Mum owl with prey

[avkomp]

went to check on the powerful owls today and found dad more or less right away and spent a while looking for mum,
figuring that she would be near him with breeding coming up and all
no joy so was walking out and had gone 50m and there she was.
dad had no angles for a clear shot
mum had a shot at a steep angle, no way to get whole body in focus so concentrated on the eyes.
the angle not look so bad when she looks at me.
the ringtail is a bit of a bonus.
sadly right into the sun again more or less but only angle on offer.

d4 600f4 1/100 f8 iso 1600. tripod used. full frame image

[Isac]

I don't think angles and light are a priority here when you capture nature at it's best. Lovely shot of a proud bird and the look on it's face is one of surprise and pride! Priceless shot.

[Phoenix]

The shot of the owl iwith its prey is wonderful to see.
The background could do with a little work, but I can ignore it with such a great subject (and a half).

[Ironwood]

I am with Isac and Jo, the background is definitely secondary here. The eyes of the Owl are hypnotic.

[avkomp]

Thanks folks. The eyes of these things really pierce you. You very often see them on day roosts with half a possum, so lots of chances to get them with prey. They mostly sit there too, so relatively easy to get the pix

[Phoenix]

Lucky you! Only ever get glimpses of owls and it always leaves me with the "was it really an owl" feeling.

[avkomp]

There are a few pairs of these around here. I monitor some nests over winter also. Don't post any of those though. Need to protect locations etc