Wing and Back Detail (Northern Hawk Owl)
Another frame in a long sequence of the northern hawk owl. Shot a few weeks ago on the lower mainland.
Wings Down, My Favorite (Northern Hawk Owl)
Not quite as fast as a northern pygmy owl but still pretty quick!
Prize Catch (Northern Hawk Owl)
A northern hawk owl rises up to a favorite perch after catching another unsuspecting vole.
Level Flight (Northern Hawk Owl)
A bit of a crop on this one but not too bad. Somewhat better background.
High Key Background (Northern Hawk Owl)
Stopped by the northern hawk owl venue on Saturday for a couple of hours. Unfortunately he stayed up high and far away for most of the time with no opportunities for a decent background. Here is an ID shot anyway. Not too sure if I will be going over again this season. A person really needs to spend an entire day at each venue to get the best shots.
Sunny Day Hawk Owl
Reworked this image from 2021. Taken up in the Comox Valley. I was the only one at the venue. Harsh light though.
Dreaming of Northern Hawk Owls
It has been raining steadily now for the past few days so I thought I would tidy up a couple of images from the archives with some new filtering. Here is one of a rather popular northern hawk owl taken in Maple Ridge BC back in 2019. I was reminded of him at Christmas as his face has made it onto a 2025 calendar given to me by my sister in-law as a gift.
Owl on a Wire (Northern Hawk Owl)
Taken 15 years ago on Morden Road south of Nanaimo with a Canon 50D and a 500mm F/4 Lens at 15MP. Natural Background.
Stern Gaze (Northern Hawk Owl)
These guys always seem to look like they are ticked off to me. Not sure why?
Enjoying The Sunshine (Northern Hawk Owl)
A northern hawk owl enjoys the first spring sunshine from an alder tree branch while hunting.
A Northern Hawk Owl Hunts From a Small Conifer
Had to position quickly to get some sort of background behind this one. Not ideal but better than just blank sky.
Hawk Owl With Mouse
Had to crop quite a bit on this one. If you look closely you can see that he has a mouse in his talons. The mouse's snout is sticking out below the rear abdomen and the mouse's tail is trailing behind underneath the owl's tail.
Hunting From The Cottonwood (Northern Hawk Owl)
51066080743_e6ad5e434e_k
Right At Eye Level (Northern Hawk Owl)
I was walking down a forest road by the edge of a field when my phone rang. It was my buddy Dave Pley. As I walked and talked I just happened to look over to my left and there was this hawk owl perched no more than five feet up and about fifteen feet away. Needless to say I told Dave that I would call him back later 🙂
More Even Light (Northern Hawk Owl)
The hawk owl scans the meadow for food from the top of a small conifer.
Old Gold (Northern Hawk Owl)
Taken in 2019 at the Maple Ridge hawk owl venue.
Blueberry Hawk Owl (Northern Hawk Owl)
Another one from last spring of our little buddie hanging out in the blueberry patch.
Owl Pastel (Northern Hawk Owl)
Another image never posted from this past spring. Nice pastel colors in this one. Taken just after sunset.
Evening Shoot (Northern Hawk Owl)
Here is a nice shot of the northern hawk owl from last spring. Really like the background color on this one. Shot in evening light just before sundown.
Eyebrows (Northern Hawk Owl)
Illuminated by the evening sun a northern hawk owl glares at photographers from a low perch.
Launch #3 (Northern Hawk Owl)
40449065243_70f2ebdd3b_k
Concentration (Northern Hawk Owl)
Sorry about this one. Not quite up to "Steve Standards" but thought I would post it anyway. In this image the northern hawk owl does a harrier imitation and gases downward while hunting the fence line..
Still There! (Northern Hawk Owl)
Went to the lower mainland with the feeling that the northern hawk owl would be gone by now but I was going to try anyway. Temperatures up in the mid teens yesterday at the venue. The light was much more even in the late afternoon and the hawk owl did not disappoint the 100+ photographers on the scene.
Into The Wind (Northern Hawk Owl)
A northern hawk owl balances precariously on an alder twig as it is hit by an unexpected gust of wind.
Hawk Owl Launch #2 (Northern Hawk Owl)
Here is another image of the northern hawk owl shortly after launching off of an alder tree branch.
Thats All Folks (Northern Hawk Owl)
Did not know until I reviewed my photos that I had caught this one. Not sure who specifically he was winking at. 🙂
Very Talonted (Northern Hawk Owl)
You can get a good sense of the size of the talons on this guy in this shot. Being a creature of the north the northern hawk owl is totally equipped for cold weather operation.
Last Shot of The Day (Northern Hawk Owl)
This was the last image I made before my batteries were totally out. You can see some of the coast range mountains and blueberry bushes out of focus in the background. This has been down sampled from a full frame image.
Interesting Background (Northern Hawk Owl)
Some lovely backgrounds to be had at the venue yesterday. This one is with out of focus blueberry bushes as a backdrop.
Hawk Owl Launch (Northern Hawk Owl)
A northern hawk owl launches off of a branch during a hunt.
Hawk Owl in Evening Light
Had a great time today with Pius Sullivan and Dave Pley photographing a northern hawk owl over on the lower mainland. More images to follow shortly.
Back Detail (Northern Hawk Owl)
I always liked this image because it shows some of the interesting feather patterns on the hawk owl's wings and back. Wonder what those angular serrations are on the wing feathers? Must have something to do with stealth.
Point Blank Shoot (Northern Hawk Owl)
It's been 15 years (as of 2024) since the hawk owl was in Nanaimo so I am not quite sure how close I was when I took this image. Must have been pretty close to minimum focus distance though as the feather detail is amazing. Please make sure to left click for full details or even better go to the downloads-all sizes-original for the best detail.
Bird On a Wire (Northern Hawk Owl)
OK, don't get excited! This is not from any of my recent images. I have been getting a few inquiries lately from my buddies that may have not been around or did not do bird photos when the hawk owl was in Nanaimo. I also wanted to start a new album for my owl section on them. My gear is a lot better these days than it was in 2009 when this was taken. However, I do have a few shots that will probably benefit from some of our fine new technology and I have decided to re-work a few hawk owl photos. Don't be too surprised if you see some of them mixed in with my short-ear stuff as I go through the old images and rejuvenate them.
Blast From The Past (Northern Hawk Owl)
OK, don't get excited! This is not from any of my recent images. I have been getting a few inquiries lately from my buddies that may have not been around or did not do bird photos when the hawk owl was in Nanaimo. I also wanted to start a new album for my owl section on them. My gear is a lot better these days than it was in 2009 when this was taken. However, I do have a few shots that will probably benefit from some of our fine new technology and I have decided to re-work a few hawk owl photos. Don't be too surprised if you see some of them mixed in with my short-ear stuff as I go through the old images and rejuvenate them.
