Western Screech-Owl

[Doug Brown]

A friend has a Western Screech Owl nest in her backyard. These owls get very busy when the light goes down. I enjoy the challenge of locating them in the dark as they move from perch to perch in search of a meal. Got this frame with an assist from Miguel, who held a flashlight and my off-camera flash for me.

Canon 7D II, 100-400 II @ 371 mm, f/13, 1/160, ISO 400, manual exposure, FAML, hand held

[Bill Dix]

Great work, Doug. Good focus, exposure on the bird, and nice perch. Tough to do in the dark. I tried when an Eastern Screech-Owl was hanging around my yard for a few nights last fall. I went outside and called him in, and he suddenly came out of the blackness and almost took my head off before perching on a nearby tree. By the time I did some strategizing on how to manage the flashlight without a helper, he had left for good.

[Lorant Voros]

Intense eyes, great lighting without causing red eye. Looking at this you are happy with the 100-400II. TFS.

[adrian dancy]

All looks good to me. The perch is a corker....nice work.

[Loi Nguyen]

Hi Doug, Love those eyes! Great shot, good use of flash. Loi

[Grace Scalzo]

A++++++ from me. Love it. Great technique.

[Marina Scarr]

Terrific portrait, Doug, and I love that perch, that "look" and the black BG.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Fantastic picture! Everything looks great, and the comp is perfect.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Great shot Doug!

[Doug Brown]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

[arash_hazeghi]

sweet shot Doug!