Description:We were out looking for raptors in south east Arizona. We spotted a Red Tail on telephone post and another bird flew in an perched next to him. It was a Great Horned owl . The Red Tail left and so did the owl, but we found him again about a mile away. Crazy owl flying up to a raptor, midday. The owl was bigger than the Red Tail. Maybe size matters.
Canon 7D Markll, Sigma 150-600, f/9, 1/1000sec,531mm,ISO500, hand held but braced on a water tank.
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Excellent, Charlie. You managed to extract the Owl from that busy background very well. It would be tedious, but I’d be tempted to burn some of those brighter foreground branches.
I know owls are birds, but they always seem to be “not birds” also. They look so different. Those front-facing eyes give them an un-bird like quality. Maybe this one was hungry and was hoping the raptor had something to share . . . or that could be stolen. It seems unlikely it was coincidental.
Nice photo Tony. It turned out well even with the many small branches and back lighting. Owls are a favorite of many bird photographers for sure.
I agree with that. Hawks are known to be owl predators at dawn and dusk and probably visa versa. Unusual to go up at midday. We’ll never know.
Thanks
I expect them to be better hidden during the day. Just lucky we spotted him/her.
Sorry Charlie. It is your photo. I have not seem GH Owls moving around during the day but I have often seen them in a relatively open perch up in a tree.
Pleasing environmental image. Good job on threading the needle.
