Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

A friend of mine tipped me off that a Great Gray Owl had taken up residence in a field, just a short distance from his house. He lives fifteen minutes from my place so if the owl had chosen that field as a feeding ground, I was in luck. I don't know about the rest of you but a Great Gray Owl is a big deal to me. Few people have ever seen one let alone taken pictures of it.
The GGO is the largest owl in North America. In length that is but not in weight. If you've ever had the priveledge of seeing this magnificent raptor, you'll never forget the experience. It has the most intense eyes that seem to bore through you. A long body sporting a five foot wing span, silently gliding toward you is jaw dropping when you see it for the first time.
I had the good fortune of photographing one last year but had to drive over a hundred miles to get to it. This one was fifteen minutes away.
When I arrived I saw him perched on a branch, so thin, that it would barely hold a Sparrow let alone the largest owl but there it was. He looked into my lens and I got my first shot of those intense yellow eyes. It was then I discovered a problem. The temperature outside was -19 according to the reading on my dash. I was dressed warm enough to be out for a short period of time but when I had the camera and lens pointed at the bird, and the owl launched I noticed that the frame rate had slowed down. I wasn't sure if this intense cold would be a focusing issue as well but I wouldn't be able to tell until I uploaded the images.
From what I can see I did have a focusing issue. I'm going back today with a different plan to see if I can rectify that. If I can then I'll tell you in the next post what I did to make things better. In the mean time here are some images from yesterday.

My first view of him on that thin perch.

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As he came in when spotting a mouse.

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His next meal firmly held and a face full of snow.

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After his meal he returned to the same perch,

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Another launch but not successful this time.

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jsktb Loc: Westerly, Rhode Island

Fantastic photos. Viewing them is actually an exciting experience. Thanks for the post.

gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

Very nice series.

davefales Loc: Virginia

Fabulous set. Particularly like the airborne ones.

CResQ Loc: Cobble Hill, BC

Magnificent Joe, thanks for sharing

Anita_1962 Loc: Eagle, Idaho USA

These are freaking fantastic!!!!!
You captured him perfectly. I thought owls came out at night though? Lady Luck shining on you with this guy only being 15 min from your home!
POST MORE!!!

lovemypups Loc: Kentucky

OH Joe, those are simply wonderful!!!! We all experience your adventures thru your fantastic photos :) :). I soooo enjoy seeing your work and the GGO is beautiful!!! Can't wait to see more :) Thank you so much for sharing them with us! Their all great, :thumbup: but I love the 2nd one the best :thumbup:
Debbie

Straight Shooter Loc: Newfoundland, Canada

Superb! Great job.
You mentioned a problem with the cold: was it the battery perhaps? Maybe it didn't have the juice to keep up the frame rate? The focus looks OK to me.

Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

I'm so happy you found it that way. Thank you.

Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

Thanks George. Have you sold your 6D?

Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

Thanks a lot Dave.

Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

Thank you Mark and you're welcome.

Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

Thank you Anita. Not all owls hunt exclusively at night. Snowy, Barred and Great Grays hunt a lot during daylight hours. Others strictly by night.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Those are a beautiful set of pictures. Thanks for letting us see your successful shots.

Dennis

Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

Wow Debbie thank you so much for your enthusiasm. I appreciate it.