Short-Eared Owl Hello
Short-Eared Owls at Sunset
You never know if a day will be good or bad. You never know if you will be standing in the right area. You never know for sure the light will be good. The light was good before sunset and I was really hoping they would come to the area I parked myself to watch the short-eared owls..
I saw two short eared owls far away in front of me. Then one flew towards where the viewing platform was. It seemed to be lingering so I walked over. It was on a post, but all pictures I took it had its back to me. Finally it flew off the post and flew closer to me. Only the first few shots after it flew from the post were in focus. Maybe I would have better results if I took the zoom down from 600 to 200- 300. I switched from a lower shutter speed to a higher one quick without looking. I figured out later it was too high -1/4,000.
Maybe I can account for that higher than desired ISO when I eventually get a program to remove noise. It was nice to see them in this light, if but only for a couple of minutes. Have a great weekend and get out and enjoy nature!
Short-Eared After Sunset
Little stinkers. They waited until any good light left to come out. One landed on this pole near the trail. I do not have a denoise program. Only an old version of Elements. Obviously I do not know what I am doing. I hope someday to take a course in photoshop or get a denoise program.
Regardless, I was happy to see them again. I just wish they would come up in good light. Have a great Wednesday!
Meadowlark
The meadowlark is said to be in my area all year long. It is the first time I have captured one on camera. I was on a low level as compared to it. I have heard meadowlarks calling before in grass land areas, but fail to spot one. This one landed on the railing of a viewing platform.
Have a great week! Here’s hoping you have some sunny days!
Short-Eared Owls Out and About
After stopping by after work yesterday and not seeing any owls, there was already short-eared owls out and about when I arrived in the parking lot at around 5 p.m. today. Evidently they were out around 4:00 or prior to that busily hunting .
I could see the owl in the tree from the parking lot, but I like moving along. The owl stayed in the tree for a while.
Right after I started walking up the trail I saw one owl very close to the trail. Unfortunately I was not prepared and had my camera set around 1/500 or a second. The above photo has blurred wings but otherwise not too bad.
The above was also taken at 1/500 of a second.
It was getting too dark shortly after this photo above. There are two other kinds of owls at this location. A great horned owl had a lot to say tonight. We can’t get close to them at this location.
I believe at one point there were 4 short eared owls flying around in this one area of the trail. There were only 3-4 people photographing in this area. After yesterday I was thinking they may have left for Canada, but they are still here. This made my day. Have a great weekend!
Short-Eared Owl Night Flight
I stopped in this location after work to see if I could catch some action. It was not too windy, although there was some clouds in the sky and not the greatest light. We did see them fly closer to us where we are allowed to stand.
The above photo is lightened a bit. It is hard to capture them when they come out. The grass is tall as this location, taller than me actually, and did not have a deep enough snowfall to force it down. Therefore, the grass interferes with focus. Not bad though for a dark evening. Have a great weekend.
More Short-Eared Owls on a Post
I took these after 5 tonight. It was cloudy and started raining after I left, so it was dark. The first one is short eared-owl on a post that is cropped a lot.
This second picture was lightened a lot, but not cropped as much as the first picture. It landed on a post very close to where we could stand. This is the first year I have seen the short-eared owls land on posts.
Although the lighting is bad, I still enjoyed seeing them closer than I ever have before. I just wish they would come that close with better lighting conditions.
Short-Eared Owl on a Post
I decided to swing by the land I see these owls on before dark. It rained part of the day, but continued to look dark and dreary. The last two nights the owls only flew on the other end of the field. Tonight they flew closer. I was able to see them in flight, on a tree, and see one of the short-eared owls on a post.
The flight shots were grainy due to high ISO, but you cannot have everything.
I may try to go on the weekend, but luck has not been on my side on Saturdays or Sundays. The increase in the number of owl paparazzi on weekends keeps them at bay. Have a great weekend!
Short-Eared Owl Fly By
I went for a couple of hours to watch the short-eared owls again. This time from the viewing platform, which I usually stay away from. I was lucky they flew nearby, but not too close a few times.
They seemed to have come out earlier today than yesterday. It was before sunset started.
All pictures were taken with a zoom lens and are heavily cropped.
Tonight they spent a lot of time flying to the trees on the edge of the property, which are beyond the trails. It looked like there may have between 8-11. I wonder if it is a gathering before they head back up to northern Canada or the Arctic.
I am guessing they are just as curious at times about us as they do look in our direction. What do you think?
Short-Eared Owls on the Hunt
What do you do on a day off? Besides running some errands I also went to see how close the short-eared owls would come today.
It helped that is was a sunny day and not too windy. They came out at around sunset, so we all had a little bit of time to photography them. They were closer than I had seen them from early December through the beginning of February on Sundays, but not too close. These are all taken with a zoom lens and are heavily cropped. Squeeze in some time with nature and wildlife on your days off. Have a great week!
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