Long Eared Owl
While exploring the pines in a Columbus Ohio metro park, I found this Long Eared Owl looking back at me!
While exploring the pines in a Columbus Ohio metro park, I found this Long Eared Owl looking back at me!
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Feb, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was made at Walnut Woods Metro Park, just south of Columbus Ohio. Thankfully, I live in an area abundant with well cared for metro parks with many types of habitat, that afford me the ability to find elusive species like this Long Eared Owl.Time
I shot this little guy on an early winter morning. A friend of mine asked if I wanted to go looking for Long Eared Owls, and I was already packing my gear to head into the woods myself!Lighting
The light was pretty even that morning, but in the dense pine stands it can get quite dark. Owls are sensitive birds with sensitive eyes, and while there are varied accounts of whether flashes harm them, I personally choose to err on the side of caution and only shoot them in natural light. That generally means using a higher ISO, but fear not! More on this in the post processing section.Equipment
On that day, I went out with my Canon 6D, and Tamron 150-600mm VC lens. I never carry a flash for wildlife photography. The only other piece of gear I ever really need on these kinds of trips is a good strap to carry my camera/lens. Crawling around and through heavy brush makes carrying much of any other gear quite difficult.Inspiration
Owls have always been of particular interest to me, especially after I got my first camera and started learning how to use it. They're fascinating to observe, always very calculating. Long Eared Owls are of particular interest, as they're often quite difficult to find, and even harder to photograph well. I love a good challenge!Editing
Yes! Continuing on the high ISO topic from the "lighting" section, I choose not to use flash. That means high ISO's. I've found that when shooting with high ISO's, the bird's feathers are rarely affected by the noise, and if so, very little. So I'm prone to using a fairly high ISO. In post, I just edit for noise control around the bird, and maybe a little on the feathers if needed. For this photo, I did just that, and then converted it to black and white.In my camera bag
When going out in search of wildlife, I usually carry two bodies. A Canon 6D and a Canon 7D Mark ii. I also carry two lenses. My Tamron 150-600mm VC and my Tamron 24-70mm VC in case I feel like shooting landscapes. Usually that's rounded out by my Lee Big Stopper, and my Promaster shoulder strap.Feedback
Owls enjoy, and sometimes require, quiet and remote areas to live and hunt. So getting off the beaten path, and out of the city (usually but not always) is a great start. My number one way of finding any predatory bird, is to listen to and for the alarm calls of other birds. Blue Jays and American Crows are great birds to listen for, as they're quite loud. But if you listen closely enough, you can hear the alarm of virtually any bird. When an Owl is around, generally you're going to hear other birds making noise. On this day, we were searching a cut through a dense copse of White and Scotch Pine trees. After awhile, we started hearing alarm chips from a group of Golden Crowned Kinglets. I slowly made my way into the pines, and as the Kinglet's calls got louder, I stuck my head into the branches of one of the Scotch Pines. There he was, no more than 8-10 feet away, staring right back at me. I quickly grabbed a few shots, and backed away so as not to stress the Owl. Moments like these are why I take these kinds of photos. Intimate moments with nature makes life so much better for me!
