In case you give a hoot . . .

[JaniceL]

. . . it's owl season.

I live near Tryon Creek State Park. If you are having a good afternoon or morning it is quite possible to catch 4 species of owls: Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Screech Owl and Saw Whet Owl. This is a particularly good time of the year because it is time for nesting and the leaves are off the tree. Since they are most active near dawn or dusk that is a real plus.

Today I caught this Great Horned owl napping in the trees. Every now and then it would wake up enough to make a couple hoots and then go back to napping.

 

[BobH]

. . . it's owl season.

What's the limit and do you need a special tag?

Just kidding folks, stops the calls and letters and send the PETA protestors home.

However, on a more serious note, I'm curious. What's Owl Season? They don't migrate (or do they?) So what makes this particular time of year different?

Never mind, read the whole thing before replying next time Bob...

This is a particularly good time of the year because it is time for nesting and the leaves are off the tree.

 

[JaniceL]

Seems like my posts draw replies suggesting violence to these poor innocent wild creatures. First squirrels and now owls what am I to do? Oh well, more traffic is good for the forum whether it is from animal rights activists or not, right Hits are good

Moving right along. Now I don't profess to be an expert here and you seem to have already come across the answer to your question. I have come to some conclusions, however unscientific.

1. It's easier to photograph them (note: I did not say shoot) when there is less cover for them. Since the trees have not yet leafed out.

2. There might be a few still looking for love and they are pretty vocal. Even this one woke up periodically during its daytime nap to give a hoot . . . who, who? Who is out there. Notice the who, who . . . a pun maybe or maybe not. Anyway, they are not quite as cautious. When the opportunity to make mad passionate love arises many creatures get a bit careless when it comes to personal safety.

3. Those who have found their love of their life, or at least the season, have bought their condo in the woods and have settled down. There is a little bit more predictability and a greater likelihood of finding a pattern of behavior.

4. They aren't the only birds in the woods raising a family. Robins in particular are protecting their territories and get quite loud when there is an owl in the area. Owls are not welcome in the neighborhood, probably a violation of the Equal Housing Opportunity Act, but I digress. So even if you may not hear and owl you might hear the robins who will lead you to the owl.

5. An especially good sign of owl season is when the state park has a special night dedicated to owls. If you live in PDX and especially have kids, check out Friends of Tryon Creek's Owl Fest on March 5th 2011.

 

[HoedadKid]

Beautiful shots of a beautiful bird, Janice. Deceptively ferocious predators they are. This last spring, while camped on top of Green Ridge in central Oregon, I was kept up all night by a pair. First, there was one hoot to the east. Then another to the west. This kept up all night until the wee hours of the morning when they finally met up somewhere near our camp.

Such majestic birds. Great captures. Thanks for posting these

 

[JaniceL]

Beautiful shots of a beautiful bird, Janice. Deceptively ferocious predators they are. This last spring, while camped on top of Green Ridge in central Oregon, I was kept up all night by a pair. First, there was one hoot to the east. Then another to the west. This kept up all night until the wee hours of the morning when they finally met up somewhere near our camp.

Such majestic birds. Great captures. Thanks for posting these

Thank you for your comment. There is nothing like the sound of an owl. I remember "talking" to one last year. I think I spent 20 minutes who-whoing it. It would hoot and it would hoot back. It was wonderful. The little screech owl has the coolest sound I think. Very un-owlish, almost creepy in a cool sort of way.

I feel so fortunate that we can still experience this so close to town.

 

[HoedadKid]

I feel so fortunate that we can still experience this so close to town.

Absolutely fortunate, for sure.

Down here in the Willamette valley, we certainly have our share of owls, but I can't think of a local state park nearby where I'd be able to go and try to find them, specifically, with much luck. Most of my encounters with them are short glimpses of them flying whilst traveling gravel back roads in the early morning or evenings.

Thank you for your comment. There is nothing like the sound of an owl. I remember "talking" to one last year. I think I spent 20 minutes who-whoing it. It would hoot and it would hoot back. It was wonderful. The little screech owl has the coolest sound I think. Very un-owlish, almost creepy in a cool sort of way.

That's awesome. I've talked owl with turkey. But never owl with owl. I'm going to have to try hooting at one someday. I'll need to practice a little first, of course
You're right about the screech owl song- creepy in a fascinating kind of way. I agree. In college I took a general forest biology course, and for one of our field trips we took a short journey to a local raptor aviary. I vividly remember the sound of the screech owls and their almost haunting little whoos.

Next on my lens wish list is the "Bigma." I'd love to get out there and capture some nice owl imagery like this, someday.

 

[JaniceL]

I'm a "terrible punster", I resemble that remark!

 

[BobH]

OK, so where was that "limit number of smilies" setting at in Vbulletin again?

 

[JaniceL]

Smilies are our friends.

 

[Mike-PDX]

There's hooting at Smith and Bybee Lakes, too

Janice, those are great shots of a bird that's pretty hard to spot - especially the second one!

I was surprised to find this GHO within 20 yards of the paved path and only 10-12 feet up in the tree at Smith and Bybee Lakes refuge in North Portland a while back. I thought it was a very lucky shot because it was so uncluttered and he was so nicely framed. In fact I was so surprised that I didn't have time to remember some of the basics, like setting a higher ISO. So these were shot handheld at ISO200 200mm 1/6 sec. Thank goodness for image stabilization. By the time I got off a few shots and thought about what I was doing, I cranked up the IOS and reached in my backpack for my 1.4x TC. But he got fed up with me and silently flew off before I could change lenses. Never saw him again.

I guess the moral is that we should be very thankful for the ones we get.

 

[JaniceL]

Now that's an awesome shot. Mine was very, very far away and high up. You might have seen gathered that from the angle and the heavy grain.

I've been a bit obsessed about the Owls at Tryon Creek since last year I was walking along a path and one of them was on a tree less than a yard from the path and maybe 10 feet off the ground. Of course I didn't my camera with me. Grrrr. After that I kept coming back every day at about the same time. One day I swear the owl was taunting me. He'd land someplace ahead of me wait and then fly to another perch and wait and did that over and over. Never long enough for me to focus in the late afternoon light. The owlets were fledged by that time so it wasn't like I was being drawn from a nest. I think he was just jerking my chain. LOL

Maybe this year I'll get one as good as yours.

 

[climbbike]

Good stuff! Just wondering if anyone knows any good places to shoot owls in western WA?

 

[JaniceL]

Good stuff! Just wondering if anyone knows any good places to shoot owls in western WA?

I think they are pretty common. I have a friend who lives in the country just outside of battleground. I was visiting her and told her about my owl quest, she laughed and asked me to look out her back window and there was a family of three sitting on her shed.

My suggestion for groups to contact: Your closest wildlife refuge or state park, the nearest Audubon Society, stores that specialize in bird watching products (we have one called Backyard Birdshop that specializes in bird feeders, seed and scopes. They regularly offer tours).

 

[JaniceL]

climbbike, This might be a helpful link.
http://www.seattleaudubon.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=243

 

[Snuffy2]

Bob pretty much explained what I thought about since yesterday, I agree, there is a place to talk Politics and this particular photo forum is NOT the place. so I am sorry to Janice and the rest of the members, and I guess I could say to the guests that have been in here the last few days.

So that said, Have a great weekend!
Today is our 16th Wedding Anniversary, going out tonight!

 

[HoedadKid]

Wow. Those are fantastic being that they were hand-held at 1/6, Mike. You've a steady hand, sir. The framing is great! What a beautiful background color.

Quick encounters like this really are a great test of preparedness. Every once in awhile, in a pinch, I'll still slam it into green mode if I really feel I have only seconds, but I always feel very shameful afterward. On daytime walkabouts I'm trying to get in the habit of keeping my camera set at 400, in case of the emergent need to fire.

 

[BobH]

... these were shot handheld at ISO200 200mm 1/6 sec. Thank goodness for image stabilization.

Even with IS, 1/6 handheld is impressive, especially at 200 mm. Those are very nice shots.

Here's a tip for anyone who ever gets in that situation. Shoot a burst of frames. Usually a couple of the frames will be noticably sharper, due to catching the vibration just right, or a momentary pause in the motion etc. It also helps "damp out" the motion that's usually created by pressing the shutter.

Speaking of the shutter, you can practice proper technique there too. Don't "jab it" or "poke it", instead try for a smooth and steady motion, so fluid that you're not quite sure exactly when the shutter will trip. The smooth and steady motion won't induce as much shake.

 

[Mike-PDX]

Another technique for shooting like this

Another technique I learned many years before IS was invented:

I sat crosslegged on the ground and braced my elbows on my knees - turning my body into a kind of tripod. Then I tried to exhale before each shot. However, as I get older, that strategy seems to be much more dificult than it was 35 years ago.

And truth in advertizing - only these three were acceptable out of a dozen attempts, and only one of these three is sharp enough to blow up beyond a 4x6 print.

 

[JaniceL]

Bob pretty much explained what I thought about since yesterday, I agree, there is a place to talk Politics and this particular photo forum is NOT the place. so I am sorry to Janice and the rest of the members, and I guess I could say to the guests that have been in here the last few days.

So that said, Have a great weekend!
Today is our 16th Wedding Anniversary, going out tonight!

No Worries . . . Happy Anniversary!

 

[JaniceL]

Another technique I learned many years before IS was invented:

I sat crosslegged on the ground and braced my elbows on my knees - turning my body into a kind of tripod. Then I tried to exhale before each shot. However, as I get older, that strategy seems to be much more dificult than it was 35 years ago.

Boy, do I agree with that.