Great Horned Owl Nest
p.1 #1Great Horned Owl Nest
The owlets are a few days old and things are quite tight in the nest. The nest is being tracked on eBird yet with the location marked for a nearby landmark rather than the exact location. This and how hard it is to see the nest which is not visible from any road or developed trail has allowed me to shoot pretty much on my own, a unique experience here in Queens, New York City. I'm going to show an environmental shot to give you an idea how difficult it is to get a clean view of the next which is in a dead tree at the side of a hill. I shoot from the hill so I'm close to eye level with the challenge of many branches obscuring my view. I have to move between the foliage on the hill to find spots to shoot from and these spots need a clear view and there are not many of them. I'm hoping the owlets branch before the trees leafs out yet I'll do what I can to try and photograph them. My shooting position is way back from the nest so i'm using 700mm on an APS-C body and then cropping as much as my captures will allow. Just to make it more fun, the tree is bathed in sun and the owls in deep shade inside creating exposure and post processing challenges.
Comments and suggestions welcome,
Morris
1) Mom looking out with one chick obscured by a twig
2) Mom and Owlet looking out
3) Environmental view of the nest
4) Two chick visible and mom sleeping
5) Mom looking at one of her chicks
6) Owlet waking
Comments and suggestions welcome,
Morris
1) Mom looking out with one chick obscured by a twig
X-H2S XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR + 1.4x lens 700mm f/8.0 1/150s 800 ISO +1.3 EV
2) Mom and Owlet looking out
X-H2S XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR + 1.4x lens 700mm f/8.0 1/500s 3200 ISO +1.7 EV
3) Environmental view of the nest
X-H2S XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/320s 800 ISO +1.3 EV
4) Two chick visible and mom sleeping
X-H2S XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR + 1.4x lens 700mm f/8.0 1/1400s 3200 ISO +0.7 EV
5) Mom looking at one of her chicks
X-H2S XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR + 1.4x lens 700mm f/8.0 1/1400s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV
6) Owlet waking
X-H2S XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR + 1.4x lens 700mm f/8.0 1/1400s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV
Mar 30, 2026 at 06:11 AM
p.1 #3Great Horned Owl Nest
Steven Evans wrote:
Nice pics,
Thank you Steven
Morris
Nice pics,
Thank you Steven
Morris
Mar 31, 2026 at 01:34 PM
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p.1 #4Great Horned Owl Nest
Good job on these, Morris. That is a challenging situation for sure, and you did a great job in capturing and processing these.
It's amazing how big the beaks are on those little owlets -- it shows what the priority is at this stage of their young lives.
Greg
It's amazing how big the beaks are on those little owlets -- it shows what the priority is at this stage of their young lives.
Greg
Mar 31, 2026 at 01:54 PM
p.1 #6Great Horned Owl Nest
gmccroskery wrote:
Good job on these, Morris. That is a challenging situation for sure, and you did a great job in capturing and processing these.
It's amazing how big the beaks are on those little owlets -- it shows what the priority is at this stage of their young lives.
Greg
Thank you Greg,
I'm hoping they will be easier to see when they branch.
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csinseattle wrote:
Morris,
Great Nice catch and set
Chris S
Thank you Chris
Morris
Good job on these, Morris. That is a challenging situation for sure, and you did a great job in capturing and processing these.
It's amazing how big the beaks are on those little owlets -- it shows what the priority is at this stage of their young lives.
Greg
Thank you Greg,
I'm hoping they will be easier to see when they branch.
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csinseattle wrote:
Morris,
Great Nice catch and set
Chris S
Thank you Chris
Morris
Apr 01, 2026 at 08:11 AM