It's Owl Season..... Again

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Here's a lovely pair at sunrise on Boundary Bay, BC. *Digiscoped.

SNOWJuvPair.jpg
Snowy Owl, juveniles
 
Beautiful, Joe. Tell me more about your 'digiscoping' equipment - the quality of your work is way above what I normally see being presented as digiscoped.
 


Terry O said:
Beautiful, Joe. Tell me more about your 'digiscoping' equipment - the quality of your work is way above what I normally see being presented as digiscoped.
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Thanks, Terry.
My tools are very basic and they mainly consist of a decent point-and-shoot type camera and scope that deliver a sharp, bright image. I have an adapter for my camera/scope connection but I prefer the flexibility of hand-held, believe it or not.
Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 w/Leica lens.
Scope: Vortex Skyline 20-60X80mm.
The key that I've found is to set the scope at minimum nagnification and focus on the subject.
Then put your camera to the eyepiece and zoom on the subject until you have the full image on the viewfinder, usually found at 3-4X.
Key elements are the quality of light and a sturdy tripod. My 30 year old Bogen is still steady, with a few modifications along the way.
I had only dabbled with the concept until I found this hard-to-reach subject a few years ago (no way I could get closer with 400mm).

NHOWThree.jpg
Northern Hawk Owl

Again, I realize that while I won't ever get the quality shots of a good DSLR/lens combo, digiscoping fits in nicely with what I do.
 
I think your digiscope shots are fantastic, to say nothing of your SLR shots, Joe, and of course that 'point and shoot' and lens is a really fine camera. Thanks for the info and thanks for posting your shots - I think they are inspirational. BTW, I assume many of your other shots are with an SLR or are they all digiscopes? If so, then I am REALLY impressed!
 
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I did not initially post up Saturday's (3/15) photos of one of the Yost Park barred owls as my photos of them all tend to look alike. :mad:

I am posting these to bump up this thread. The owl was in one of its usual locations, but my son Daren and I missed it on our first walk-through. We located it when it and its mate started calling to one another. The second owl was somewhere to the west of us. I never saw it, although it did sound as though it was moving towards us with succeeding calls. Hopefully this activity is a prelude to their mating.

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I am always amazed at how the barred owls tolerate our presence. As long as they are perched above us and we don't attempt to climb up and pet them, they are content with watching us watch them.
02.JPG

A barred owl can be perched nearby, but is all too easy to miss spotting if you don't catch it from just the right viewing angle. The same natural camouflage which hides them from the evil minions of the Dark Lord also hides them from us.
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It seems barred owls are pretty reliable when it comes to the places where they hang out. Lovely shots.
 


I'm cheating a bit. This was from my recent Costa Rica tour. One of the highlights was finding and photographing a pair of courting ferruginous pygmy owls. I'd seen, but failed to photograph this species on past trips, so it was great to finally get it in the open with a little daylight remaining.

owl2531.jpg

Max
 
JaniceL said:
Sorry, not sharing to prevent harassment from disrespectful locals.
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Right on, Janice - I understand - I just wanted to know the general location, like 'Portland area'. Otherwise I have no idea even in a broad sense.

Terry
 


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