ARCTIC SNOWY OWLS, JANUARY 2017

Snowy owl landscape, Ontario district Canada, January 2017

iPhone 6s

Once again I`ve been back in Canada to shoot snowy owls (Snøugle / Nyctea scandiaca) as they spend their winter in southeastern Canada. This big, beautiful, arctic owl breeds and hunts on the open, arctic tundra and is therefore also attracted to open landscapes in their winter destinations. We found them in the huge, frozen fields of Ontario district and worked intensively with them for a week. Altogether we saw 6 different individuals, some very shy and some more confident.
It is no secret that the way to attract the owls is to try to feed them with mice, and this time we tried hard only to use dead mice (fyi).

Hope you like these owls as much as I do !

A warm thank you to Marc Latremouille of Wingstrech

A magic moment : the snowy is coming in a straight line right towards me ... to grab the (dead !) mouse. Focus is in between the eyes and the camera is shooting 11 frames pr sec., every one of the pin sharp. I could feel the air from the wingtips almost touching my head as it passed over !! The beautiful soft light, winterly conditions and the running shadow on the snow below .....

made the day !!

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 400 mm, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 1400 

Full speed flight ... quickly approaching the focus limit of the lens, but still sharp. I love this outfit !! 

If you click it should be possible to see the frost around eyes and beak

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 400 mm, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 1400

A deadly grip !

D5, 200-400 4,0, / 400 mm, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 1250

Portrait of adult female on a cold day

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/800, ISO 250

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 300 mm, f/6,3, 1/2000, ISO 1250

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,0, 1/2000, ISO 720

It`s lousy picture,.... but sunsets are sunsets !!

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 380 mm, f/6,3, 1/2000, ISO 800

Juvenile bird, ... a really shy one !

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,5, 1/640, ISO 1250 

D5,  200-400 4,0 / 400 mm, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 1250

Shot with 200 mm !!

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 200 mm, f/5,6, , 1/2500, ISO 5000  

White-out ....  on a foggy day

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 310 mm, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 900 

Out of the fog ....

D5, 200-400 4,0, / 200 mm, f/6,3, 1/2000, ISO 1600

D5, 200-400 4,0, / 400 mm, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 1400

D5, 200-400 4,0, / 400 mm, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 1400

Motion blur ....

D5, 200-400 4,0, / 400 mm, f/16,0, 1/60, ISO 280 

Seeking shelter (!) in the open landscape ... on a windy day

D5, 600 4,0 + 1,4 conv = 850 mm, f/6,3, 1/1600, ISO 220 

Late afternoon take off ...

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/3200, ISO 1000

Late afternoon blue

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/3200, ISO 1250

Late afternoon blue
D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 8000

Snowy owl in Canadian rural landscape, Jan 2017

D5, 24-70 2,8 / 40 mm,f/16,0, 1/2000, ISO 6400