A shot taken this time last year, which reminds me that its time to go out looking for them again. Thats assuming it ever stops raining here!!!! This was taken in area of flat farmland which has a series of drainage ditches on the edge of the fields. The birds hunt along and follow the ditches looking for voles which makes it relatively easy to get a shot if you can get ahead of them as they will pass right by.
Excellent exposure and composition, and the hunting flight pose is just wonderful. Sharp detail and nice bg. You even got the slight head turn toward your position. This image makes me want to hop a flight and go looking for them with you! Well done.
Fantastic picture! I really like how the bird is detached from the background. You really froze the action too and as Maxis said the pose and wing position are top notch. You are lucky to have Barn Owls around, please don't let the rain stop you... well you've got to adopt this attitude in England I guess ;)
I see 500mm @ f/4.5 by any chance do you own the previous version of the 500mm L without stabilization?
You really do come up with the goods, Rich. The BG may be a little dark, which doesn't surprise me with the weather we get in this country, but the bird still pops.
Many thanks for your replies and comments. My lens is the new IS version. The rain doesn't stop me going out but it does stop the owls with the best conditions seem to be sunny still days. As you see from the shot it was a typical UK day with limited light. It is quite fortunate that this pair like to come out during daylight. I have another barn owl which is much closer to home but unfortunately that doesn't appear until the light has virtually disappeared. There are some of my other shots of the barn owls, including in some rare UK sun, for anyone interested here...