Owls are always a primary personal goal during my trips… it’s probably the only type of bird I’d abandon most mammal sightings for.
We had some nice owl moments during my most recent Brazil tour, seeing five species and hearing two others, though photo ops were a bit harder to come by with many of them. I can finally say I had a good Barn Owl trip, however. This is the world’s most widespread owl species (6/7 continents!), yet I’ve rarely had much luck with them. We had a few nice sightings this time, including this nest on the grounds of one of our lodges in the Pantanal. It was generally too dark when the owls were coming and going, but a few peeks during daylight hours made for a nice environmental scene.
This is a very nice shot Max and in some ways works better than having a fully visible owl. Great example of their camouflage and the single eye staring out is very powerful.
I like this , Max. I’ve always had a liking for peek-a-boo images and this is no exception. I do think that this is one of those occasions when taking another shot or two with the tree in focus and stacking them would produce even more impact.
Hello, Max ! I truly love this kind of shots. Great how the eye is peeping out. I may be tempted to tone down the wood a bit, but other than that brilliant as presented! Cheers, Hans
I think this is a wonderful photo, Max! As others have already mentioned the eye contact being there without seeing the whole animal makes for a stronger more interesting image. When you first see it you think it’s just going to be an abstract tree bark image and then you get the wonderful surprise of this cute owl peeking out at you!
