I've recently found a hotspot for these owls...basically a 2hr drive on the highway will net me 2-4 each time. Problem is most times they aren't in good locations. Wednesday's drive was the exception. I was able to work with this guy for over an hour. Most were nice perched shots that I will share later for their more clean, artistic look. This was immediately after he flew down and caught this prey (vole or mouse?). This was not baited, watched him do this live and missed the flight. He landed for 2 seconds in this tree and then wanted more privacy for his meal so flew into the forest. He downed the prey up in an evergreen tree and then came back out to the open trees to continue his portrait shoot for another half hour.
This was shot handheld (maybe if I'd brought my tripod out of the car I would have caught his dive for the prey....next time). Canon 1DX MkII, Canon 600 f/4ISII, f/5.6, 1/1600, 1600ISO. Obviously the branches he landed make for a bit of a mess but I still thought the shot was pretty cool with the dangling prey. Let me know what you think. I'll post a different frame later to see which you prefer as they are a bit different and both interesting in their own way.