Snowy Owls

beautiful white male swoops down. Perhaps the best shot of the bunch

Boy did I ever luck out. Chitaroni lent me his Canon - L series 100-400 lens and I went out to find my snowy owl friend nearby. I armed myself with jeans and a half full battery for the camera. No big deal, was only -15 out and the wind was howling like it usually is the neck of the woods (I actually mean flat fields). I couldn't find my friend nearby. So I took a drive down the 417 as I can usually find a spotted one down there. I had to go back and forth before spotting the…well, spotted one below in the tree. I am always excited to see these owls and this time was no different. With the L series lens I was able to shoot from further away, while maintaining great quality photos. After getting what I wanted and having walked through waist deep snow, I decided to move on in my frozen jeans. I decided to go a bit further and take a longer route home down a road perfectly suited for an owl to perch. To my luck I stumbled upon another photographer also snapping away at a snowy owl on that exact road. He was very knowledgable and friendly. Friendly enough to let me "poach" his session by allowing me to join in. I contemplated not using the photo of the mouse as it was live baited. With some research on the topic I found it the be very negatively looked down upon by people choosing to post their opinions on the subject. While I can see both sides of the debate clearly, I am also not overly opposed to it. Out of respect, the photographer will not be named to save him internet hate that really isn't backed by anything more than simple opinions. I have seen his work and it is outrageously good photography and he clearly knows what he is doing, where to go, how to find his work, and how to preserve it in a manner that keeps the animal alive and safe. Again, I see both sides. I just happen to not necessarily see it as a negative. I can understand why it is done. And my photos are a clear example. I (the hobbyist) got to enjoy something spectacular at hopefully little to no expense of the bird. The mouse you ask? Yeah, I could care less about mice. They come into my home and make a mess. And I get to take photos of this, instead of photos of a dead mouse that has defecated itself in a trap? I can't say I would do it myself, but I am not opposed to this specific method in this specific circumstance. I hope you can see past the debate and just enjoy my photos here. You will notice a second spotted owl towards the bottom. I found her (female I believe) while on my way home. 3 different owls in one afternoon! And that one big white male… nature can be so awesome. I am really thankful for these rare winter photo opportunities. And Chitaroni for lending me such a nice lens. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas and more

Snowy Owl

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, as well birthdays to Crazy Steve, Chitaroni and other people probably. Snapped a few photos of Kyle and Steve over the Holidays while observing at Taz. But let's get to the goods, what I am really excited about.

While my goods friends were visiting, I stumbled across a snowy owl landing on my garage right in front of me. I snuck into the house and even removed my keys and change so I could be stealthy with the camera. He was gone when I returned 10 seconds later though. Fast forward to Christmas day - while driving on the highway, I see him (or well, another owl at least) perched in a tree but I don't have the camera. Of course. Then yesterday while on the way back from my sister's on the backroads I spot him with Brenna perched on a fence post near the road. I have the camera but the sun has just set. I snap a photo that would have been worthy had I not found him today. So today I returned to the fence post area to see if he is around. I don't see him, but I see a large dark animal feeding on a carcass in the same field. It's far away and figure it might be a fox or a coyote picking up scraps. I ignore it and turn back, but as I pass the "animal" a second time I notice a distinct white head. I have sharp eyes, but they are not what they used to be. I can't tell what it is, my gut says bald eagle but my brain says no way not out here. I use the camera zoomed to the max and shoot a photo, then I zoom in on that blurred subject. Sure enough it is a massive bald eagle feeding on what appears to be a downed vulture, raven, or maybe a game bird. The photos of the eagle are cropped and attempted to be sharpened a bit. Thank goodness for my versatile 18-270 tamron lens! Excellent walk-around lens for stuff like this. A Raven actually comes in to feed and shoes the eagle away. I spot him flying away, snap a few photos in the distance and then race in my car to catch upto him. As soon as I got closer I snapped a few more, but his path of flight was where no car can go and all I could do was watch him fly away in awe. This is the third bald eagle I have seen (Florida and Pennsylvania) but I don't think I was happier for the others than this sighting. Right in my backyard! I had to hit crappy tire, so I made sure to take the long route along the highway since I was doing well for bird spotting. I knew I would likely see a hawk or two, and maybe the owl. Well sure enough I found the snowy owl. I had to exit further and turn back in the opposite direction. I snapped a few and scared him off in the wrong direction. So yes, I reversed down the 417 and got closer for some even better shots! And you know what? What I bought at crappy tire was on sale too! Wow what a day. Make sure to check out the birds down below. It's pretty well known I love animals. But I just really get into these predatory animals, there is something so neat about them. They really are at the top of their food chain it seems and it's really exciting to see these rare (to me at least) animals doing well in the area.

Have a safe New Year.