Scalzo]

Randy, Thank you for your comment and I agree 100%. You hit the nail on the head. As luck would have, I do have a frame with the bush in a better spot but the owl's wings are up so I chose this as the better of the two to share. Isn't this exactly what makes nature photography so difficult? Unless you are baiting or doing set-ups, basically everything is out of your control. I like the challenge and also the thrill on those rare occasions when everything does come together.

The birds arrived almost to the day from last year and yes, so far, it has been milder.

[Loi Nguyen]

Grace, lovely light and tack sharp at 1/1250 SS. Agreed with Randy regarding the bush location, but not a deal breaker. Loi

[Bill Dix]

Beautiful flight shot, Grace. Nice wing position, exposure, background. I'd love to have this one no matter where the bush is (although I can see Randy's point). And it saves you a trip to Ottawa.

[keith mitchell]

Grace I'm just green with envy at you guys with these magnificent Owls, excellent flight shot.


Keith.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Lovely Gail, nice image.

[gail bisson]

Hi Grace,
I find it so funny that a lot of BPN'ers call you Gail or me Grace!!
Always glad to be mistaken for your work!!
Lovely image. Terrific wing position and IQ
Gail

[David Salem]

Glad to see that you are finding a few owls this season even though it's a bit early. Nice wings down pose with a good look at those fixed eyes. Looks like it's on the hunt. Details and exposure look nice too. Well done Grace. Hope to see you this coming year.