Barn Owl Hunting at Bear River MBR
Now that it's winter here in Utah, the birding scene has cooled down quite a bit, both figuratively and literally. However, if someone is willing to brave the cold, there is still wildlife to be found. It's helpful to pay attention to the "buzz" on social media to tip one off as to where to find things worth photographing. And of course there is always the element of surprise in play when it comes to nature.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (BRMBR) is a favorite birding area of mine, and so when I had read that a barn owl, and possibly more than one, had been sighted in the last few weeks, I figured that that was something I needed to check out. I had yet to see a barn owl in the wild, so my interest was certainly piqued!
I set out to BRMBR, and on the way I stopped at Willard Bay for a quick stop. I was rewarded with sightings of several bald eagles. The lighting was pretty dismal but I was still pleased to get fairly close shots.
While at Willard Bay, I also saw a Merlin (small falcon), and some Mule Deer.
On to BRMBR. Another of my goals is to get a good shot of a Ring-necked Pheasant. I've seen them several times but they see me first, and off they go into the brush. This time, I lucked out a little. There were several females in a field; the one male was hunkered down behind a tree, and there was no way to get a good shot. But I hadn't ever gotten a shot of the female, so was happy to do so.
Also seen this day were Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Harriers, Goldeneye ducks, Least Grebes, Great Blue Herons, Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, and Tundra Swans.
And - Barn Owls!
I saw 3 Barn Owls this day, which was very exciting. I was especially pleased to get lots of photos of them! I've recently learned a few things about Barn Owls, and they really are quite remarkable hunters. Of all owl species, they have the most sensitive hearing of any of them, and in fact, can hunt solely by sound. In addition, they do not make any sound when flying. This explains why they are very successful hunting voles and mice that are hidden under brush, for example.
The following shots capture a flight sequence of this skillful hunter. I had seen the owl briefly, then it dropped into the reeds, out of sight. So I trained my camera lens on the spot where I thought it would pop up.
I didn't have to wait long.
The action started as soon as I saw the owl emerge. Here I employed a technique known as "spray and pray" -- firing off a rapid succession of shots and hoping that they would be in focus! I recently fine-tuned several auto-focus settings on my camera to prepare me for such an opportunity. And I was curious - since the owl was not close, would I be able to see good detail, and whether or not it caught something?
Yessss!!!
(A moment of silence for the mouse, please...)
Normally the owl captures its victim with its talons, so I'm not sure what is happening here. I think it's safe to call this, "the kiss of death"!
I was extremely pleased to have caught this action! While animal static "portraits" tend to be easier (although have their own challenges) I think wildlife photography is most satisfying when you get to capture the animal doing something that displays its natural behavior.
I saw two other owls after this one and got some additional shots, which made it a very good day indeed. Do you think I will stop trying to photograph them now?
Happy Trails,
Suzanne
