Northern Pygmy-Owl series

[FlyingSquirrel]

It was a real dream to see this rare little bird, the Northern Pygmy-Owl, and not more than an hour from where I live. Following reports from others who'd spotted this owl over the past couple weeks, I went in search of it. After about 4 hours, with the help of 10 other people, we found the minuscule beast. As the crowd of people continued to grow, we patiently observed and respectfully followed the bird around all day, taking pics whenever the situation was opportune. Surprisingly, the bird seemed to pay the crowd little attention, as it continued to preen itself, hunt, and look adorable.

The light, background, and so forth were horrible 99% of the time. It is a complete miracle that I was able to pull off these shots by aiming between branches, and that the bird kindly landed where there was a relatively usable bg (I did some cloning and various background cleaning on these).

I feel extremely lucky to have seen and spent time with this adorable, elusive creature, not to mention photograph it. Good times!

As always, thanks for viewing and commenting. Full size view is recommended.

Northern Pygmy-Owl - Glaucidium gnoma

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[Ndukes]

Stunning pictures Matt.

[Stagecoach]

Bird photography at it's best, not a miracle Matt but skill I'd say .

[andrewaxford]

Great photos love no1. It's looking down the lens!

[IzzieK]

Beautiful shots, Matt....am jealous....

[John 2]

A great series Mat but 1 and 2 are priceless. Beautiful work.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[JR1]

You jammy bum, soooooooo lovely

I live in the country, have never had such fortune

[terrib]

Looks and sounds like a very successful day. These are beautifully done and your appreciation for the experience shows through in your photographs. Thanks for sharing them.

[jprzybyla]

Nice series Matt. Beautiful bird, nicely shown.

[Mike Buckley]

These are beautifully done and your appreciation for the experience shows through in your photographs.

And in your narrative!

[Brownbear]

Absolutely exquisite! Agreed with Grahame - bird photography at its best!

[selig1656]

They are all great, sharp , well composed and color.I especially like photo #1 , those eyes just pop'n out at me , just jolted me by surprise.

[FootLoose]

Beautiful shots, Matt, I love that first one.

[Nicks Pics]

I've often been amazed at how such great shots are taken! It doesn't sound easy. But the results were fantastic. In #1 the pose of the bird, the color scheme, and even the beautiful stick all go together artistically.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Wow, again I'm blown away by all of the wonderful comments. Thank you all, so much, for viewing, and offering your feedback! I am always very happy when my audience can enjoy the beauty of my subject and feel my experience through my work.

When I was driving out to the location that morning at 6am, in the pitch blackness, out in the country there was a thick fog. As the fog closed in, suddenly a gigantic owl erupted from the darkness, gracefully swooping up over the illumination of my headlights, and quickly fading back into the blackness on the other side. It was a very ghostly sight, yet extremely awesome. A friend of mine just told me that to see an owl in this manner is supposedly considered a sign of good luck to come. At this point, I can't say I disagree with him

[IzzieK]

When we were young, we were taught that to hear an owl hoot is bad luck...

[Barbara Ponder]

Amazing photos! I have never seen an owl in person, such intriguing creatures, and beautiful.

[mknittle]

Very nice Matt.

[NorthernFocus]

Hi, Matthew. I was travelling yesterday and saw this post on my phone. Wanted to wait to take a look on the laptop before commenting. Dude you killed it on that first shot. Of course they are all technically excellent but the first image brings it all together. What an opportunity and you made the most of it. Well done.