Snowy Owl Flying Low

[drr1531]

Last winter the guide on my snowy owl trip showed me a photo he'd captured of a bird flying so low it was just skimming the ground. It was an awesome shot and set a goal for me for the trip. It's fairly typical behavior but like most things a guy has to be in the right spot at the right time. And then not screw it up. I did manage to capture a couple of low flyers over the course of the week. Here's one of them. How cold was it? Check out the hoarfrost on the bird's breast feathers.

The shot needed a good bit of processing to pull out the feather detail and I just got around to reworking it.

D500/AF-S 80-400@330mm, handheld
1/1600s, f5.6, ISO800

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[Palouse]

WOW-----utterly ghostly and so well shot! "Hold your fire until you see the whites, er, yellows of their eyes. Well done Dan, very well done.

 

[Bohdan]

Great shot. Skimming the surface coming right at you...

 

[Louis Champan]

An awesome shot Dan, I'd print this.

 

[DynaSport]

Those eyes are amazing.

 

[Allan]

Great image. Those eyes are something else. The capture is perfect!

 

[Randy]

Wow

 

[drr1531]

...utterly ghostly and so well shot! "Hold your fire until you see the whites, er, yellows of their eyes...

Thanks, Nick. Ghostly indeed. Hard enough to see the bird in those conditions and keep it in the VF. It's a testament to how well AF works that the camera was able to lock on and track.

Great shot. Skimming the surface coming right at you...

Thanks, Bob. Typically they approach a meter or so off the ground then dip lower as they approach their prey. At first I wondered at the technique thinking it would make it more difficult for them to target. But upon reflection I realized it makes it even harder for a mouse/vole to see them coming. Being so low to the ground the prey can see up to spot high flying birds but has a very limited horizon.

An awesome shot Dan, I'd print this.

Thanks, Louis. I'm still trying to convince my interior decorator/business manager of the artistic attributes. She's not fond of the white on white.

Those eyes are amazing.

Yes IMO the eyes make or break a snowy shot.

Great image. Those eyes are something else. The capture is perfect!

Thanks, Allan. I'm pleased with the angle etc but would have preferred to have captured the wingtips. Bird was moving really fast. One thing about them that surprised me was the speed.

Wow

Thanks, Randy.

 

[Commodorefirst]

Stunning shot, was planning to post my only snowy in flight photo as a blast from the past, but mine is eh, compared to this capture. Where did you capture this shot?

 

[drr1531]

Stunning shot, was planning to post my only snowy in flight photo as a blast from the past, but mine is eh, compared to this capture. Where did you capture this shot?

Thanks for the comment. Shot near Casselman, Ontario.

 

[eric d.]

this owl and a motive like this flying low over the ground is one of my dreams, that i hopefully will (at first see) get sometimes.
you `ve made a great job. i wish i could be there.

 

[drr1531]

this owl and a motive like this flying low over the ground is one of my dreams, that i hopefully will (at first see) get sometimes.
you `ve made a great job. i wish i could be there.

Thanks for the kind comments, Eric. Hopefully you get an opportunity before too long. Very fun birds.

 

[coldwaterbeach]

I bet this has an interesting histogram

Gary

 

[dossy]

Wow!

 

[Phil K]

Wow, this is a great capture.

 

[McQ]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

 

[drr1531]

I bet this has an interesting histogram

Not so unique. Looks about the same as a histogram from a shot of a whitecard

Wow!

Thanks, Dossy.

Wow, this is a great capture.

Thanks for commenting, Phil.

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, Glenn. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[gnagel]

I love this photograph—the high key treatment is very appealing.

Glenn

 

[TomP]

An awesome photo, thanks for sharing. I would print it very large.

 

[drr1531]

I love this photograph—the high key treatment is very appealing.

An awesome photo, thanks for sharing. I would print it very large.

Thanks for commenting, guys. Glad you enjoyed the image.