I stopped along the auto tour road to watch a Water Moccasin. Then a Barred Owl dropped into a tree across from me and changed the whole morning.
The owl looked me over for a second, then locked onto the flooded timber below. The snake vanished as soon as the owl landed, which made me wonder if the owl had picked that perch for a reason.
Wildlife Notes
I made this photo on July 12, 2018, at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, near the Miner’s Cove area. Miner’s Cove sits just west of the four-corners intersection, and the shallow water nearby often pulls in hunters.
This owl stayed perched and watched the water below. That steady, intent stare is what I look for with owls. It usually means they are listening and scanning for movement.
Flooded timber is a great stage for scenes like this. You get open water, vertical trunks, and broken stumps that make natural perches. I have seen Barred Owls working this same stretch before, including this post: Barred Owl At Miner’s Cove and a nearby family group here: Pair Of Barred Owl Fledglings.
Photography Notes
I photographed from my pickup and rested my camera on a beanbag over the open window. That support matters in low light, especially when I want to keep my shutter speed high enough for a sharp result.
The early sun was just starting to filter through the trees. At first the owl looked too dark against the background, so I waited and kept shooting as the light improved. Once a little sun hit the face and chest, the feather detail came alive.
Gear used for this photo
- Camera: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lens: Canon EF 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS II
- Adapter: Fringer EF-FX Pro
Settings
- Aperture: f/7.1
- Shutter speed: 1/210 sec
- ISO: 800
- Focal length: 400 mm
Closing
I like mornings like this. I show up for one subject, and the refuge hands me another. The flooded timber did the rest, it framed the owl, shaped the light, and gave me a scene that felt calm and wild at the same time.