Northern Saw-whet Owl

[Raymond Barlow]

Grimsby, Ontario Canada
Nikon D300 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/80s f/8.0 at 200.0mm iso200
Tripod, no flash, cloned out a twig in the bg, full frame, levels, sharpening, 10% Saturation boost.

Another visit to the local pine trees where this bird takes up residence during a few week in the winter every year. My daughter (2) fell into the tree it was perched in before I got a shot of it, and flushed the bird to a nearby dead tree. I was very lucky as it was content to just sit there, and model for me from various angles for about 10 minutes. I like the more natural (deep in the tree) setting from my last post with the pine needles, etc., but I thought this one is worth sharing.

take good care!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

You are so lucky to have this little guy around. I like the stare, details and complementing BG.

[Bonnie Block]

What a beauty, Raymond. I like the soft colors and his intent stare..

[William Currie]

Very nice image

[Brandon Holden]

Killer shot Ray!

I looked for this guy again today, but couldn't even find him/her!

[Raymond Barlow]

thanks Brandon... I heard there were some photogs there harassing the heck out of the bird on the weekend, so it is likely gone to a more private location.

[John Cooper]

This has worked really well Ray - I love the perch on the diagonal from one corner to the other and the owl is beautifully portrayed here against a pleasing BG. very well done!!

[Stephen Stephen]

Ray very nice image of this species, and in the open! I'm still hoping to see one sometime to be able add it to my collection of owl species (currently 6).

[Del Cockroft]

This is a nicely blended image. Good exposure and detail.

[D. Robert Franz]

Outstanding image here. You were able to get such a nice BG.. Great work,

[Blake Shadle]

Great work, Raymond! The diagonal lines in the background are perfect as they travel down the frame at the same angle as the perch. If they were anymore in focus, they could start to distract. I like this a lot.