I have observed and photographed a pair of Barred Owl Fledglings for several weeks (July 2018) at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. This pair is in an area called Miner’s Cove. I am able to sit in my pickup on the side of the road to photograph them and their parents. The Barred Owl parents catch crayfish from the water to feed the Fledglings, but I was unable to get photos of them being fed.
How I Got the Photo
I like to park at Miner’s Cove before daylight and listen to the hoot of the Barred Owls. When the sun starts to rise, I hear the fledglings begin calling for food to be brought to them.
This area has lots of crayfish, and the adult Barred Owls will fly over the pool of water and pluck crayfish from it. I have tried many times to photograph this, but I have been unsuccessful. They are in the willow trees, and when they spot a crayfish, they will quickly fly down and grab it.
This is a small area, and most of the time, I am unable to get on the Owl quickly enough. One of my main problems is that when they are catching crayfish, it is in low light. I need to be able to shoot at a high shutter speed to catch the action, and I am not able to do this in this area at that time of day. I will keep trying!
I used a Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera with a Canon EF 100 – 400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens with an EF 1.4X III extender attached. The camera and lens were resting on a beanbag draped over the open window of my pickup.
Camera Settings
- AV Mode
- Aperture: f8
- ISO: 1000
- Shutter speed: 1/320
- Focal Length: 560 mm
Here are a few more Barred photos I have taken at this refuge: Young Barred Owl With Crayfish, Barred Owl Stretching A Leg and Barred Owl Hunting A Roadside Ditch