This amazing, orange eyed beauty is a Eurasian Eagle-Owl. They are the largest owl species and are the only birds of prey that have orange eyes from birth. This was another stationary photo opportunity, which suited me just fine as I got to get up close and really take in this awesome owl. This was a great opportunity because, as the name states, it is not seen in the wild in Canada.
Baby owls, cute right? Well just like any other bird (in my personal opinion) there is a period of time where they are creepy old men lookalikes. The owlet depicted above is a two week old Barn Owl and the photos below are of an 8 week old Great Horned Owl. Once they get past the real awkward stage, they are just as cute as the cuddliest little kitten. This was a real treat to see. I have rarely seen owls in the wild and have never seen owlets so I am extremely happy that these little guys were there for us to meet.
Oliver was the first raptor I got to work with that day. It was a damp, wet morning and what a challenge it is to photograph in the rain! Adds some cool texture though. It was difficult to capture his wings with such low light so I tried something a little more artistic to get the wings blurred a bit. I like the effect, but I still prefer the detail of the wings. Some day I would love to see a Great Horned Owl in the wild.
This beautiful barn owl is still fairly young and was quite the show off. Absolutely gorgeous colouring! My favorite little detail on this one is the triangular bits along the head/neck/chest.
The next owl I had the pleasure of photographing was a 27 year old great horned owl! To think that in captivity they can live so long. This one definitely demonstrates the wise old owl look.
This week I got a wonderful opportunity to photograph some owls. Here is the eastern screech owl! It was so amazing to get up close with this little guy. The colours in the feathers is something else, no wonder they are hard to find in their natural setting.
Silvara's Expressions 