OK, this is much of an art photo, but I just saw my first long-eared owl (Asio otus)! Here it is in all it’s camouflage-ness. There were actually a pair of them, but this is the only one I got a photo of. I could have stalked them and maybe got more photos, but especially in spring when birds are breeding I prefer to leave them alone to do their thing.
Taken with a Canon 5d, 300mm, f5.6 at 1/160 of a second.
Somebody didn’t shut down all the compactors on the detention level in time.
Yes, it is a much skinnier owl than I’m used to seeing 🙂 Star Wars geek.
I still don’t think it was *that* obscure…
Awesome sighting—where was it? I just got back from about twenty days of doing rigorous, systematic surveys for owls… and I didn’t see (or hear, nevermind photograph) a single LEOW… And if you think it looks skinny here, you should see when they get spooked—they’re “defensive” strategy is to try to look like a poplar sapling… tall and THIN
This was at the Beaverhill Bird Observatory. Actually, just north of the buildings pretty close to the endless grass. It’s pretty hilarious to imagine this guy any thinner. Now I almost want to spook one, but I’d feel really bad after I finished laughing at it.
They’re like reverse puffer fish!