Burrowing owl in grass

[allanrube]

I shot this yesterday afternoon in Cape Coral around 5:15 pm. I watched this pair for about an hour. Most of the time I was not set up to shoot as they were both in a burrow or behind tall grass. But here is one when the male finally popped out.

D3X 600VR lens 1/500 at f7, 0 EC, (auto) iso 320

[Dan Brown]

Nice, sharp shot Allan! I like the bg and the low angle. If your ethics allow, you might remove the dark blade of grass near the lower right side of the owls body and tone down the whitish grasses on the left and right. BTW, how do you know that this is a male?

[Jim Fenton]

I wish for a lower angle (I'm kidding!)

Was this the one sunny day Florida has had recently?

Like the light, sharpness and saturation look perfect.

I'd loose the blade noted by Dan and the brown blob to the left of the bird in the grass.

[Peter Coskun]

Very sharp image and great eye contact. Those colors are fantastic

[Jim Crosswell]

Great pose, eye contact and BG! These owls are fun to watch.

[allanrube]

Dan, I was told that the female stays in the burrow entrance protecting the eggs while the male would be the one to jump around in the grass near the burrow. I could be wrong but I based it on that, not on any knowledge of markings.

[Dan Brown]

I did not know that! Thanks Allan!

[RakeshDhareshwar]

Love the pose , the sharpness and the alert pose !

[allanrube]

Thanks Rakesh.