Just after seeing Gianluca's owl, I was very pleased to see two "Tawny Frog Mouths" just outside my laundry door. Well, Diane had it down pat. Put the washing down and get out there! Both owls were well camouflaged in the trees and hard to get a clear shot. Dark and dense in the trees. Windy, mid-afternoon. By the look he was giving me, I think he would have preferred me hanging out the washing.
These birds aren't really owls. They're nightjars; more related to kingfishers than owls. They are exclusively insectivorous.
Cropped to 70% FF ACR - Black, white and highlight sliders. HSL - green and yellow reduction for BG leaves.
In PSCS6 - Cloned out some annoying sticks. One selective levels adjustment to lighten bird a tad. Resized and smart sharpened for web posting.
I can see after posting that a tiny bit of CCW rotation could be in order!
Podargus strigoides - "Owls belong to the order of Strigiformes, while Tawny Frogmouths (Podargus strigoides) are sometimes placed in the order of Coraciiformes which, in Australia, includes kingfishers and kookaburras. However, in some other taxonomies, notably by Sibley, frogmouths are indeed included with Strigiformes but separated into a different suborder (Caprimulgi) and Infraorder (Podargides) than are true owls." from an article by Deane Lewis and Bruce Marcot.
Whatever it is, it's very cute! Nice pose and sharpness, well framed. Good work for less than ideal lighting.
The bright sky isn't ideal, but I assume you probably were in the best position otherwise. Sounds like you tried bringing down the sky with the highlight slider. If they hang out there, keep trying -- one of them, or the light, may cooperate better.
How delightful. It shows what is one of my favorite things to see in wildlife photography: an interaction between the photographer and the subject. There is a broad V centered above and below the beak, and above and below the eyes. What do you think of making it a bit lighter? Thanks for sharing this with us.
Do you use flash? I don't. But this situation might tempt me.
Last edited by Jim Keener; 01-01-2016 at 04:07 PM.
Reason: Add the question about flash.
Hey Jim. Thank you for commenting. No. I don't use a flash of any sort. I'm in enough trouble with a bare camera. And, yes...additional lighting may be right on the money in this situation. I did a version of this a bit lighter, but preferred the darker.
Aussie Owl - Not
