Exorcist Owl

[HiloHawaiian]

One of my owls has gone paranormal on me. When I took this yesterday, I thought he looked odd in the viewfinder. No feet?? Look closely, his back is facing the camera, yet his head swiveled 180 degrees when he heard me. I did some research, owls are amazing... "Owls can quickly turn their heads 270 degrees in either direction without damaging blood vessels or cutting off blood flow to the brain..." They can fly super stealthy, making no human-detectable noise (I've noticed that). DoD is studying why a bird this big is so nimble and quiet -- for drone applications...

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Wow
Great picture

 

[HiloHawaiian]

Wow
Great picture

Ty!

 

[Tufargon]

I agree, great pic!

 

[Goober]

Amazing shot! It's like he was saying, "I see you camera guy..."

I was a zookeeper many years ago. Some of my favorites were the birds of prey. The owls always fascinated me. I used to think the large eyes made them such excellent nocturnal hunters. Come to find out it's their incredible hearing that allows them to capture prey in almost total darkness.

 

[romi]

These pics are amazing. I hope you capture more and keep sharing them with us. Im still using the "yawn" pic as my wallpaper!

 

[HiloHawaiian]

These pics are amazing. I hope you capture more and keep sharing them with us. Im still using the "yawn" pic as my wallpaper!

LOL, I probably have 1000 pictures of owls, I just leave a camera with a bag over it on the patio and stumble out their every dawn for the morning stare-down. Sometimes he flies away, sometimes he ignores me...

 

[HiloHawaiian]

Amazing shot! It's like he was saying, "I see you camera guy..."

I was a zookeeper many years ago. Some of my favorites were the birds of prey. The owls always fascinated me. I used to think the large eyes made them such excellent nocturnal hunters. Come to find out it's their incredible hearing that allows them to capture prey in almost total darkness.

This guy is big, but when he flies away, you don’t hear anything—total silence! Owls' silent flight inspires quieter technology

 

[Tufargon]

It is amazing. In Idaho we had about 5-6 and I would never hear them fly.

 

[romi]

LOL, I probably have 1000 pictures of owls, I just leave a camera with a bag over it on the patio and stumble out their every dawn for the morning stare-down. Sometimes he flies away, sometimes he ignores me...View attachment 6723View attachment 6724

That's really cool !!!

 

[Goober]

I just leave a camera with a bag over it on the patio

Lens envy.... ?

 

[HiloHawaiian]

Lens envy.... ?

That's a 40 yr old made in Japan MANUAL FOCUS 600mm f4 NIkkor bought for Space Shuttle launches. Built like a tank weighs like a tank, it's been all over the world in it's steel case. The focusing is so smooth, as it must be so precise! It's s good thing modern DSLR's have a focus confirmation dot in the viewfinder, because the depth of field at f5.6 on the owl from 75' (?) is an inch or so...
I can't believe the used prices are so high for non auto-focus, decades-old lens but its hand-made, hand calibrated & quality glass! [TOP MINT Original Case Hood] Nikon Ai-s Nikkor 600mm F4 NEW ED IF From JAPAN #2 | eBay

 

[romi]

That's a 40 yr old made in Japan MANUAL FOCUS 600mm f4 NIkkor bought for Space Shuttle launches. Built like a tank weighs like a tank, it's been all over the world in it's steel case. The focusing is so smooth, as it must be so precise! It's s good thing modern DSLR's have a focus confirmation dot in the viewfinder, because the depth of field at f5.6 on the owl from 75' (?) is an inch or so...
I can't believe the used prices are so high for non auto-focus, decades-old lens but its hand-made, hand calibrated & quality glass! [TOP MINT Original Case Hood] Nikon Ai-s Nikkor 600mm F4 NEW ED IF From JAPAN #2 | eBay

Ive got a Nikon D5200 that I've been trying to find a reasonably priced 600mm lense for.. Mostly to do my granddaughter's soccer games with. No luck.

 

[HiloHawaiian]

Ive got a Nikon D5200 that I've been trying to find a reasonably priced 600mm lense for.. Mostly to do my granddaughter's soccer games with. No luck.

I would consider the 55mm-300mm DX zoom. It's sharp wide open (f4.5-5.6), is small light, and cheap. eBay/CL for not much money. They came in some kits from Costco, and lots of folks never use the much and sell them for $100 or so. Since the D5200 has a smaller sensor 300mm = approx. 450mm on a full-frame camera. Get the VR version to give you more stability zoomed out.

Nikon Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR AF-S ED Lens for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Nikon Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR AF-S ED Lens at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[romi]

I would consider the 55mm-300mm DX zoom. It's sharp wide open (f4.5-5.6), is small light, and cheap. eBay/CL for not much money. They came in some kits from Costco, and lots of folks never use the much and sell them for $100 or so. Since the D5200 has a smaller sensor 300mm = approx. 450mm on a full-frame camera. Get the VR version to give you more stability zoomed out.

Nikon Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR AF-S ED Lens for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Nikon Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR AF-S ED Lens at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Thanks. I've got a 55 - 300, But I'd like to get closer cause on the soccer field, half the shots are a lot farther away. The 300 does indeed do a good job, that's why i can't justify the cost of most 600mm lenses. Still, thank you for the advice. ?

 

[HiloHawaiian]

Thanks. I've got a 55 - 300, But I'd like to get closer cause on the soccer field, half the shots are a lot farther away. The 300 does indeed do a good job, that's why i can't justify the cost of most 600mm lenses. Still, thank you for the advice. ?

Sports photography with long lenses isn’t easy! It takes practice & anticipation from experience. Soccer is one of the hardest, like football, b/c there’s bodies flying everywhere, LOL...You really need fast AF & VR and a decent monopod. Good luck!

 

[romi]

Sports photography with long lenses isn’t easy! It takes practice & anticipation from experience. Soccer is one of the hardest, like football, b/c there’s bodies flying everywhere, LOL...You really need fast AF & VR and a decent monopod. Good luck!

I hear ya, but I just thought it was my age and inexperience. I got a lot of great shots but I missed way more than I got.

 

[HiloHawaiian]

I hear ya, but I just thought it was my age and inexperience. I got a lot of great shots but I missed way more than I got.

Name of the game, sadly. In the good old film days(?), I’d rattle through 20 rolls of 36 exp. film hoping for one good sports shot. If you got one good one, the folks paying the bills didn’t care!