Great Horned Owl

Ron Niebrugge Alaska, Denali, Photos, Travel, Wildlife 16 Comments

Great Grey Owl

Great Horned Owl nest, Denali National Park, Alaska.

I have never had a close look at a Great Horned Owl, so to see one on a nest with two chicks was a real treat!  Now, back into the park.  (Note: Thank you Calvin for the heads up on the species, I have made the correction).

Comments 16

  2. Hi Ron,

    Looks like you are having a remarkable trip. That wolf shot in great light looks like a “rent a wolf” shot. To get that in the wild is remarkable.

    The owls are a great shot but I think you have Great Horned instead of Great Grey’s.

    Hope the rest of the trip is as productive!

    PS You have gotten so many nice wolf shots in Denali. Have you made pets of them???

    Calvin

  6. Hey Ron,

    &$*%^#($%&!

    I just got my first owl images this last week, over in Wrangell – St. Elias. A few Great Horned Owlets – nothing in decent light, and nothing with the adults, and you wander into Denali and get this! It’s not fair.

    It’s interesting though – the owl chicks I was shooting have pretty much fledged – they were flying , albeit only short distances, but they weren’t on the nest any more – though the parents were never too far away.

    I’ll have an owlet on the blog later today.

    Cheers

    Carl

  7. Woo!! That is one fabulous photo. It looks like a painting. Everything came together right on this shot. Great work!!

  8. Wow, what a shot! You have a special karma with wildlife. I can sit for hours and see only mosquitoes, then you walk up and critters appear from nowhere and preen and smile for you. Good job!

    Mom

  9. Hi Ron,
    I just stumbled upon your site while conducting a Google search for an image and — wow! — I’m awed by your work. What great stuff!

    I’ll definitely be checking in to view your latest.

    Best,
    km

  10. Post
    Author

    Thanks for all the really nice comments! This is my first time I have been on the internet since I posted this photo.

    Thanks for the correction on the species Calvin – I should have known better, the difference is obvious – I took someone’s word and never double checked. I’m still working on the wolf pet thing LOL.

    Hey Gary and Carl, this must be owl karma week!

    Thanks again everyone,

    Ron

  12. Post
    Author

  13. Very Awesome Image here! I am inspired!! I’m doing some research for a painting I’m working on! I stumbled on a Nest once in Wausau, WI some years ago, dead above someone’s house! LOL! I heard a huge ruckus of Crows & knew there HAD to be an owl in the area SOMEWHERE! It’s a dead give away! I was looking for the adult, when a lady came out of her house & asked if I was looking for the Owl!?! I had my Nikon w/ me – so it was obvious! She asked me if I’d like to see the Chicks & the nest?… I about fell over! Straight overhead in a huge pine was 2 chicks staring down at us!! I got the shot – slides, but they’ve sadly long since been lost! Best photos I’ve ever taken too dang it all! I never got to paint that image! Now I want to make up for it! 😀 I love the way you got the foliage framing the subject! Very helpful stuff in learning their habits, etc.! In case anyone is interested – I know of a spot in Montana – on I-94, eastbound side/ Mile marker 78( as I recall) where there’s an Eagle’s nest on the far side of Clark’s Fork RIver! There’s a wayside park with a sighting post! It’s one of my favorite spots in the lower 48! Thanks for what you do! I’m not able to get out into the countryside like you are doing, right now! I used to drive truck & that sure was a great experience for getting some wonderful photos! I miss that aspect of it! Check out also, redbubble.com & boundless living.com! Great stuff!

  14. Post
    Author

    Hey Justin,

    Thanks for the comment and for sharing your stories!

    That is sure frustrating losing your favorite images.

    Thanks for the tips on the eagles nest!

    Ron

  15. Hi Ron,

    Found your site, searching for photos of Alaska. Have been following your travels and feel like I go on nice little trips as I keep up with you! Love this picture. Haven’t seen any owls yet around here. (Tidewater Va.) How close were you to these owls? What lens did you use?

    Saving my $
    Hope to go on one of your tours one day!

    Keep up the lovely and great work,
    Thanks for sharing!

    Dena

  16. Post
    Author

    Hi Dena,

    Thanks a lot for the kind words! They were very close – I was able to shoot from a bridge, so they were used to people being in the location. I did use a 600mm telephoto, possibly with a tele-converter, although it was on a full frame camera, and this image is un-cropped.

    Thanks,

    Ron

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