Snowy Owl with prey

[Isaac Grant]

I have posted photos of this Snowy Owl before. It is typically very relaxed and hardly looks my way or opens its eyes when I am around it. On Saturday morning I got out to the beach before first light to try and find it before it heads back north. I saw it flying in with the remains of a duck and it landed fairly close to me. You can see the wings down and the alert posture which is quite different than its normal relaxed behavior. They act like this when they are mantling and protecting their prey. Photo taken at first light. You can see the blood all over the beak and a bit of the bloody remains under the bird as well.

Canon 1DX mark ii and Canon 500 f4 ii + 1.4x iii. ISO 1000, SS 1/3200, F 6.3

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Isaac, sweet light here, and I like the eye contact. Good exposure on the Snowy, and glad you grabbed your shot before he flew away, as that semi raised near wing certainly looks like it. The bloodied beak tells your story, and I like your low angle of capture. I could see a version with the Snowy moved back to the LHS a touch.

A subject I would really like to see and photograph one day.

[Isaac Grant]

Hi Stu. Thanks for the feedback. When the birds have their wings like this they are protecting their prey. It is called mantling. They try and make themselves look bigger and more intimidating. The bird didn't fly for a long time and only did because a guy jogging up the beach flushed it. I did consider your crop and had it that way, but ultimately felt like it was a touch too much dead space on the right so I used the grasses on the left to balance the bird on the right because I liked showing the bird and the habitat with that glowing grass. But both ways I am sure would work fine.

[William Dickson]

The light is so good, it looks almost too red. I like the detail on the bird, with the erect pose. Great POV. You get the feeling from looking at the bird, that it is up to something, and as you said not relaxed.

Nice work.

Will

[Isaac Grant]

You guys are great. It is funny the 2 issues that I wanted feedback on with on this shot, the crop and the intenseness of the glowing grasses were mentioned in the first 2 comments! That is exactly what I was looking for. William I failed to mention that I did tone down the background a bit because the RAW file was just glowing orange and was really intense. I lowered the red channel and yellow channel -8 points each. I also lowered the yellow on the bird to get rid of a bit of the cast from the warmth of the rising sun. I really like this light as I think the white of the bird looks great against the warmth of the early morning sun. Just a few minutes later the light was gone and not nearly as pretty. It really shows how hard nature photography can be. To capture the bird in that perfect light you really have to be very lucky to have found the bird, have it active and in a nice spot on the beach in the few minutes with ideal light. I think it makes a huge difference in photos. If you do not have a really dynamic pose or action that you have captured, then the light can certainly create that wow factor as well.

[William Dickson]

I totally agree Issac, and you got it all here. Great looking bird in nice light. Not an easy task.

Will

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Lovely shot of a beautiful bird Isaac! The warm colors of the surroundings complement it well!

[Glenn Pure]

What a beauty you have here Isaac. I can see the argument for the alternative crop. As for the colour, I actually think you could go warmer and closer to the intense colour of the dawn light but it really is a personal preference. Nothing whatsoever wrong with this as presented. I guess if you were trying for a prize, it would be wise to go with majority opinion but nothing more in it than that, I think. Regardless of that, this is still a real cracker of a shot. I love the clear foreground so all of the bird is visible and the background grass is attractive too. Brilliant detail and handling of tones and those piercing eyes really add along with the mantling behaviour (didn't know the term for this but guessed that's what the bird was doing).

[David Salem]

Wow this is great Isaac! Love that direct stare and the nice warm light. Details and exposure look perfect too. Cant get over those eyes. Not easy to get them fully lit and look at those catch lights. DFC! Well done. FYI, mantling is the act of hiding or covering up their prey from other raptors.

[Bill Dix]

Nicely done in all respects, Isaac. As you suggest, this puts it all together: the great bird, pose, habitat, and those few minutes of great light. It wasn't luck; rather your dedication and knowledge of how, where and when to get the shot.

[Isaac Grant]

Thanks everyone. Glad you like it.

David, we always called that behavior mantling cause they seem to do it regardless of if another raptor is around or not. I have a photo of this bird doing it when it had a rat in its talons as well when nothing was around but us and some gulls. It seems that all raptors do this to protect their prey from other raptors, or other predators in general including people I guess. But its not like I wanted the guts of a 3/4 eaten Bufflehead

Bill, thanks for saying that. Sure all of those factors have much to do with it. You have to be there at the right time and the right place. But way more times than not when I am there at the right place and time all I come home with is sand in my shoes!

[annmpacheco]

Hi Isaac, Congratulations on this wonderful Spring image! You certainly have captured something special here and your processing takes it over the top. So well done and I enjoyed your story.

[Alex Becker]

Late to the party but that pose, light, stare, and prey item are amazing. Exposure is wonderful as is the detail. This is the type of shot that drags us out of bed at some ungodly hour when we'd rather just be sleeping. TFS

[John Whaley]

A beautiful image with high IQ and great feather detail. I like the composition and unusual pose as well. I have seen the same pose when they have been flushed and or sense danger as in a Bald Eagle near by. I saw one go into this pose early one morning when two Bald Eagles landed on the beach relatively near to the Snowy I was watching on the dune.