Snowy on alert

[zombiesniper147 12]

Snowy by Trevor Baldwin, on Flickr

 

[Jeff G]

Very regal, beautiful shot.

 

[zombiesniper147 12]

Thank you.

 

[MSnowy]

Another nice one!

 

[zombiesniper147 12]

Thank you.

 

[LK_Nature_Photography]

Nice shot! These sowys are so beautiful! How do you find these owls? I was searching for them and without success. Once I was in the forest listening to them and recording the owl calls , here where I live, lives the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) and I hear the Tawny owl (Strix aluco). I don´t know how to find them. Are there some tricks or something?

 

[zombiesniper147 12]

Thank you.

It really depends on the owl type.

Snowy owls are one of the easy owls to find since they like open fields that mimic the arctic tundra that they are used to. Because of this they'll often be found on top of poles or in fields.

Other owls such as Screech owls will take over holes created by woodpeckers. They also primarily hunt at night and rest during the day. To find these type you have to look in holes that are about diner plate sized in trees. Sunny days are better since they like to warm themselves and will be seen at the entrance to the hole.

Owls such as Saw whet owls are also nocturnal but during the day they like to hide near the trunk of a spruce tree near the 6-10' level.

The best advice I can give you is to learn the habitat that they hunt and roost in. Also learn some of the signs such as pellets at the base of trees/poles or excellent on the trunks of trees. These are great indicators that an owl frequents a location.

You may also wish to befriend other wildlife photographers in your area. Myself and Jr. regularly meet up with other photographers to go out and shoot. We all learn from each other and the more eye's and the multiple experience levels can make it easier to find/learn to find your prey.

One last thing to keep in mind is the stewardship aspect of photographing wildlife. You want to learn what is a comfortable distance from the subject. Some species can be harmed just by getting too close and stressing them. Add to that some may be endangered. Keep this in ind when you're excited and want to get the shot. We'll all make mistakes in with this part (me included) but we should try to learn from it.

I'm going out of town tonight for a bit but I'm back on the 10th. Bump me then and I'll look into the specific owls and see if I can find any signs that may help locate them.

Also have a look here for your area for general locations of sightings. https://ebird.org/species/eueowl1

Good luck.

 

[Jeff1582 82]

Its a really good shot......

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Really nice shot and great response with your reply above.

 

[zombiesniper147 12]

Thank you.

 

[LK_Nature_Photography]

I´m living in Albstadt for 6 years and till now I don´t know anybody who shoots wildlife. I asked in a group on facebook but without success. I meet sometimes other wildlife photographers at some hotspots but they are all from other places. 30km from here is a canyon where flows the Danube river and I want to check that place out because there are lots of stony cliffs just like on these pictures on ebird. Maybe there I can see some stone and cliffs full of pellets. I respect nature and animals and I don´t chase them. If it's about a very shy animal then I´m hiding and waiting till it comes to me, sometimes I can predict its movement and I position myself so that it will fly by or come closer... It happened earlier and I regret it, I disturbed it and I didn't get the shot, and we all like when we take a shot of their natural behavior. Thanks for all the tips, I have to take a long hike at that canyon maybe I see some clues. I was once in Kikinda, that's a town in Serbia, every December there are hundreds of Long-eared owls (Asio otus) in that little town. In that time I had just a point and shoot camera, and those are the only owl shots that I have. You are being redirected...

 

[K9Kirk]

Awesome pic, gotta love owls! Which lens for that and how far away were you, appx.?

 

[zombiesniper147 12]

Thank you.

I'll looking information on those owls this week.

Awesome pic, gotta love owls! Which lens for that and how far away were you, appx.?

I was using the Canon 500mm F4 at about 60' from the owl.

 

[K9Kirk]

Thank you.

I'll looking information on those owls this week.

Awesome pic, gotta love owls! Which lens for that and how far away were you, appx.?

I was using the Canon 500mm F4 at about 60' from the owl.

Thanks! Much appreciated! Edit: I think I'll have to leave a little more than milk & cookies on the table for Santa to get that lens, lol! Maybe he'll trade for my motorcycle???

 

[zombiesniper147 12]

Eurasian eagle-owl Info.
These are a very adaptable owl and can be found in many areas but prefer forested areas near rocky cliff or outcrops.
Since this is primarily a nocturnal hunter, they will be most active near dawn or dusk.
It is quite common for the owls to occupy the abandoned nests of other large birds, and prefer rock crevices, caves, and sheltered cliff ledges in which to do so.
Look for them to start nesting in late Jan to early Feb. They should be on the nest now and will have young in the nest very soon.
A good indicator would be the presence of pellets on the ground. Also check out ant large nest you see in the trees, and large enough crevices on cliff edges.

I have found two sites on ebird in your area that have sightings within the last month.
1st on is at the mountains edge east of Dossenheim in the Bergstraße-Odenwald Nature Park.
2nd is 2km south East of Heidelberg
If you check the range map on ebird you will find a single red locator point for each of these sightings.


Tawny Owl
This owl is also a nocturnal owl and like our Saw whet owls likes sit on a branch near the trunk of a tree during the day.
If you have an area you have heard them in the past look for pellets at the base of trees but also keep an eye out for excrement that has flowed down the truck of a tree. This will look like a white wash flowing down the trunk of the tree. Both are great indicators that an owl has been in that tree.
I have found one recent location 3km north East of Heidelberg. If you check the range map on bird you will find a single red locator point.


Since both of these owls are nocturnal, you can get a better idea of their general locations and numbers (and may provide good images) by showing up to the area about an hour before sunset. Once it starts to become dusk you have a better chance of seeing them out hunting.
For Eurasian eagle-owl this will also provide the opportunity to see where the nesting sight is since at least one of them will be guarding it. If you spot one in flight try and watch what tree/cliff crevice it goes back to. This could be a nesting sight that you could check during the day.
This spotting technique is also good for pre dawn spotting to watch them in flight and possibly sight the nesting locations.
The Tawny owls daytime hiding spot may be a bit more difficult to spot right away but if you can see where it flew into at dawn it can give you a good indication of an area to be searched for owl signs.


Hope this helps.
Good luck. Let me know how your progress goes.