Falconry….dial up warning
- This topic has 22 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated Dec 14, 2007 at 7:48 pm by
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With the end of open trout season in Sept I switch gears and spend every free minute pursuing wildlife photography. A large portion of of that is devoted to locating and pursuing Birds of prey. Owl season is just starting, Im geared up and stoked for that, but this past weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time hunting Rabbit with a pair of Falconers. Hundreds of images later I want to share some of the best them. Its been a long time since I was so enthralled and despite the cold (-10 or so) the time flew by.
Anywho, enough prattle. Heres some select images, I hope you like them as much as I do, they are simply majestic.
Artemis. A 6 month old female Harris Hawk.
Peala. A 4yr old male Harris hawk
The pair in action.
If you want to see more of them or larger resolution files heres a link. Click on a thumbnail to bring up the image, click on the image to see 1024*750 files.
http://jben.zenfolio.com/p966495226/?photo=h2FB5B2B8#800436920
Now I am starting to get sick.
The photos are really spectacular and you know a Falconer!
Harris Hawks are truely incredible birds.
That’s awesome! John…
You are a bird photographer… a specialist among birders! 😀I love Raptors and owls.
John,
What is your dominant owl up there in the winter?
Most numerous Owl that I can expect to find would be Long Ear Owls, probably followed by Saw Whets and barred Owls.
John, you are blessed to be able to spend the time to pursue such magnificant creatures. We had a lot of barred owls around our neighbood. Any hints on how to get some daytime photo opportunites? Thanks for sharing.
John, you are blessed to be able to spend the time to pursue such magnificant creatures. We had a lot of barred owls around our neighbood. Any hints on how to get some daytime photo opportunites? Thanks for sharing.
Scott beat me to this question.
Please share your techniques on seeing, spotting and shooting these guys during the day.
Those are great photos John! This is my third or fourth time back to view them and they get better each time! We have tons of Raptors at the ranch I work at. I have often tried to capture their beauty but my 300mm lens just doesn’t quite get the job done.
I am with the other guys and would love to hear your techniques.
Keep up the good work and keep sharing!
Joel
I don’t know if theres any special technique to finding owls. Mostly its just knowing a bit about the species and where they like to roost.
Long ears are fairly easy to spot because they congregate and where theres one, theres usually more. I know 3 woodlots that typically hold them. 2 are a close 5 minute drive from home but they are spotty. Further from home theres a spot thats relibe. The hardest part about getting them is te branches, They get rightinto the pines and sightlines are a chore. Usually if you dont approach too close they’ll sit and watch you. Being noctural they are more interested in resting but if you get too close they’ll bolt. Often thats how I know they are in the area, I inadvertantly flush 1 or 2 without seeing them and then look for more.
Saw-Whets hang out in cedars. They are tough to spot due to their size, typically about 6 inches. Unlike other species you can walk right up to Saw Whets. My daughter loved it last year when we found some. Nothing like being 2 feet from a small, cuddly little owl that could probably rip a finger off 🙂
Barred.
More luck than anything else I think. That photo above is the first shot of a Barred in decent light Ive managed. I see them somewhat regularily. Theres a couple here now in the same area but Ive only ever seen them just before dawn. Once the suns up they are back into the forest and very difficult to find.Short Ears.
Ive seen tem as well but only at dusk when they come ou to hunt. Ive yet to get a decent image of a Short Ear.Snowies.
Again I think its just a matter of knowing where some are. Once you know what to look for they are easy to spot. Kinda of like knowing the shape/shadow of a brow in water. It helps that Snowies are Diurnal (active by day).
If you know a woodlot thats holds one or some. The easiest way to find them is walking through it and watching for whitewash on the trunk or pellets on the ground. While i do scan trees when looking Im looking more for whitewash and if I see some than I sca the tree thouroghly for an Owl. A couple guys I know  suggest looking for mice hanging in the branches as well but Ive yet to see that.
Can you tell I love Owls 🙂
Joel. Thanks.
Id be glad to talk about any aspect but Im no expert. Still have a ton to learn myself. Fortunately I get to shoot with some really accomplshed photographers periodically who have taught me along the way and really shorteneed my curve.
Lights critical so Im always trying to work angles to get frontlight. A small thing but its makes all the difference.Mode. Im either shooting manual or av depending on how constant or intermittant light is. Im probably in av more than some others I shoot wih who are manual 90% of the time.
Shutters speed is probably the single most important factor next to light and I’ll sacrifice iso to maintain atleast 1/1000th. Another key element is focusing speed. The faster your hardware the fewer opportunities you’ll miss. Center point only  AF, it helps speed up focusw acquisition and reduces/eliminates the chance another focus point will grab a background/foreground element.
One product I use thats great for wildlife shooting and tracking birds is a Bushhawk, its a great product. Other than that a ton of practise 🙂 Putting long lens primes on  fast moving targets and keeping them on center point takes a fair bit of practise. The fastr/smaller they are the harder
J
John…really…that second set of photos are simply amazing.
You must be retired or have very few responsibilities.
This owl series are too awesome! I would love to buy some, if you got some post cards!
Thanks for the posting John…I am so, so, very jealous just now.
Some simply gorgeous shots there.
Simply gorgeous!
Thanks a million for sharing.
Kendal
Thanks again guys, appreciate the sentiments.
Seafood. Not retired ( im a banker, they have me for life 🙂 ) but the kids are old enough now that weekends assuming work around the house is done are mine. Spring and summer that means Im out the door before sunup fishing and as we discussed Im so close to a variety of options I can be on the water in minutes and
Owl season is just starting and come the end of  Jan I should be getting or have newer (hopefully better) images of a variety of Species including more Snowy and hopefully some Hawk Owls. Shoot me a pm if you want some.
That is too kind/generous of you! John… I appreciated! 😀
No kidding, these are Professional level photos!Are you saying “Hawk Owl”!!!
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