Barred Owl
Hello again,
It’s been a long week for me. I have put in hours and hours of work to make sure this last print drop was the best it could be. I took my time choosing the shots and editing to bring out the best of each bird. If you saw my blog earlier this week you may already know that the Barred Owl is the bird of prey leading this bird print drop. This blog is going to be a bit of a long one as I have some very interesting behind the scene details that I would like to share. Also, what’s next for me? Well, I have a lot of plans. I hope you read all the way through and hope you enjoy! I will be marking each section so if you don’t want to read it all you can see which section interest you.
Barred Owl:
If you have been reading my blogs since I began bird photography you may remember how my main goal was to find the Bald Eagle. I was on the search for this wonderful bird that I had an encounter with and that I wasn’t expecting. It took a lot of research and a lot of good samaritans pointing me on the right way to make this amazing shots possible. While exploring this sanctuary trail I got to meet Luna the Barred Owl. Oh yeah, I named her. Why wouldn’t I? She has posed for me unlike any other bird I have encountered. I got to see all she allowed me to see. From her nest to her hunting grounds. Her favorite trees she likes to perched on. The way she hunts for food and the way she’s so aware of everything going on around her. She has definitely made me feel welcomed. Well on the day I shot this photo it was snowing and I thought about just staying home and being safe as I didn’t know how the roads were out there. But, you know me I just had to go out and explore. And it just so happens that on this day I encountered the male Barred Owl on this same trail. I could not believe my luck. How do I know it was the male? Well, like I said in my last blog most raptors the males are much smaller then the females. I have seen Luna so much that I know how big she is and her unique markings. This owl was way smaller but was definitely more of a master at hiding then Luna. I had actually encountered this male before on the first day I saw Luna I just didn’t know it yet I thought it was the same owl. I have learn their habitat so well that now I know where they both perched and hunt. But the male definitely gave me some poses that I was not expecting to get. I still can’t believe how much nature has shown me in the past 3 months of doing bird photography. Not only have I improved in my photography but I have had the pleasure of learning so much about these wonderful animals. I love sharing what I have learn as I believe knowledge is important to learn new things everyday. Also, I enjoy it so much and hope you do as well. So with all that here’s some wonderful facts I learned from my research this bird of prey is truly fascinating.
Fun Facts about the Barred Owl:
The Barred Owl is one of our most common owls here in Virginia. As with most owls this wonderful animals are primarily nocturnal but are known to make calls and hunt during the day as well. They can be found in forested areas throughout is range year-round including urban environments as well. There call are very well known some say it sounds like it’s saying “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?”. If you search on youtube or the audubon website you will see what I mean. Now if after you hear that call you hear a maniacal laugh it usually two barred owls performing a courtship duet. They prefer nesting in tree hallows, but will also nest in abandoned nesting sites left by other animals. This owls become super territorial once they have establish a nest especially once their chicks are born. They are known to chase away intruders by aggressively hooting or attacking and striking with there talons. These owls are very patient hunters they will perch on a tree and just sit and wait listening and scanning waiting for there prey and once they hear it they strike with pinpoint accuracy. They mostly eat mice and and voles but some have been known to go fishing for crayfish and crabs. If they eat enough crayfish there wings can turn pink. Barred owls mate for life, they usually have a single clutch of 2 to 3 eggs each year. Incubation period usually last about 28 to 33 days. During this time the females usually sit on the eggs while the males hunt for food. Once hatch young barred owls can stick around the nest for up to 6 month which is highly unusual for owls. During that time they rarely stray away from each other often seen right next to each other. The order they hatch usually determines size of the owls the first hatch tends to be the largest with the other chicks progressively being smaller. This owls can grow up to 20 inch tall imagine seeing an owl that size it will surely terrify any unsuspecting person. Did you know historians believe that Harriet Tubman used barred owl calls as signals for people seeking the underground railroad. Depending on the call she make freedom seekers knew whether or not it was safe to come out of hiding. I am definitely excited to see if this pair of barred owl i’ve found will have a clutch of chicks in the Spring.
Other birds in the collection:
The other birds in this collection are truly fascinating as well. From the great blue heron that hunts for fish by the stream to the Canada Goose that is one of the most commons ducks around my area. Each shot took many tries to get. I struggled many times throughout the shooting of this collection. First, I wanted to get a duck mid-flap. I failed way to many times. I knew the vision it was executing it where I was having issues. Freezing action like that takes a lot of shots and I was going through the memory in my SD cards quite fast. President’s Day weekend was truly a magical weekend. Not only did I captured those photos of the barred owl but I manage to finally capture the duck mid-flap. Everything that needed to go right went right and I couldn’t be more happy. The great blue heron shot actually happen thanks to another photographer. As I was walking through the trail when I noticed him trying to capture something and that’s when I spotted the blue heron. The photographer was very nice and told me about the park where I captured the duck mid-flap. The red-tailed hawk you got to meet in the blog post from earlier this week that photo was actually captured the same day as the barred owl. There’s those days when nature wants to show you all it has to offer and when is does it’s truly an experience. The cedar waxwing was actually a bird I was searching for from the start. I followed every report and it just so happens that the day I was not expecting to run into them they appeared and graced me with their presence. They showed me how they behaved and how close this birds are. If you see one out in your garden you are sure to see more. The ring-billed gull pictures I actually had them for awhile I shot those while finishing up print drop 2 but hold off to make sure I made the best edits I could. Those two pictures are actually 2 of my favorite photos I have captured and will be entering them in competitions. And last but not least the Eastern Bluebird. This cute bird is always a treat to see while out and about. This photo was actually capture this past Sunday it was a last minute addition as I love this photo.
So what’s next?
Well, Spring is coming so I will continue bird photography as I am excited to see what birds migrate to our area. I am very excited to learn and meet new birds. I will surely miss this little ones I have become so close to like the white-throated sparrow. They have won my heart and will be looking forward to seeing them back in the fall. This print drop though will be the last of the birds for now. Why? well for one I am very exhausted. I have put so much time and effort to making sure this prints are the best work I have done that I really haven’t taken the time to rest. My knee has surely suffer and I am starting to feel a lot more pain I hope is nothing serious. I will continue shooting though I am planning to do a couple more landscapes as I want to apply what I’ve learn and seeing what results I get. I am also planning to start street photography as I want to show the old towns of Northern Virginia. But what I am mostly excited about is starting product photography. Yes, I have a great idea I been working on that I want to make happen in the next couple months. I been working a lot behind the scenes. As for film well I had to put that on hold for now. Right now film is to much for me to tackle on unfortunately because of how much money goes into it. It’s simply just not in the budget at the moment but as soon as I can you will start seeing a couple film shots in my portfolio. I have a lot of exciting things in the works and hope to improve from here. For now, I just need to focus on my knee as I am very concerned that instead of feeling less pain I am feeling like it’s getting worse. I hope y’all enjoy this bird print and if you don’t want to buy a print but still want to support my photography I do have a donation button for anyone that wants to help me out. Again, thank you all if you been here since the beginning I thank you for following my journey.
-Ismael Garcia
