Burrowing Owl

[Bill Dix]

Lying in the grass at Cape Coral last February, just as the sun was about to emerge from the tree line behind me.

D500, ISO 2500, 1/400s @ f/7.1 manual. 1600px.

[Isaac Grant]

Really nice Bill. Beautiful light and I like how the sloped hill frames the foreground and background. Bird looks great. I really hope I get a chance to photograph these guys some day soon.

[Raybel Robles]

Very nice image, great natural habitat feel to it. Great detail, I can see the sand on the bird's feather! A small grey line on the left side can be fixed :)

[arash_hazeghi]

looks good Bill, I like the eye contact and symmetrical eyes. would be nice if you had more BG separation, what was the focal length, aperture?

[Glenn Pure]

What a beauty Bill. The light is gorgeous and as a bonus has made great catchlights. I too like the framing provided by the sloping foreground. Background also works well in this one. The larger size is really show off the great detail you have achieved.

[Bill Dix]

looks good Bill, I like the eye contact and symmetrical eyes. would be nice if you had more BG separation, what was the focal length, aperture?

Thanks Arash. Sorry I forgot to mention the lens: 500f4. Aperture f/7.1 as noted. I suppose I could have gotten a little more separation by opening up a stop; I generally use 7.1 as a starting point unless there are special circumstances, since it seems to get sharp images, but there are always other options to consider.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Bill, another great image showing the theme perfectly. You have both here - good eye contact and a low angle. I like the soft light, and well placed in the frame.

[Bill Dix]

Thank you all.