Northern Hawk Owl Seen in Vermont
Northern Hawk Owl Seen in Vermont
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Behind The Lens
Location
This wonderful owl spent one winter in nearly the same spot in Vermont. It is not a common visitor, and people from all over flocked to see it, causing traffic jams! It is now thought that reporting rare species is not OK, but in this case, the owl seemed totally undisturbed by so many humans.Time
This was taken in the early morning- 7-8 AMLighting
The light was quite dull as it usually is in Vermont in the winter, but good enough to allow a shot without a flash.Equipment
I shot this photo with a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, and a 400 f/5.6 lens- two old classics that served me well for many years. The picture was probably hand held, but I don't recall if I used a tripod.Inspiration
This was a rare beauty and I wanted to both have the experience of seeing it, and a record of it's time here in Vermont.Editing
I used some noise reduction, I believe, and probably a bit of sharpening.In my camera bag
I usually, these days, carry around my Nikon D500 and a 500 f/5.6 lens, with a Black Rapid strap, as a relatively light-weight rig for capturing birds. I have a monopod in my car as well. At home I also use a Nikon D850 with that lens or a 300 f/4. It's rre that I use shorter lenses as most of my work is birds or wildlife.Feedback
You just have to always be ready with a camera when traveling around-I rarely leave the house without one. It also helps, in many cases, to follow the findings on a bird list like ebird, where people report their sightings, and sometimes, as was the case here, ,let others know there is a rare specimen in the area. Or perhaps a flock passing through. Home feeders are also a great place to attract birds and they are often pretty tame, as well as coming to visit frequently. I've taken many shots through a window, keeping the lens close to the window glass to avoid glare and dirt to show. Not ideal, but sometimes the only option if the bird is likely to fly away with the opening of a creaky door! Above all, respect the birds you are shooting- do not go near nesting birds or species that might be stressed by your presence.