Category: Photography

It’s been a long winter for the owls and with the deep snow pack on the north slopes, it’s tougher for them to find food. I don’t know if it’s because of determination to find food or whether this particular owl knows me not to be a threat. I took the photo below from about four feet away (it’s among many of the latest close ups). Another foot closer and I could have touched it. The owl seems quite used to my presence – I’m almost certain it’s the same owl I’ve seen in the backyard now for at least six years, so perhaps it recognizes my face (crows and mockingbirds are reported to be able to recognize faces and aggressors, so why not owls too?).

Yesterday (March 20th) was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining and the sap was running strong. My barred owl friend was also hunting all day in the back yard. I was able to approach to within about five feet of it to take the pictures below. I feel so fortunate to have these opportunities to combine two things I love – wildlife and photography. Both provide seemingly endless opportunities for learning and creativity.

Yesterday was not the first time I’ve had a close encounter with a barred owl, but it was for sure the closest I’ve gotten in daylight without spooking this marvelous creature. Just for the heck of it, I got out the tape measure today to see how close I got – twelve linear feet between my camera and the tree where the owl was perched (see photo below – my footprints/kneeling prints to the left of the bird feeder with the owl perched in the pine tree).

The owl did not mind my presence one bit. I shot photos for over an hour and could have stayed longer. I only spooked the owl when I tried to move within ten feet and even then it flew to a nearby tree. The photos in the gallery below are the best of over a few hundred photos taken. I’m still not certain I got the settings I wanted. I tried various aperture settings as well as the camera’s auto feature. For some of the photos (none of those below), I used a skylight filter, which didn’t seem to make much of a difference. I’m hoping to shoot even crisper images than those below if I’m fortunate enough to have another close encounter this winter.