Barn Owl in flight – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
Barn Owls are typically strictly nocturnal but during harsh winters with lots of snow they do hunt during the day here in Utah. It has been bitter cold for some time now and we have had lots of snow falling during recent storms and that snow makes it difficult for Barn Owls to find their prey. Cold makes the owls need more calories to survive so they start hunting during daylight hours. So while it makes me and other bird photographers happy to photograph them during the day it is also sad that if it doesn’t warm up and the snow doesn’t melt some of these beautiful owls will die because of starvation.
The flying Barn Owl above was photographed three days ago while it hunted marshy areas at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in northern Utah. I appreciated that the owl was flying south towards the light because that created a catch light in the owl’s deep-set eyes.
Barn Owl Close up – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
The Barn Owl above flew almost too close to photograph it, much like the Golden Eagle I had photographed on Antelope Island earlier in the morning. At least with this owl I didn’t clip the wings like I did on the eagle and even though the Barn Owl was flying away from the sun I was able to get some light in the eye because of the reflected light off of the snow below the owl. I wish I would have had a touch more room in front of and below the owl and even though I could add it in Photoshop I am not fond of altering my images to that degree, besides, I like this close up view.
Barn Owl fly by – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
When this Barn Owl flew past me I could see that it had some ice and snow on its feet, that makes me feel chilled just thinking about having to live and survive in such harsh conditions. There were still a few fluffy clouds when I took this image and I quite liked how they created this lovely pastel blue background with interest added because of those clouds.
Barn Owl perched on a Kestrel nest box – Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
I photographed this Barn Owl perched on a snow-covered Kestrel nest box yesterday morning, the hoar-frost is still visible on the owl’s facial disc and that was at 9:51 am. The temperature around that time had risen to about 6 degrees Fahrenheit. My right hand was bare while I photographed this owl and before leaving the owl my hand had gone numb, later I felt relief when my hand started to hurt as they warmed back up.
Barn Owls also fly during the day when they have chicks in the nest, especially large broods when they can’t catch enough prey at night to feed all of those hungry owlets.
They are gorgeous owls and I feel like I have been given a gift whenever I can photograph them during the day, I hope they survive this latest polar blast.
Mia
PS: it is -4F a few minutes before this post was published.
Song Sparrow working at getting some seeds – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/750, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
Song Sparrows are year round residents in Utah but I hear them most often during the winter months as they sing perched high on bushes, rushes, phragmites or cattails. These two birds were photographed at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in January a few years ago.
Song Sparrow on a hoar frost covered perch – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
There are often heavy fogs in the morning at Farmington because of all the water in the area and during the coldest months that creates hoar frost that covers all the vegetation.
Song Sparrows are found throughout the U.S. and into Canada, some populations move south during the winter to southern states and northern Mexico. So far 30 subspecies of Song Sparrows have been described.
Song Sparrow on a frosty perch Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Davis County, Utah January 8, 2010 D200, f8, 1/1250, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
I get very excited about small things at times, a colorful sunrise, the sight of a shooting star, the first spring crocus and in the fall; the first time I see frost. This morning there was frost on the ground here and upon seeing it I felt like a giddy child.
Soon the Aspens and the Poplars will change their colors, there will be snow visible up in the high country, mornings will be crisp and I will have to dig out my winter things. I’ll have to remember not to breathe on my viewfinder, to put gloves in my camera backpack and to preheat my travel mug prior to pouring my coffee into it before heading out the door into the chilly pre-dawn light.
Birds that summer here will soon be heading south but the birds that winter here will start to show up. Song Sparrows(Melospiza melodia) that I haven’t seen all summer long will appear and feed on the seeds of weeds with hoar frost clinging to the stems.
There is something magical about seeing the first rays of sunrise striking the crystals of frost and the light that bounces back from it.
What I appreciate a great deal about my avian photography is working WITH the light, not fighting it in the camera or in post processing, so I am presenting these images below as what they are, photos taken in low light.
One of the wonderful things about photography today is that the size of your portfolio is only limited by the amount of hard drive space you have available and because of that I often experiment with different lighting conditions to challenge myself and through my experimentation, I learn valuable lessons.
Bald Eagle covered in hoar frost in low light Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Davis County, Utah D200, lens resting on pickup window, f7.1, 1/400, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm,
EV +0.3 step, natural light, not baited. No noise reduction used.
The lighting conditions the day I took this Bald Eagle(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) photo were dismal. There was a heavy fog and the light from the rising sun was muted by clouds to the east. The eagle was shrouded in hoar frost that had formed on it’s feathers from the bitter night time temperatures and the foggy, moisture laden air. I photographed the eagle for nearly two hours before the fog started to lift and the bird flew off. It was interesting to watch the hoar frost slowly disappear during that period of time. I have images of this same bird in better light ; however, this image stood out for me.
The hoar frost, the fog, the pose of the eagle and the low light show the harsh conditions under which these powerful raptors live and survive. For me this image conveys strength, determination and a very cold mood.
I purposely did not take any steps in post processing that would artificially alter the mood or light in this image. I didn’t want to change the mood or the story this image projects to the viewer.
About 99% of my images are taken without flash, I rarely even carry my flash unit or BetterBeamer with me. Thus I rely on using exposure compensation along with my other settings to achieve the image I desire. The EV setting I used of +0.3 gave me the details I wanted to see in the eagle’s dark feathers.
Male American Kestrel in low light Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Davis County, Utah D200, lens resting on pickup window, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 400, EV +1.3, 200-400mm VR with 1,4x TC at 400mm,
natural light, not baited. No noise reduction used.
The day I created this American Kestrel(Falco sparverius) photo I had hoped to find some good light after days of dreary, cloudy weather. The forecasters had said there might be some breaks in the clouds but upon arriving at this location there were blue skies to the west, heavy snow clouds to the east in the mountains, it was snowing outside the vehicle and the light was quite low.
Later in the day there was some sunshine and birds in good light, but I found of all the shots I took on that day, the images of this kestrel delighted me the most. I am drawn into the photo.
Again, I purposely did not take any steps in post processing that would artificially alter the mood or light in this image. Part of the reason I was able to produce the fine details in the feathers against the almost high key background was my use of +1.3 steps of EV compensation, without it the bird would have been dark. Trying to artificially lighten the bird using shadow/highlight or increasing exposure in post processing would have introduced excessive noise at unacceptable levels for me. I was fortunate that the blue skies to the west gave me enough light to get the hint of a catchlight in the kestrel’s eye.
Not fighting the light and working with it produced two photos that for me have great appeal and tell a story about these birds.
