Barred Owl Close Up
I know that a few folks out there like it when I get close to the bird so here goes.
Barred Owl in Flight
Of course this is the image that most bird photographers would prefer. Taken today in the temperate rain forests of Linley Valley. Flickr folks please left click for extra flavor and crispness.
In The Blink of an Eye (Barred Owl)
Thought that people might find this interesting. I catch a barred owl blinking in flight as he hurtles towards the camera. Flickr folks please left click for more detail.
Focus Test (Barred Owl)
Went out in the woods to focus test the new lens today. Seems to work OK.
Out on a Limb (Barred Owl)
Found a nice barred owl out in the open fishing for crayfish near a small creek in the park last night.
Tanya Drive Barred Owl
Lots of noisy barred owls hanging around the swamp today on Tanya Drive.
Sanctuary Guardian (Barred Owl)
Would have missed this guy entirely at the entrance to Morrell Bird Sanctuary had it not been for the noisy robins. I think I walked a total of maybe 150 feet from the car.
What's the scoop? (Barred Owl)
Was on my way down from the mountain feeling a bit bummed out as there were no pygmy owls today. Saw this large brown bird jump onto a newspaper box at the side of the road near the bottom of the hill. He must be waiting for the latest news to arrive.
Return of The Fishing Owls (Barred Owl)
The barred owls have returned to rivers in the local parks to hunt crayfish and pumpkin seed fish again. Just love this time of year.
When voles are not available I like to eat fish (Barred Owl). Nanaimo B.C.
Took a similar image to this one a couple of years back. Thought that this image that was never posted showed a bit more detail. Yes, barred owls are also great fishermen. This behaviour happens mainly during the late spring and early summer when the adults are after high energy food for the owlets.
Fishy Profile (Barred Owl)
Here the female barred owl catches another crayfish from the mud of the river. Still can't figure out how they see them so well. Very dark and under several inches of water.
Attack From Above (Barred Owl)
In this image one of the adult barred owls hunts crayfish from a snag above the waterfall. They are amazing hunters in this respect and can seem to see the crayfish through swirling water where human eyes never could.
Extreme Low Light Photography (Barred Owl)
Did a bit of experimentation with low light auto-ISO last night. Didn't turn out too bad for 12800 ISO. With a little help from Topaz of course. In this image a female barred owl takes a crayfish off to feed the owlets.
Resting In The Shade (Barred Owl)
Lots of these guys doing their thing in Linley Valley lately.
Let Me Whisper in Your Ear (Barred Owlets)
Another goodie from the achives.
Me and My Bro 2018 (Barred Owlets)
Two cute owlets pose for me on a mossy old tree near the river. Looks like I used a flash on this one but I didn't. Photographed just before sunset hand held with the 100-400mm.
In Hot Pursuit (Barred Owl)
A robin chases a barred owl as it glides across a clearing in the forest.
Wings Down (Barred Owl)
Got this nice wings down image during another pass from one of the barred owls yesterday. These guys are a fair size but can be an amazing challenge to catch in flight as they are a lot faster than you are prepared for at first.
Barred Owl Flight Shot
Ran into a couple of my barred owl buddies today in Linley Valley. My hip was kind of bothering me so I decided to go light instead of using the 600mm and tripod for a change. Managed to get a good workout with the 100-400mm IS2, Definitely a good BIF (bird in flight) lens.
Cottle Lake Barred Owl Hooting
Here is a video of the Cottle Lake barred owl hooting up a storm. Lots of activity at the lake yesterday as regards the city grass cutting and machines. Amazing he was not frightened away with all the noise. I was lucky that there was a more quiet time to take this short video. Please note: Folks that are logged into my website will have to go to Flickr to see this video.
Hooting From The Shadows (Barred Owl)
I ran into the Cottle Lake barred owl yesterday. He was busy fending off robins and hooting loudly.
More Crawdads (Barred Owl)
The lighting was poor so I did my best with this one. The female barred owl delivers another crayfish to one of the owlets right down at water level in a small stream.
Crayfish For Dinner (Barred Owls)
One of the barred owl parents arrives with a fresh crayfish from the stream as the owlets keep a close eye on a mink that is scuttling on the river bed below.
Siblings Preening (Barred Owl)
In this image I managed to catch a tender moment between the two Owlets as they preened each other's feathers.
The Fishing Owls (Barred Owl)
Barred owls not only hunt for rodents such as mice and voles they also catch fish and crayfish from fresh water streams. In this image an adult barred owl catches a pumpkinseed fish from the creek to feed the young owlets.
Owlet Portrait
In this image a noisy owlet hisses at me from across the river.
Parent Portrait
Couldn't help thinking that the parent birds looked a bit beat up. But then who wouldn't after raising another three big owlets this year?
Fish For Dinner
Went to Bowen Park tonight to play with the barred owls. In this image one of the parents delivers a crayfish for one of the owlets. Unlike some of the other forest owls, barred owls are renowned for their ability as being great fishermen and hunt primarily for crayfish as a high quality protein for their young.
My Old Style
I had the big lens yesterday so I had to revert to my older "tight in the frame" style. These guys are a lot bigger than warblers so quite a bit easier to photograph. Probably could have done a bit better job with the 100-400 though. Stripped everything down and still a bit too close.
Hunting In The Clearing
Went to Cottle Lake looking for tanagers yesterday and found a barred owl hunting in a clearing next to the path. Who knew?
Let's Shake On It
In this image the barred owl looks like he is wanting to shake hands. In actuality he is preening the feathers on his right leg. It certainly gives you a good idea of the potential of his talons.
Cottle Lake Barred Owl 2015
Got an image yesterday with the 100-400mm of a Barred Owl in the open down nice and low at Cottle Lake.
Another Barred Owlet
This is in a completely different location. These guys are popping up everywhere!
Morrell Barred Owl
Ran into two parents and a pair of owlets today on the way to the lake at Morrell Bird Sanctuary.
Lake Lurker
The western tanagers were somehwhat uncooperative yesterday but there were a few barred owls around the lake. These owls are notorious for being good fishermen. You can often find them in the local parks catching crayfish for their young in the early summer time.
Lift Off!
A female barred owl lifts off from a creek in Bowen Park with a freshly caught crayfish.
Another Environmental Image
Kind of liked the lighting on this one.
Hiding Behind a Fern
This owl was right down in the creek fishing for crayfish and stared back at the camera as I captured this image. (Sorry, had to re-issue this as it looked a little too blue for my liking).
Female Barred Owl With Crayfish
In this image a busy female barred owl flys to deliver a crayfish to her hungry owlets.
Linley Valley Barred Owl
These guys seem to be all over the place this summer.
Owl's Eye View
If you look close you can see my reflection in the owl's eye hand holding my 600mm lens.
Cooperative Barred Owl
Linley Valley Barred Owl #2
Hunting For Snakes (Barred Owl)
Found this guy in a swamp hunting for snakes.
Morning Snack (Barred Owl)
Thanks to Guy Monty for pointing out this barred owl at Buttertubs Marsh after it had just caught a big rat. Tough lighting conditions but I did my best. Flickr folks can left click for more detail and to find the spider.
