HUGE congrats on this very cool encounter Duane... and you were wise to respect his buffer zone.
Terrific compositions, unique poses, beautiful light, detail, and color... excellent work!
Really enjoyed seeing the whole set.
Always interesting to get the behavioral shots like this...I actually like #4 the best because of the look you're getting through the wings...certainly a unique capture of them all.
Candor wrote:
You have some unique shots here Duane and they are beauties as well. That must have been a sight to see. Excellent shooting.
Do you have to have permit and a 4x4 to get to the hook?
Mike
A 4 X 4 is a requirement along with the $70 permit....add another $20 and it allows you to drive the Maryland side of Assatague Island (not the state park of the island though). You need to have a tow strap, 1 1/2 thick pieces of wood to support a jack, a jack (what comes with your truck is fine) and a shovel at least 6" wide at the tip. The Hook is about 2 1/2-3 miles from the beach entrance and the furthest you can drive is about 4.4 miles if you continue on. 50% of the Owls I've found at Chincoteague (10 total on different days) were right where the island starts turning and the other 50% were either in the 2 beach parking areas or close to them....well within walking distance from where you can park.
mitesh wrote:
Great set, Duane! You seem to have the Midas touch as you've seen quite a few snowies up at CNWR . Well done!
Thank you....I've been very fortunate (lucky) and I think by just going and being persistent it betters your chances of seeing one.
Wow congratulations and Wow again!!
You were so lucky!
He put in a beautiful show for you! You were very smart to keep your distance!!
You made out like a bandit with these very priceless captures!
Your story above each photo makes me feel like I was there!!
Karl Witt wrote:
Now those shots are sweetly unique Duane! #4 grabs me as super cool
A great encounter and nice of you to leave room for the photographers respect zone. Fine exposure work and nice presentation.
Karl
#4 is my favorite from that day. As far as the respect zone it only takes one time to figure that out and these Owls have tells when they're not comfortable with you being there. Stretched out neck, pooping, wide open eyes and moving it's head quickly looking around are signs they're getting ready to move. It's hard to sneak up on a bird sitting out in the open with excellent hearing (they react to the shutter closing if you're close enough to them) and great eyesight.
surfnron wrote:
Congrats Duane. A great find, and some super shots too. I wanted to make the trip over there 2 weeks ago, but wound up sick ~ Ron
Hope you're feeling better Ron. I spoke with a couple of wildlife biologists and they're thinking the Snowy Owls will migrate back north when the Snow Geese migrate which is around March or early April. You have plenty of time to see one if that's true.
senna4ever wrote:
Wow! I'm so upset that the east coast is inundated with Snowys this year...hardly any on the west coast!
It's been an unusual year according to the experts and I'm thankful for having the opportunity to photograph these Owls. I never thought I'd see one in my lifetime so I'm taking advantage of the situation while they're here.
gerov wrote:
Beautiful series, Duane. good to know that they're still there - I'll be headed to Assateague/Chincoteague next weekend and hope to have some snowy encounters.
Gero
I hope you find one. The one thing I noticed about Chincoteague is we don't see any Owls if Bald Eagles are hanging around (perched) on the beaches. Snowy Owls don't like them and will hunker down if one flys over or it will head into the sand dunes to hide. I found 4 Owls last Sunday and a few friends of mine returned Monday and didn't see a single Owl...they did see 8 eagles on the beach though. I haven't figured out how many trips I've made up there (a lot) but I think I'm at 50% seeing one on the island.
KirkB wrote:
HUGE congrats on this very cool encounter Duane... and you were wise to respect his buffer zone.
Terrific compositions, unique poses, beautiful light, detail, and color... excellent work!
Really enjoyed seeing the whole set.
Kirk
I feel bad if I flush a bird so I try to learn something from each encounter and pay attention to how they react when they see me or my truck on the beach. It usually takes me about 30 minutes or so to stalk up on one at a reasonable distane but most of the times I'm using one or 2 extenders on my lens. I hate doing that but I'm also more concerned about not scaring them off. Finding a cooperative one who will let you get within 50' of it makes up for the other ones that aren't very tolerant of humans.
~ Ron