Outdoor Ontario
Photography => Ontario Birds => Topic started by: dbellilo on January 16, 2011, 08:17:26 PM
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No jokes! There was some kind of camera club in front of me, 7 men in the woods and the snow with long white lenses snap snap snapping up the owl 12 ft in front of us. I did the best I could under the circumstances, being pushed and shoved out of the way with my little lens. How emasculating! Regardless of the pics and the bedlam going on in front of me, I was delighted to observe an owl, my very first!
All the best,
David B.
(http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/2944/nastydonut.jpg) (http://img813.imageshack.us/i/nastydonut.jpg/)
(http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8339/nastyfilbert.jpg) (http://img225.imageshack.us/i/nastyfilbert.jpg/)
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i thought about going to the Spit today.
amazing lighting, but man, that wind chill told me to go back to bed and not be stupid.
brave you!
and great pictures
p.s. - if you want to avoid the photographer crowd, you seriously have to start your walk at 8 AM.
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Thanks, Richard. I know you're right...I was there by 10 and the place was lousy with photographers, even in that wind. Well, in the woodsier parts there wasn't much wind, but the folks in the camera club were CRAZY!
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congrats on your first owl,david.
these guys are hard to get out in the open.
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Thanks, Denis! One of the most enjoyable (and hopeful) things about this birdwatching business is that there is always something new to look forward to, there are always new photographic goals, etc.
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Well done David! I can't believe the eyes in the second shot (in case anyone hadn't noticed)! Btw, for people who are aren't that familiar with the spit it's usually easier to look for photographers to tell you where the interesting birds are. Did the owl seem agitated by the crowd?
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Howieh! The owl at first seemed rather spooked by all the tromping of heavy-footed men in camouflage and was flying around quite a bit. After a little while he settled onto a low branch and all the photographers knelt before him, the closest one being 10 ft. away. The owl seemed content to just sit there and turn his head from one side to another. I stood behind the nusto gang and watched the owl for about 10 minutes, but the photography scene was too much for me and my birdwife to handle and so we got out of there, leaving the camera club to take hundreds more continuous exposures of an owl that was staying almost still on a branch...my b.w. remarked "I think that long-ear likes the sound of clicking - it soothes him, I think." Well, who knows? But you're quite right about asking photographers where the good birds are at. One nice gentleman with binoculars asked me if I knew where the redpolls were, and I told him where I'd last seen them...
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Speaking of those eyes, I've made a little inset here, to further display the crazily disparate pupils! Please forgive the poor image quality - this is heavily cropped and I have only a little lens! I fear I am now addicted to owls...I haven't been able to spot my kestrel lately, so now I must search high and low for owls of every sort...I think a number of you folks have been to Mountsberg and have spoken very highly of the place...
(http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/7956/eyesu.jpg) (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/eyesu.jpg/)
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Your "little lens" did just fine, love the crop! You could try applying a little sharpening but it's probably not necessary; and yes, owl addiction can cause people to do funny things, like walking miles (sorry, that should read kilometers!) in bitter cold weather, etc. so be careful out there :)
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Beautiful shots! Well done! Cheers Terry
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Great shots, thanks for sharing!
Mar
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Thanks, folks! Let's keep sharing owls, feeding each other's addictions, etc.
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Fabulous capture of the difference in pupil size as a result of the lighting. Very nice shot!
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Stunning! The eye shot is really neat. I really need to get down to the Spit sometime.
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Great pics David. I have many of this owl but none as open and bright as these.
Great capture
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Your addicted to owls now? Sorry no cure has been found :D Super pictures David.
Steve R
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That is just priceless, that's how I look after going to the eye doctors! :)
Great shots.
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Hey those are some great shots. I seen my first one this year but was unable to get a pic.
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Hello from Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. We wanted to take this opportunity to address concerns with owl viewing and photography at Tommy Thompson Park (the Spit). We are sure that most observers are sensitive to the species, but in a park that hosts 250,000 people a year, the cumulative effect of individuals can have a dramatic negative effect on our wildlife.
Tommy Thompson Park Owl Viewing and Reporting Policy
Tommy Thompson Park (TTP) is located on the Leslie Street Spit, a man-made peninsula which extends 5 km into Lake Ontario. TTP has been designated a globally significant Important Bird Area and an Environmentally Significant Area.
TTP is open to the public weekends and holidays April – November from 9am to 6:00pm and November – March from 9am to 4:30pm. TTP is a car-free and pet free urban wilderness.
At least ten (10) species of owls have been recorded at TTP. Some species are regular winter visitors, but other rarer species arrive during times of food shortage in their northern ranges. Regardless of species, many individuals experience stress during the winter months which can be exacerbated by increased and concentrated attention by birdwatchers and photographers. Diurnal owls (owls that hunt during the day) need to be left alone so they can successfully hunt. Nocturnal owls (owls that hunt at night) need to be left alone so they can rest, to be ready to hunt at night. If an owl does not have the energy to successfully hunt, it is essentially a dead owl.
To ensure that the park’s ecological integrity and value to owls and all wildlife are sustained, TRCA will enforce the following policies:
• Pets are not permitted in the park.
• Please stay on designated trails and to not trample or remove vegetation, including dead vegetation.
• When observing or photographing owls stay at least five (5) meters away.
• Observe owls individually or in very small groups; move slowly and whisper.
• Do not linger around an owl for more than a few minutes.
• Do not intentionally disturb owls or cause them to change their behavior.
• Do not follow an owl if it flies away.
• When photographing owls never use flash.
• Baiting owls for any purpose is strictly prohibited.
• The use of sound devices (recordings, prey calls, etc.) is strictly prohibited.
• Do not report owl locations on the internet or birding hotlines.
• If you see anyone disturbing owls or other wildlife call the TTP staff line (416-990-8058 during public open hours) or the TRCA general line (416-661-6600 press “0” for immediate assistance). Wildlife harassment can also be reported to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS
Thankyou
TTP Managment
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Perhaps there should be park rangers enforcing these rules...
I doubt that those that read the rules on he are the ones breaking them
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I was on the Spit last Saturday (the 22nd) and encountered an enforcement agent there specifically to make sure people were obeying the rules with respect to the owls. No owls, though :(
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I'm glad to hear there was enforcement of these rules last weekend, and actually hope that they start doing this on a more regular basis. It makes me sad that they are needed though, but unfortunately they are.
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I'm glad to hear about this, folks. The people in front of me were using their flashes (fill flash) like crazy! Not very nice!
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I'm glad to hear about this, folks. The people in front of me were using their flashes (fill flash) like crazy! Not very nice!
and the best part?
its sunny outside. so they are just getting a fake catch light. nothing more.
just a waste of batteries and brains.
i will admit, though, that i've broken the don't-flush-and-follow rule. I've never followed relentlessly to disturb a bird, but i will look where it lands and if all is kosher, i will observe/shoot. i think almost all of us would do that. but not to disturb the animal
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Positively, Richard, agreed. But owls' eyes can't handle the flash? Flash can damage their sensitive eyes? Is this so? Perhaps one of the more knowledgable folks here can tell me more. Anyhow, you know how these big-time photographers are...anything for a shot...
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I was at a short information seminar regarding Owls last fall and I vaguely remember the following:
Photoreceptors in the eye consist of Rods and Cones. Rods are more sensitive to light than Cones and function better in dim light. Owls have more Rods than Cones which accounts for their night vision.
A flash will have a harsher effect on an Owl's eye than a human eye because our eyes have more Cones than Rods
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Positively, Richard, agreed. But owls' eyes can't handle the flash? Flash can damage their sensitive eyes? Is this so? Perhaps one of the more knowledgable folks here can tell me more. Anyhow, you know how these big-time photographers are...anything for a shot...
some of us went to Mountsberg to shoot a few months ago. i assumed that they had a no flash policy (personally, i think its silly to shoot with a flash. and i also assume that it will just irritate the animal). but apparently Mountsberg says its fine to use a flash when shooting their owls and hawks. go figure.
when I was in Costa Rica, one guide claimed that flash photography killed hummingbird eggs. another guide laughed at that suggestion. so really, who knows.
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I ran into a TRCA officer on last saturday while i was there driving his truck around, very nice young gentleman, showed him where the owls like to roost so he could keep an eye out on who goes around there.
Think they are doing a good job and are trying to watch for large groups harassing the owls
Photos from the Spit on saturday can be seen at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew-don/
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A Photograph of a Long-eared Owl with wide-open eyes is a case of the owl being disturbed and is not good birding ethics . I accept that Long-eared Owls are very easily flushed which is all the more reason to keep your distance and let them be. A bird being continuously flushed is unacceptable . Those who do this have no regard for the well-being of the bird and should not be in the birding business---go take photos of the CN Tower or whatever.
This is supposed to be a birding forum but you would never think it when it seems the majority of the posts concern photography and comments on such.
I know I am talking to the wall here but I just have to get it off my chest. I long for the days of old when all that was around the necks of the vast majority of birders was binoculars. I wish I could say that most people who take photos of birds, particularly owls, exercise proper birding ethics but, from my experience, I'm not so sure.
Brendan O'Sullivan
Mississauga
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Your not talking to a wall, and I couldn't agree more.
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Agreed! I'd smash my camera and all the other bird photographers' too, but that'd be illegal and while we're on the subject of justice: if there were any justice, they'd make BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY against not just the law of TRUE BIRDERS but also the laws that find their way into courts with judges and juries! Some people even EAT birds, can you imagine it, but don't get me started on that one. Me, I photograph them, and although my sleep does get troubled here and there, I console myself by flushing owls in as many deep forests as I can. The deeper they sleep, the more I go SNAP SNAP SNAP with my huge camera and chase them through the darkened pines, but then the guilt comes back (you've disturbed a pretty bird again you selfish bastard) and the cycle repeats! I take pictures of the CN Tower and other T.O. landmarks to console myself, but such shots do little to feed my jones. The only chance at redemption for me and the other bird photographers out there: hopefully the good books were right, and there's a hell after we die. If so, me and the others will TURN INTO BIRDS at the Leslie Spit for all eternity, and the real bad ones will turn into birds at a zoo or aviary and then we'll just see how we like it...who cooks for you all, INDEED!
Yours very sincerely,
David B.
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well spoken david.
i like your sense of humour. LOL
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Very Nice!
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A Photograph of a Long-eared Owl with wide-open eyes is a case of the owl being disturbed and is not good birding ethics . I accept that Long-eared Owls are very easily flushed which is all the more reason to keep your distance and let them be. A bird being continuously flushed is unacceptable . Those who do this have no regard for the well-being of the bird and should not be in the birding business---go take photos of the CN Tower or whatever.
This is supposed to be a birding forum but you would never think it when it seems the majority of the posts concern photography and comments on such.
I know I am talking to the wall here but I just have to get it off my chest. I long for the days of old when all that was around the necks of the vast majority of birders was binoculars. I wish I could say that most people who take photos of birds, particularly owls, exercise proper birding ethics but, from my experience, I'm not so sure.
Brendan O'Sullivan
Mississauga
Of course, the age old argument comes out. And people with binoculars never disturb birds or jaywalk or smoke in forested areas while birding...
Most good photographers spend a lot of money on equipment. My 400mm lens won't letme get close to birds to shoot. But your binoculars work differently, I guess.
On a separate note, even though I have yet to capture a long eared owl this winter, I avoided the spit today. Loudmouthed birders, flash photography and rangers is not what I enjoy about birding. I will stick to other areas until people calm down
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The following post was posted by Andy, one of the site administrators, on the Board Etiquette thread, I felt an overwhelming need to post it here.
Reading some of the recent posts, I feel it is time to remind some of you about the rules when posting on the board. The primary one is to show respect and consideration. I think all of you are old enough to understand what that means, so I will not spell it out. If you are confused by what is appropriate behaviour, please contact me and I will be happy to explain. If you have something negative to say, please do so privately. If you disagree with another poster and feel the need to express your feelings publicly, take a deep breath and send them email.
This board has been in operation for a very long time (since 1995) with very few instances where a moderator or administrator needed to intervene or delete posts. This is a credit to so many of you who, over the years, have had only one motive: to share with others your passion for birds. Unfortunately, as with any passion, emotions can quickly run high and the resultant keyboard tapping only makes matters worse. Like I said, this board has a remarkably well-mannered history, and I am sure we would all like that to continue. So please keep your posts informative and polite.
I ask those of you who have posted comments recently that are not in the spirit of the above, that you edit your posts so that they fall within them. I really hate deleting posts, but will do so if I feel they do not meet the standards of common decency and manners.
Finally, remember this is a public forum for the dissemination of information to a community of users. It is not a substitute for email or PM's. Unless your post is of interest and worth to the community, contact the poster privately via email or this board's private messaging function.
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Fair enough, Angie! Thank you for upping the maturity level...
I love birds! I think we all do? And clearly many of us are interested in photographing the flyers? Particularly those of us who post in this subcategory called 'Bird Photo Corner'?
Talk of "birding ethics" is a dicey and convoluted can of worms that surely must sometimes be opened, and I am always troubled by any arguments on the subject that come across as entitled, presumptuous, elitist, holier-than-thou, etc. Taking a photograph of an owl with eyes open is NOT an across-the-board intrusion into the inner life of owls. This is a fact, and it seems silly to argue that. This said, seven people tromping through the woods, trampling vegetation, straying from clearly marked pathways, using fill flash when photographing owls - such activity must be avoided, obviously, and I doubt very much that anyone on this board would behave in that fashion. I meant no disrespect to any of you fine folks, but I do stand by my jokes and always will! Laughter is the best medicine, even for troubled owls...
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Birding is my passion for sure, and I can get passionate about it, no doubt. I joined this board to learn as much as I can about what I love and have no desire to argue about rights and wrongs when it comes to birding, I think we all know the "code". :D
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Witnessed by a couple of people. A friend sent this to me who was there.
WENT TO THE PARK TODAY AND SAW THIS MAN DOING THE BELOW. WHILE TAKING THE SHOT HE WAS NO MORE THAN 6 INCHES FROM THE SCREECHIE(screech owl) FACE, WITH FLASH ON A MONO POD STICK. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS. CALLED HIM ON IT AND THEN HADA FEW ANGRY WORDS. HE SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH WHAT HE WAS DOING.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS GUY. FEEL FREE TO SEND TO OTHERS. THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOUR MUST STOP.
buy monopod
buy cable release
attach camera to monopod
attach cable release to camera
find Screech Owl in the wild
raise camera on monopod up in air within a few inches of Screech Owl
let 'er rip, flash optional
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These are the stories that make me angry! Selfish, with no thought of the owl's well being. :evil:
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Witnessed by a couple of people. A friend sent this to me who was there.
WENT TO THE PARK TODAY AND SAW THIS MAN DOING THE BELOW. WHILE TAKING THE SHOT HE WAS NO MORE THAN 6 INCHES FROM THE SCREECHIE(screech owl) FACE, WITH FLASH ON A MONO POD STICK. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS. CALLED HIM ON IT AND THEN HADA FEW ANGRY WORDS. HE SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH WHAT HE WAS DOING.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS GUY. FEEL FREE TO SEND TO OTHERS. THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOUR MUST STOP.
buy monopod
buy cable release
attach camera to monopod
attach cable release to camera
find Screech Owl in the wild
raise camera on monopod up in air within a few inches of Screech Owl
let 'er rip, flash optional
for the record (since i posted pics of the screech owl yesterday), this gent was not me but apparently it took place right before i saw the screechy. i'm too lazy to use a monopod or tripod :)
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I thought the Spit was only open on weekends and holidays?
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I thought the Spit was only open on weekends and holidays?
it is.
the screech owl is only correlated to the LEO stories based on peoples' behaviours, not based on locations
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Oh, okay, thanks for clarifying. :)
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Yikes! And I thought I was a villain for photographing an open-eyed longears from 30 ft. away...next time you folks see such conduct, you'd do well to slap the perpetrator senseless! No jokes; sometimes violence IS the answer! All right, maybe not, but that's some pretty nasty business all right. Stories like these lend credence to my very positive life philosophy: humanity is worthless and birds are a-ok! Well, I exaggerate...some people are all right. Mozart, for example, was a pretty good guy! He would never have engaged in such nasty behaviour, I assure you...
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Flash is about as irritating to an owl as it is to a human. A proven fact that has been documented and is on the net, if searched for.
Gee there is no mention of the Owl prowls that a lot of Provincial parks and birding groups put on. Where they go into the woods and call owls then proceed to shine a bunch of very bright steady beams of light with flashlights. The duration of a flash unit is a split second, but no mention here about the long duration of a flashlight shined at an owl.
Good thing I stay out of Tommy Tompson Park, too many inexperienced photographers and irrate birders it sounds like.