A bird to which I have special affection, could not explain very well why, but the truth is that it's my favorite.
I usually just do a brief description of the species photographed in each blog entry, but still this is a bird so special to me I will dwell a little with some information gathered from here and there. 
D300, Sigma 50-500mm (at 500mm).
ISO200, F7.1, 1 / 200
E l owl has always been associated with men. In ancient Greece he was elected as a symbol to represent Athena, goddess of knowledge and wisdom (hence its name).
Due to its adaptation to the open fields was greatly helped by the traditional farming systems. So in our peninsula its peak occurred when much of the land deforested to get new farmland, and perhaps because of it remains today the most abundant species of our owls.
But like the human one day favored the expansion of the owl, today is the main cause of regression in most of Western Europe. Is disappearing from all areas where traditional agriculture has given way to modern farming techniques, and other abandoned agricultural areas where the forest has returned to take over the fields.
PHYSIOLOGY
is a small nocturnal bird with an average length of about 22cm and a wingspan of 50 to 60cm.
Its weight is around 170g. (More or less like an orange!) But varies greatly throughout the year. at the end of the breeding season can lose up to 40% by weight.
The owl has a reddish-brown plumage splashed with creamy white spots on the wings. The breast is creamy white with brown spots in the form of bars. The top of the head is also dotted with white specks. Highlighted in two thick eyebrows facial disk white and a "beard" of peak white. . It has a white throat, but only sees him clearly when he sings or stretch the neck.
D300, Sigma 50-500mm (at 500mm).
ISO200, F8, 1 / 800
Youth have something plumage paler and more uniform in color. They lack the white spots of the head and "eyebrows" are still very visible.
plumage does not differentiate males from females.
D300, 500vr.
ISO200, F5.6, 1 / 80
Young owl
about six weeks.
has a kind of undulating flight like that of the woodpeckers, with rapid wing beats. Within its territory makes short flights at ground level from a perch to another.
The owl has the ability to hover over their prey like the kestrel (although it is rare to see them).
an especially
Unlike the rest of night owls, owl's eyes are perfectly adapted to daylight. That is why it is often seen during the day (especially during the summer) even in the middle hours when the chickens are fattening.
Eye the owl is large with a large cornea. No movement inside the skull, which is why you should rotate your head to look at what catches your eye.
Like the rest of the owl nocturnal birds have a field of vision of 160 degrees, but can turn his head Hsat about 270 º.
The sensitivity of the retina allows you to move from darkness to light and bear full perfectamnte because their retinal cells are more similar to those of diurnal birds to strictly nocturnal as the owls. Because of this, the owl is perfectly adapted to twilight.
His eyes do not perceive infrared light, so use his view that amplifies the low light and excellent hearing to hunt their prey.
; ; ;
D300, sigma 50-500mm (a 500mm).
D300, sigma 50-500mm (a 500mm).
ISO200, F7.1, 1/200
Owl THE LANGUAGE OF
The owl has a very varied record vocalizations. More than 20 kinds of cries and varied songs. The most typical call is a "Cuiú Cuiú" meow like a cat using the male and female duo. Heard during mating and also use it as a contact call with chickens.
The male performs a series of songs in breeding season (March-April) . It is a "huu huu" that emits a frequency of about ten times per minute and evolves until it reaches the "Cuiú." The female also can emit this sound but does so in isolated vocalizations and not in series like the male.
The cry of alarm is something like a "Queco Queco" dry use when disturbed in the vicinity of the nest.
chicks just make sounds, only they can hear a faint "shri shri" when they are hungry.
finally say that the songs may vary (duration and time) according to the region, would be as different dialects.
D300, Sigma 50-500mm (a 500mm).
ISO200, F7.1, 1/200
HABITAT AND HABITS
In Spain live in very diverse but with a common characteristic: open areas with sparse vegetation. So you can see in marshes, groves, plantacions eucalyptus, fruit trees, on the outskirts of towns and cities in abandoned buildings, parks, ...
Thus, the owl is spread over almost all biotopes, except for densely built urban centers, dense forests and high mountain (Sierra Nevada although its presence has been found above 2000 meters).
The owl is a very territorial bird and home, their movements are not usually long.
The home range is the area where it develops all its activities: hunting, mating, mating, nesting, spawning and care of chickens. Varies throughout the year depending on food availability (winter movements are longer), but tend not to move over a couple of miles from their nesting place.
D300, 18-70mm (50mm).
ISO200, F6.3, 1 / 80
Fly with
to go hunting in the evening, about 15 minutes after sunset. Have two peaks of activity during the night from dusk until midnight the first and most important, after a break and a second stage before dawn.
During the day it can be seen resting under the canopy of a tree or in the shade of some building.
Although as stated above may be active (especially in summer for feeding the chickens). This behavior is especially common in the Mediterranean region that in some cases become fully day, without excluding some nightlife.
D300, Sigma 50-500mm (at 500mm).
ISO200, F8, 1 / 400
The annual calendar of the owl is a series of stages marked by the breeding season as follows:
· Delimitation of territory, courtship and copulation between February and April.
· Posted and breeding of chickens and young people between May and July.
· Muda between August and September.
· Canto fall in September and October. At this time the male shows an attitude
territorial against young people who must find their own territory.
· Rest winter between December and January.
PHOTOS Owl
The owl is a species very difficult to photograph. Of course the easiest of owls: The most common, can be seen for the day (which makes its location) and is not particularly suspicious.
First, as always, is to locate its home range. The song is the first we will verify their presence in a given area. In my case it was not difficult because I have them as neighbors in the people's house and hear every night his "performances."
If we can find some regular host (from a distance with binoculars) will be of great help, if you do not have to locate guided by the clues left: traces of feces, pellets, feathers, ...
In areas with few natural perches perches we can place chosen by us in the most suitable for photographing, taking into account the background, light, etc. I do not worked very well because in the olive grove where I've done sessions there are plenty of natural oteaderos provide them with the old olive trees. I had no choice but to photograph him where he chose.
Base of an olive tree with
evidence of the presence of owls:
droppings and a pen. D300, SIGMA 20mm.
ISO200, F8, 1 / 320 
Once elected the landlord comes to install the await. To make sure I will certainly accept what amounts to about 15 meters and once I verify that I will not distrust gradually approaching until the desired distance.
As a bird that is active at night and the day does not really know when I look into the not to see us. The best solution is for someone to accompany us in and out to use it for several sessions (although not always find those who do me the favor *).
Once inside we can only hope that the star takes the stage and give us a good show.
; Este es el posadero que elegí este
año. Estaba cubierto de excremen
tos y no era dificil observar algún
joven posado al amanecer.
Ese olivo del fondo propició uno
funds
homogeneous and different shades depending on the light.
70mm f8 1 / 400
had not yet dawned
the sun, when this young owl
took the landlord.
The background
as the bird have not received
the direct rays of the sun
and because a shortage of
light I had to upload the iso
800.
D300, 500VR.
ISO 800, F5.6, 1 / 80
My favorite.
At 8 in the morning light bathed the olive tree to the bottom, mochu shadow, white balance for the Owl (7600 º) which produced the spectacular yellow background.
The pose of the owl making rounds.
D300, 500VR.
ISO 200, F5.6, 1 / 80
From 8:30 the sun illuminates the background and the owl.
Even we can use until the light is harder and the owls take refuge in the shade of the trees.
Even we can use until the light is harder and the owls take refuge in the shade of the trees.
showed As you can see totally confident, and in these cases remains considerable time locating prey innkeepers, or in this case, stretching some muscles in the hot morning sun.
D300, 500VR+1.4X.
ISO200, F6.3, 1/1000
.
0 comments:
Post a Comment