Close Encounter by danob

Photography • Creatures • posted on Apr 02, 2008

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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.

Description

A very close encounter with this majestic Great Grey Owl I caught in Flight recently at the Hawk Conservancy. The wide-eyed Great Grey Owls always seem to be looking straight through me whenever I have had the opportunity to capture one. A "piercing" yellow gaze focused on food and it's a basic necessity the Great Grey Owls are terribly short of if the lemming populations take a dive in native Canada or Nothern Europe. It is little wonder since it displays those features that are so appealing about owls in marvellous exaggeration. Often described as the "Ulitmate owl". The scientific name nebulosa is derived from the Latin Nebulosus, meaning misty or foggy and one of their local names in America is Great Grey Ghost, which reflects their particularly silent flight. The most striking feature of the Great Grey, apart from those eyes, is the enormous facial disk with its barred spectacle markings, which do give that wise old owl impression. A closer look at these facial disk feathers reveals them to be, like those of the barn owl, almost skeletal in their structure, so allowing sound to pass through easily and be funnelled to the ear openings. Great Grey Owls have such sensitive hearing that they can hear and capture a vole under a foot of snow: very important when your home range includes the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, Scandinavia and Northern Eurasia. Thanks for taking time to view and for any comments etc you care to make

Comments (57)

DarkStormCrow

7:05AM | Wed, 02 April 2008

Excellent capture and detail, great face on that bird, well done...

TomDart

7:06AM | Wed, 02 April 2008

This is very well done..a fine shot of the owl.

RodolfoCiminelli

7:12AM | Wed, 02 April 2008

Spectacular photo Daniel.....!!!

rainbows

7:19AM | Wed, 02 April 2008

Such a fine shot Dear Danny, we have owls here that hoot outside the windows on a night. I love to hear them. Hugs. DiDi. xx

Marcel-P

7:33AM | Wed, 02 April 2008

Great captured! Very impressive!

JeffG7BRJ

7:35AM | Wed, 02 April 2008

Like you say Danny this one epitimises the Wise Owl, with its barred spectacle markings. There are no birds of prey places near me, I think the nearest one is somewhere in Cheshire, I would love to spend a day or even half at one of these places. Like Diane, we have some round here and I hear them quite often, but the area they seem to hunt and nest in is inaccessable, due to it being private land. Superb capture, excellent detail. Bravo!!!!!

MrsLubner

7:45AM | Wed, 02 April 2008

Beautiful. Such outstanding work that I can pick out all the features you mention in your narrative. It is very different in form and those eyes are unsettling. Excellent capture.