As it has done twice before this winter, a barred owl paid a visit to our yard yesterday. But this time it stayed around much of the day. It sat on various perches as it moved around, seeming to enjoy basking in the sun while sleeping. It was here from before 6 AM to after 2 PM. It then reappeared on its initial perch after dark. I have not seen it today.
It allowed me to photograph it on different perches and in different lights. Some of the perches were fairly open and relatively “clean”, while others had a tangle of branches in front of and behind the owl. So I got some variety, but shots with clutter or branches were not good photos.
The photo on the left below was taken at 6:30 AM at ISO 6400 and 1/15 of a second. The photo on the right, taken at 8:17 AM, shows the difference early morning warm sunlight has on the color and look of a photo. The owl was still on its original perch but I photographed from a different spot.
In the 6:30 AM gloom, shooting with an ISO of 6400 and a shutter speed of 1/15 of a second, I got this interesting shot as the owl spun its head.
The owl had a few out-of-place feathers on its back, which occasionally flopped in the slight breeze. This pair of images shows the errant feathers and also dramatically shows the difference in the light between 6:30 AM and 8:20 AM.
I was hoping it would show interest in some of our numerous red squirrels but it spent the day mostly sleeping. Only a few times did it barely have its eyes open. Here it is about to leave its initial perch.
Here are a series of photos with the owl on messy perches.
The owl was very tolerant of my presence. At one time I walked a quarter circle around its perch perhaps 30 yards away. It appeared to have its eyes closed the entire time, but its head swiveled to follow me.
Below are three “portraits” of the owl from the three visits this winter. The first was from 1:30 PM yesterday, February 11, 2019. The next two were photographed at 10:35 AM January 21, 2019 and 4:21 PM December 7, 2018 in our Etna yard. If you click on either of the last two you will get to the blog where they first appeared along with other photos.
