Wild HNY Little Owl....

RedRobin

RedRobin

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Robin
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Wishing everyone a very happy 2015.

Not up to @den Den's high standard of Owl photography but my first of any Owl species....

I waited 2 hrs in a gulley for the sun to come around.

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Canon 400mm F/5.6L on 7D Mark II on monopod.

And to check if Flickr mangles it up on TP again....

 
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Two hours in a Gully ,seriously Robin that's nothing,,,,,only joking ,I am obsessed with these hardy little birds and the one you have found Robin looks in good nick in what appears to be surroundings they prefer ,typical little owl sunbathing in what will be is favoured ledge, go back on a dull day and you will find it difficult to spot him ,its not about standards for me Robin and take it from me plenty on here will agree ,i have always said that my wildlife encounters are always first and my photography second, its just i have been lucky with time ,friends(farmers) and a genuine passion for them that as allowed me to get as close to the birds as i do,yes i bait at one site but i have three others all in a 5 mile radius that i don't ,your shots are fine Robin as you say for the first encounter ,its up to you now as to how far you want to go with them ,you seem to be pretty close for a little owl and what i find is that they will allow you to get to a certain point and once you get their and they are happy you can fire away, I also find that if you move away from their sight they will move on ,basically they like to see were you are all the time ,not trying to tell you how to do it Robin but its surprising how close you can get to them with a bit of knowledge and time....well done on your first owl shots
 
Well found and photographed ... he looks a bit peeved at having his morning disturbed :D
 
gramps said:
Well found and photographed ... he looks a bit peeved at having his morning disturbed :D
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....Thanks for the encouragement. A good friend told me where to look. It was late afternoon (on Monday) as the sun was going down but that's academic.
 
den said:
Two hours in a Gully ,seriously Robin that's nothing,,,,,only joking ,I am obsessed with these hardy little birds and the one you have found Robin looks in good nick in what appears to be surroundings they prefer ,typical little owl sunbathing in what will be is favoured ledge, go back on a dull day and you will find it difficult to spot him ,its not about standards for me Robin and take it from me plenty on here will agree ,i have always said that my wildlife encounters are always first and my photography second, its just i have been lucky with time ,friends(farmers) and a genuine passion for them that as allowed me to get as close to the birds as i do,yes i bait at one site but i have three others all in a 5 mile radius that i don't ,your shots are fine Robin as you say for the first encounter ,its up to you now as to how far you want to go with them ,you seem to be pretty close for a little owl and what i find is that they will allow you to get to a certain point and once you get their and they are happy you can fire away, I also find that if you move away from their sight they will move on ,basically they like to see were you are all the time ,not trying to tell you how to do it Robin but its surprising how close you can get to them with a bit of knowledge and time....well done on your first owl shots
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....Yes, like you, taking the photos is just an excuse to be out there and to enjoy what I saw later and also share that enjoyment with other people through the images.

Not possible to get any closer in that location without falling down the side of an old quarry! And 400mm lens is my max reach. On 1.6x crop-body and also tried adding the Canon 1.4x III but preferred the shots I took without the extender. Must take my tripod next time and use LiveView to fine focus and also cable release.

That's a very helpful tip about them liking to keep you in their sight - Makes a lot of sense from their point of view. Perhaps most birds of prey are like that - It would partly explain their calm. I'm great with Horses and Dragonflies so know what I can tune into if they are willing - I do believe in a degree of 'abstract' communication. After 120 shots and any decent light gone I moved away very slowly and staying low but was in full view and was surprised that he didn't go back into his cave.

One day I would love to photograph an Owl in flight but what will be will be.
 
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oldandintheway said:
'Appy New Year
2 hours waiting...you have the patience of a saint
Robin!!!
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....Not really patience but I do have determination and this wasn't a case of waiting patiently IF he would appear but waiting for WHEN he would appear. I got there well before the sunlight even started to light the rockface - I didn't want to miss my opportunities and the Little Owl was my main mission of the day. Besides, I was comfortable on the ground and also photographed a Buzzard while waiting.

I think that there are certain species which encourage you to be patient and determined - Wild birds of prey and Kingfishers! There are others of course and especially when a species you have never seen or photographed before.

I plan to revisit in the near future.
 
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