This is the second year in a row which I've been able to observe and photograph great horned owlets and their parents. Last year the couple had 3 chicks and sadly the parents and at least two of the babies died due to a viral infection. I was not confident that I'd have an opportunity like 2024, but a new couple moved into the area and they had two chicks.
While the parents are doing their job, one of the babies has an eye infection or injury, so it it likely that this one will not make it once it fledges. The photography has been more challenging than last year, as the family is spending most of its time higher in the trees. Regardless of the latter, it has been interesting and fun to watch the behavior and try to make some "quality" images.
cheers,
bruce
The Father
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Z TC-1.4x lens784mmf/5.61/50s800 ISO+0.3 EV
The Mother
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Z TC-1.4x lens784mmf/5.61/640s6400 ISO0.0 EV
Mom.. again
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Z TC-1.4x lens784mmf/5.61/1600s6400 ISO0.0 EV
Preening in the canopy
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Z TC-1.4x lens784mmf/5.61/200s6400 ISO+0.7 EV
Baby getting bigger w/ one tuft up
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens560mmf/4.01/160s6400 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens560mmf/4.01/125s800 ISO+0.7 EV
Juvenile flight
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens400mmf/4.01/1000s6400 ISO+0.3 EV
Flight through the forest
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens400mmf/4.01/1600s1800 ISO-0.7 EV
Squinty flight
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens400mmf/4.01/800s6400 ISO0.0 EV
Taking off
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens600mmf/6.31/640s12800 ISO+0.7 EV
Preening in glorious light
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens600mmf/6.31/400s12800 ISO+0.3 EV
Just a cute look
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens560mmf/4.01/50s6400 ISO+0.7 EV
Super set Bruce. All photos are excellent yet the first flight shot is my pick of the set followed by the interaction between adult and chick. Is there an animal rescue group that you can contact to get the owlet help?
Congratulations on getting to shoot them multiple years. It's so hard to find a good nest and no guarantee they will nest there again. A great set of shots.
eyelaser wrote:
Superb shots….so happy for them and you getting another opportunity to observe and document their progress to fully fledged owls!
Eric
Thanks Eric...
I definitely feel fortunate to have this repeat opportunity, as it allows me to refine my approach and possibly improve my images through time.
bruce
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morris wrote:
Super set Bruce. All photos are excellent yet the first flight shot is my pick of the set followed by the interaction between adult and chick. Is there an animal rescue group that you can contact to get the owlet help?
Morris
Thanks Morris...
Re your suggestion. I someone who reached out to a university raptor center and they said that if we could capture the owlet, they'd look at the eye. Given that it is mobile and has two parents that are continuing to feed and watch the babies, it is doubtful that anyone could get close enough to catch it.
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johnohio wrote:
Congratulations on getting to shoot them multiple years. It's so hard to find a good nest and no guarantee they will nest there again. A great set of shots.
John
Thanks John...
This area has an abundant food supply (rodents, rabbits, birds) as well as a variety of tall spaced out trees. It appears that owls have used this woods for over 5 years, though they don't often use the same tree for their nests. The babies have not fledged yet, so I probably have a few more weeks until the fun is over.
cheers,
bruce
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kdacharya wrote:
simply marvelous, Bruce. #2 is my fav. An easy vote from me
Thanks KD... I appreciate the vote
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Erictator wrote:
Owl preening in glorious light is worth a vote alone! Congrats, awesome set!
Eric
Thank you Eric... I really love the backlight in this image... too bad the little one did not give me an over the shoulder glance.
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You are a lucky guy Bruce, and made the most of your good fortune these are lovely images. We had no luck with little GHO’s this year, the female passed a couple of years ago from eating a poisoned rodent, and Dad’s new females seemed too young. Hopefully next year it’s such a treat to watch baby GHO’’s. You shots are really nice. As an aside I see you took a number of shots with both the internal 1.4 TC and an external one. Have you ever compared image quality with a single 2xTC versus two 1.4’s. I sure wish Canon made that lens. The 400 f2.8 is my favorite lens but I wish it had the built in TC
louie champan wrote:
A great series of owl images, you have to be proud and very pleased with finding them again and the settings.
Thanks Louie...
I definitely have enjoyed the opportunity to visit this group of owls throughout the spring and summer. Doing so has allowed me to make a wide variety of images in different settings.
bruce
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Dave_E wrote:
You are a lucky guy Bruce, and made the most of your good fortune these are lovely images. We had no luck with little GHO’s this year, the female passed a couple of years ago from eating a poisoned rodent, and Dad’s new females seemed too young. Hopefully next year it’s such a treat to watch baby GHO’’s. You shots are really nice. As an aside I see you took a number of shots with both the internal 1.4 TC and an external one. Have you ever compared image quality with a single 2xTC versus two 1.4’s. I sure wish Canon made that lens. The 400 f2.8 is my favorite lens but I wish it had the built in TC
Hello Dave and thanks for commenting...
I am sorry to read about what happened to "your" owls. In my case, it was quite shocking to learn that both of last year's parents died. Hopefully, after a year of maturation your pair will find some success next year.
Regarding your question, I have had a wide range of Z telephoto optics and settled on my current line up for a variety of reasons. Having had the 800PF, I found it too limiting when shooting larger subjects. I am not a small bird photographer and figured that stacking converters would offer me the opportunity to go after smaller subjects when they piqued my interest.
I also have the 180-600, but find that much of my photography is in the 400-500 range, as I like to photograph mammals more than birds. So the 400 f2.8TC seemed to fit my shooting preference. Before selling the 800PF I compared the latter to stacked 1.4x converters on the 400TC. The difference was pretty trivial, but the PF is definitely sharper. However, when I run the 400TC w/ stacked converters through DXO Pure Raw, the differences between the two lenses seemed to vanish.
While I've owned the Z 2x in the past, I was so-so on its performance and sold it. I have read that the 400 f2.8TC does well with the 2x, but I've been happy enough with my current arrangement that I haven't been tempted.
