Tom Barry Posted April 15, 2015 Share #1  Posted April 15, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) The Great Horned Owl chicks are crowding their cornice-nest (and their mother) at the entry to the LBJ Wildflower Center. We regular observers expect them to have learned to fly within a week or so and to hunt within a month, whereupon the three will depart to form their own territories. Only one big chick is visible here, but two more are behind and to the right of their mother. I found the irritatingly-intrusive sotol plant leaves somewhat less distracting in a monochrome conversion. FZ1000:   Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Hi Tom Barry, Take a look here Owl chicks progress report. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Bill W Posted April 15, 2015 Share #2 Â Posted April 15, 2015 Thanks for keeping us updated Tom. Mom really is keeping an eye on you. I would not mess with her. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Barry Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share #3 Â Posted April 15, 2015 Thank you. Mom is remarkably calm in this location. Hundreds of people, some days thousands, walk right under the arch only 10 or 12 feet below the nest as she and the chicks remain almost indifferent. We think she chose this spot five years ago because it almost rules out danger to eggs or young birds. But you're right, Great Horned Owls are fierce predators, known to even successfully attack peregrine falcons. And nesting mothers have been known to swoop down and rip open the scalps of people they think are a threat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwest Wanderer Posted April 15, 2015 Share #4 Â Posted April 15, 2015 Nice image Tom. I would think you have zoomed to your max in order to not disturb the nest. The FZ1000 is a very good camera for nature photography. Did you use the digital zoom setting or the optical zoom? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Barry Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share #5 Â Posted April 15, 2015 Thanks for the kind words. I used the "Intelligent zoom" setting, which Panasonic claims is superior to the digital zoom. I think the difference is that the jpegs are not resampled in the "intelligent zoom" mode. Anyhow, I was at full extension for an 800mm equiv. I also cropped the image moderately, no problem, since you are working with 20MP at highest-quality jpegs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauledell Posted April 15, 2015 Share #6 Â Posted April 15, 2015 Tom, Â Excellent capture. Â Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted April 15, 2015 Share #7 Â Posted April 15, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Superb. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuthbert Posted April 15, 2015 Share #8 Â Posted April 15, 2015 They are getting big...but they won't become as big as this guy I assume: Â Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Barry Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share #9 Â Posted April 16, 2015 The Great Horned owl has about a 5-foot wingspan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
platypus Posted April 16, 2015 Share #10  Posted April 16, 2015 Tom, another great shot...I have really enjoyed this series, so thank you! What an admirable job this mother-of-owls continues to do, raising her chicks every year amidst the chaos of modern life. I hope they can safely leave the nest and each find a territory of their own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iduna Posted April 16, 2015 Share #11  Posted April 16, 2015 Tom,  so coool Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Barry Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share #12 Â Posted April 16, 2015 Thanks to all for the many generous remarks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted April 16, 2015 Share #13 Â Posted April 16, 2015 We have an owl that regularly visits our back yard which is totally wild and no landscaping except a deck. I doubt it is one of these though. I am not going to try to find out if it has a 5' wingspan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Basso Posted April 19, 2015 Share #14  Posted April 19, 2015 Terrific shot of Mama Owl  and her little ones.It's amazing how they can adapt in a city like environment .Greetings: John Basso. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted April 19, 2015 Share #15 Â Posted April 19, 2015 It's really amazing how quickly they grow. Nice use of the Intelligent Zoom. I tried to set that on my VL114 but apparently it only works with jpeg capture, not DNG. I hope you wear a good hat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Barry Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share #16 Â Posted April 19, 2015 It's really amazing how quickly they grow. Nice use of the Intelligent Zoom. I tried to set that on my VL114 but apparently it only works with jpeg capture, not DNG. I hope you wear a good hat Many thanks. Yes, IZ only works with jpegs, but if you stick to highest-quality 20MP jpegs, you will be surprised at the quality of the results. I usually bracket exposures when using IZ in very bright or uneven lighting to make up for the slight loss of dynamic range compared to raw capture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunebed Posted April 19, 2015 Share #17 Â Posted April 19, 2015 Please don't wait to long with taking more pictures of the progress. Otherwise they will be gone... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Barry Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share #18 Â Posted April 19, 2015 I'll probably be out there Monday morning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted April 20, 2015 Share #19 Â Posted April 20, 2015 There was a story in our local paper today about a Great Horned Owl chick that tried to fly too soon and had to be put back in the nest. Â http://host.madison.com/wsj/lifestyles/saving-baby-owls-requires-fearless-tree-climbing-careful-evaluation/article_5d89372a-0fc3-52fc-a181-8975a12406bf.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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