A Magnificent Great Gray Owl - Hunting.
Joe, thanks so much for posting on this forum....I can honestly say there's not one of your shots that I haven't REALLY enjoyed. Until today I had never even heard of a GGO....what a bird! Your shots definitely did this fabulous animal justice. You really do give us all a level to strive for, thanks again!
Great images!!! beautiful Bird
bogeyeliot wrote:
Joe, thanks so much for posting on this forum....I can honestly say there's not one of your shots that I haven't REALLY enjoyed. Until today I had never even heard of a GGO....what a bird! Your shots definitely did this fabulous animal justice. You really do give us all a level to strive for, thanks again!
That is so kind of you to say. I'm so glad you had a chance to meet this magnificent bird through my pictures. Perhaps someday you'll see one in the wild.
Wow! Thanks for sharing your great work again.
WOW!!!!! It gave me goose bumps just to read the description of this bird let alone see these photos! What shots, Joe! I suppose it's opportunities such as this that keep you out in the deep freeze. ;-)
Joe F.N. wrote:
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.
A friend of mine tipped me off that a Great Gray O... (
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Dixiegirl wrote:
WOW!!!!! It gave me goose bumps just to read the description of this bird let alone see these photos! What shots, Joe! I suppose it's opportunities such as this that keep you out in the deep freeze. ;-)
Hi Donna,
Please don't mention goose bumps. We've had them for months. The GGO is an exceptional bird and on many peoples' bucket list. To see it is in itself a wonderful experience. To take pictures of it is an even bigger thrill. I'm actually going to take a fellow Hedgehog there tomorrow. I've never met her but I hope she gets the chance to see this owl.
Wish us luck. BTW the temp with windchill factor is supposed to be about -22 degrees. I hope she dresses warm.
Wow! You da (owl) man!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Those are great! We've got some in the area,and love seeing them. Those are some exceptional shots! Thanx
My goodness, Joe, these are absolutely fantastic! Just before I clicked into yours, I was looking at "Upcoming Topics" and saw that Charles4444a from Ontario, Canada, also posted picture os the Great Gray Owl! Unbelievable to see two people's posts of this magnificent owl!
Terrific shots Joe. Congrats on the flight shots.
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