It may just be that I had a lucky day, but I'd like to think that my field craft is slowly improving as I learn what to look for and where our wildlife hunts for food. Combine this with a greater situational awareness and - well, I struck lucky this week in finding a busy Little Owl.
It is a strange feeling which I'm sure some of you have had, when you feel that someone, or something, is watching you. It is fair to say that the Little Owl spotted me long before I spotted it. Even with my best Realtree camouflage gear on and being as quiet as I could, there it was, peeking around the side of an old tree, that was covered in ivy:
Hide n Seek with a Little Owl
I already had my 500mm lens fitted on the 1D-X and mounted on my Wimberley & Tripod, so I managed to shoot a few images before the Little Owl disappeared. A few minutes later it popped up several feet away on a clear branch, where I managed to get another few images. I then chanced my luck and quickly popped on a 2x convertor and increased the ISO to try and fill the frame a little more. I was really surprised when the Little Owl remained in place and allowed me to take another half a dozen images, before it dropped down into the long grass below.
A Little Owl (wild) - 1000mm, f8, ISO 1600 1/500sec - Canon 1D-X, Canon EF500 f4, Canon 2x II + some luck
There is a certain satisfaction when you go out to find an Owl in a new location and are actually successful. It doesn't happen too often for me. Mike