I went back to Torraine Lake in Fort Smith, Arkansas a few days ago to walk the trails and see what I could find to photograph. It was unseasonably warm that day, so I wasn’t expecting to see much. As soon as I got on the asphalt trail and got to the bridge, I spotted a Barred Owl perched in a tree overlooking a small pool of water. The owl saw me but didn’t fly away. The light wasn’t the best because it was just at sunrise and the owl was on the edge of timber. I used the side of the metal bridge for cover and to brace my camera and lens. I needed to brace my equipment to help keep it steady so that I could shoot at a lower shutter speed to get the ISO down. As you can see in the photo below, I got the shot.
After getting this shot, I lowered my camera and was waiting for better light. The Barred Owl spotted something in the pool of water which was between me and the owl. Since I didn’t have my camera up in the ready position, I missed a shot of it flying toward me. When it got near the pool of water it suddenly veered off and flew away.
Even though I missed a great opportunity to get the owl in flight, it was still awesome seeing an owl at this park. Sighting wildlife like this makes all the early mornings worth it. I’m looking forward to heading back out on the trails again soon to see what other creatures I might encounter.
My TikTok Video Of This Barred Owl: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8AvCYhY/
Image Information:
- Date: 11/6/23
- Time: 7:47 AM
- Camera: Canon EOS R7
- Lens: EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
- ISO: 12800
- Aperture: 5.6
- Shutter: 1/200
- Exp. Comp.: 0
- Lens (mm): 400
- Program Mode: Manual
A wonderful photo of that Barred Owl and description of your encounter. Thanks.