Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/04/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Owls in the wild are not easy: http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/strigidae/wsowl01.html This was a few minutes ago in my back yard. R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO+1.4x APO-Extender-R, tripod, flash & flashlight. A pair of Western Screech Owls has been nesting annually in a cavity in my back yard cottonwood tree for a number of years and I finally got off my butt and tried to get some photos of them. One of the adults roosts in a neighboring tree during the day (I haven't found the roost tree yet) and flies into the nest tree just as it's becoming impossible to see anything, calls the other adult out off the nest hole, and takes its turn with the eggs. The whole process takes only a minute or so in which time I have to find the incoming owl, find a spot with a clear view, find the bird in the camera's viewfinder, focus and trip the shutter. A hand-held flashlight (UK: torch) helps immensely. All comments welcome. Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com