Photographing Owls !"#$%&#'()#*+),-.#!#/0(1(2)340+5#6(7)"&% Third of four issues. Presented by

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1 Third of four issues!"#$%&#'()#*+),-.#!#/0(1(2)340+5#6(7)"&% Photographing Owls Eastern Screech-Owl, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO lens. Exposure: 1/500 sec., f/4.0, ISO Presented by

2 8/9:89;$<#=9:>$:> Eurasian Eagle-Owl (captive). Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko mm F2.8 PRO. Exposure: 1/100 sec., f/2.8, ISO 800. Images to Hoot By Matt Mendenhall Photos by Scott Bourne Most owl species are nocturnal and small, and the birds are often camouflaged. These qualities make them popular for birders to see but also among the most difficult birds for photographers to photograph. Owl photography requires a lot of patience and planning, says professional photographer and Olympus Visionary Scott Bourne. He has been taking pictures of owls for about 30 years. As with any bird, or any type of bird photography, the more you know about your subject, the easier it will be. The first time he tried to photograph owls, he struck out because he hadn t studied them and couldn t find them. I had to learn to adapt my behavior to their behavior, he says.!"#$%&'()%#*)+ One of the best ways to look for them is to not look for them but to listen for them, Bourne says. It s important to note that listening for owls doesn t always mean listening for hoots. Depending on the species, owls may whistle, bark, trill, screech, or hoot. To get up to speed on owl sounds, look for reputable resources of bird calls including Audubon, the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the bird-sound database Xeno-canto, the BirdsEye and ibird apps, and many others. Studying owl sounds will also help you distinguish their calls from those of similar-sounding birds. Case in point: the mournful woo-woo-woo song of the common Mourning Dove. I get a lot of calls, Bourne says, where the person is excited and says, Scott, there s an owl living by my house. And I have to say, No, there isn t. That s a Mourning Dove. After you hear an owl, there s no guarantee you ll find it, at least not right away. Bourne recalls that the first time he saw a Western Screech-Owl, he heard the bird for 10 days before he finally saw it. I walked by it about 15 times and couldn t see it, he says. Eventually a furtive movement caught Bourne s eye, and he spotted the bird,'-$.'*/%01#%0-'%")#23'(+%*)034.#%3$%013+%+#)3#+5% 67)#*03$8%9:4#"03'$*.%;')0)*30+<%*$/%6=*+0#)3$8% >.3810%?1'0+@<% ---@A3)/-*0413$8/*3.&@4'BC*$#&#D')A3)/+C

3 in a woodpecker nest. Hearing an owl can help you find a frequent roost site or, at the right time of year, a nest. If you hear a bird but can t see it, Bourne offers this tip: Look for trees with hollowed-out limbs, and then be in the area around dusk because that s when owls get active most of the year. Once you know the owl is in that nest or perch or where it roosts, the next step is to move slowly to let the birds get used to you. Move five feet, stop, wait five minutes, and move five feet. Stop and wait five more minutes, move five feet, and so on. Bourne acknowledges that most people don t have the patience to move slowly to get to a favorable photography spot. But it s what s required if you want to do serious owl photography in the wild. If you re lucky enough to locate a nest that an owl is sitting on, wait until the bird goes out to hunt, and then bring a blind and set it up. Then, Bourne explains, during the daytime, before dusk, get in the blind, and the bird won t be bothered by you at all. Daytime owl photography in the warmer months is possible, depending on where you live, he adds, because most owls are more active in the summer, when the days are longer and they re feeding young. E1#%)3810%8#*) To take photos of owls that you re proud of, you almost always need a telephoto lens. Olympus makes the best lens I ve ever used the M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO lens, Bourne says. It s just sharper than anything in the world. It gives the same field of view as a 600mm lens, and when paired with an OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, it provides superior image stabilization. It has six legitimate stops of image stabilization, so you can shoot at a much lower shutter speed than you would normally be able to do handheld and still get a sharp shot. And together, he notes, the camera and lens autofocus quickly. Olympus cameras and lenses provide top-notch color clarity, meaning that owls (or any other subject) are photographed accurately. It doesn t insert any color distortion. It s a pro lens in every way. You can also use the Olympus MC 1.4 teleconverter with the 300mm F4.0 Eastern Screech-Owl, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO lens. Exposure: 1/200 sec., f/4.5, ISO IS PRO, which then gives you an effective field of view of 840mm. It will take you from F4.0 to F5.6, but that s physics; all teleconverters do that. It s worth it because it gives you the extra reach, and my experience with owls is you always need the extra reach. You can simply never have too much lens when you re photographing an owl. Plus, the camera and lens are weathersealed, so you can use them in all kinds of conditions. Another advantage to having a really long lens when you re photographing an owl, in addition to getting close to it, is that the birds are often high up in trees at unflattering angles. Most photo buyers aren t interested in shots where you re shooting straight up on the bird, Bourne says. There s a thing called angle of declination, and it basically means when you re shooting with a long telephoto lens, the fact that you re not at eye level with the bird is kind of masked, he explains. It makes you look like you re higher up than you are. One of the other advantages of the Olympus system is that it has incredibly good tracking autofocus, he adds. That means it ll lock onto the subject, and if the subject moves, it ll keep locked on to it. This is kind of a breakthrough in Micro Four Thirds photography. No other camera system can match it in the mirrorless world.

4 Verreaux s Eagle-Owl, San Diego Wild Animal Park. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko mm F2.8 PRO. Exposure: 1/1000 sec., f/5.6, ISO 200.?0*)0%-301%"')0)*30+ Even though Bourne is best known for eagle photography, It s my super-tight face shots of owls that get me the most reviews. Few people can see a full-face portrait of an owl, because they re just a wisp in the dark for most of us. So when you can analyze these birds and see the majesty and features like the feathers around the beak, for example, you get a sense of what they re like. One of the species he has taken portraits of is the Verreaux s Eagle-Owl (above, also known as Milky Eagle-Owl), a native of Africa. He photographed it at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and was able to capture images of a younger bird that had pink eyelids. The color changes to black or gray after an eagle-owl is five years old. Most people never get to see the pink detail because you only get a quick view, but if you have a really tight portrait of it, you get to show that kind of thing, he says. Taking portraits is helpful for identification but also for education and getting people to appreciate the birds, Bourne adds. My favorite thing about bird photography is getting people to look at something they can t usually see. When you re new to photographing owls, Bourne says you should go to a zoo, bird sanctuary, or wildlife rehab center to take photos. You re going to have a much better time, and you ll often be able to see birds in daylight. If you photograph owls in a controlled setting, Bourne highly recommends shooting tight close-ups to avoid showing the busy backgrounds, such as cages or people. F38103$8%01#%+4#$# When you photograph owls at night, you ll need a flash to get enough light on the bird. From an ornithological point of view, the flash does absolutely no harm or damage to the bird, Bourne says. Nobody who reads this publication loves birds more than me, and if I thought it hurt them to use the flash, I absolutely would not. Unfortunately, there s a lot of misinformation about?4'00g+%03"+%d')%a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

5 Eurasian Eagle-Owl (captive). Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, M.Zuiko mm F2.8 PRO. Exposure: 1/125 sec., f/2.8, ISO 800. flash, but it doesn t bother the bird a bit. Bourne uses the Olympus FL-900R electronic flash and says it s fantastic. It s called a TTL flash, which stands for through the lens, he explains. It means it works looking through the lens to be able to meter the scene and give you an accurate representation of the image without overpowering the subject. It will balance the ambient light with the flash to make it look much more natural. And the flash is weathersealed so you can use it in the rain. And no matter what time of day you go out to photograph owls, Bourne stresses the need to move slowly when you re in sight of a bird. Owls are easily frightened, he notes. I strongly urge people to not be careless with their movements. The bottom line, Bourne believes, is that when photographers love owls, are willing to learn about them, and have patience, they can tell their stories with a camera.!"##$!%&'%&("))$*+$#(%$%'*#,-$,.$!"#$%&'()"*+$$ /"0"1*&%$"&'$2*-'3"#4(*&05"*)674,/7$8,)),9$:+$,&$ 8"4%;,,<$"&'$=9*##%-7 HIJEG?%KL%?7!EEG?%MJN 85(11#*(7)"&#-0((1-#C+10#9?%D47-# &W7+4D&"1K#L&#-3%-#+1A-#&X1)&D&?%#?+201C&+201N#&3-%#1(#435IN#3",#@&-1#('# 3??N#+1#4)(,75&-#40(1(2)340-#("#43)# C+10#D()&#&X4&"-+B&#2&3)K#L&#"(1&-# 1031#0+-#C()I#53"#@&#4)+"1&,#31#,+D&"G -+("-#('#Y#'&&1#@%#Z#'&&1K# OJD32&#-13@+?+[31+("#+-#@7+?1#+"1(#10&#53D&)3#@(,%N#-(# %(7#,("A1#"&&,#3#1)+4(,#C+10#9?%D47-#2&3)NQ#0&#3,,-K# OJ1A-#D750#&3-+&)#1(#53))%#3)(7",N#3",#10&#+D32&#W73?+1%# +-#-174&",(7-K#>0&#1)35I+"2#371('(57-#+-#3"(10&)#10+"2# 1031#@+),#40(1(2)340&)-#)&3??%#"&&,K#S(7#53"A1#'3I&#+1# C0&"#%(7A)&#1)%+"2#1(#40(1(2)340#3"#&32?&#1031#-C+150&-# +1-#,+B&#3"2?&#1(C3),#10&#C31&)#ZM#,&2)&&-#+"#("&#1&"10# ('#3#D+??+-&5(",K#!71('(57-#03-#1(#@&#3@?&#1(#I&&4#74KQ O%!=P,%9P=Q%=*)R%KK%STU O%=%@V(3R'%WXPQYXBB%>T@Z%;[!%SZXP\XXBB%3$% \YBB%#](32*.#$0U O%=%@V(3R'%\XXBB%>W@X%K?%;[!%S^XXBB%3$%\YBB% #](32*.#$0U O%=%@V(3R'%QTPQXXBB%>W@X%K?%;[!%STWPTXXBB%3$% \YBB%#](32*.#$0U O%=%@V(3R'%_PQWBB%>T@Z%;[!%SQWPTZBB%3$%\YBB% #](32*.#$0U O%=7PQW%Q@W:%E#.#4'$2#)0#) O%IF,P`%;'-#)%M*00#)&%N)3" O%99PQ%,'0%?3810 O%>FP`XX[%>.*+1!"#$%&'($"&#)(*+&,-.'/*0&#+&11123"+(-.'/*024('