Wtih the upcoming fall/winter birding season the issues of photographing owls will most likely raise its head. I too have learned alot watching and taking advice from various birders and this has given me a much better understanding and appreciation for ethical conduct. Here are some things to keep mind for the benefit of the owls.
Fall & Winter are perfect times to locate and photograph owls. Species that can be found include:
Great Gray
Short Eared
Long Eared
Boreal
Northern Saw-whet
Barred
Northern Hawk
Great Horned
Snowy
Things to remember when photographing these wonderful birds.
(1) Do not use a flash.
This practice has been widely dicussed between birders and photographers often leading to confrontations in the field. There are many studies that you can read on the internet, none that seem conclusive. My advice is always put the owls well being first and do not use a flash. The easiest way is to simply manually adjust your exposure to enchance lighting conditions as needed. This way the owls are not distrupted during their rest period, mind you some do hunt during the day but this should have no bearing on using a flash. Leave it at home.
(2) Do not bait owls.
This has become more of an issue over the past few years with photographers obtaining store bought mice to feed wild owls. This has resulted in owls being killed running into cars. It is not natures way and can cause extreme fatigue when baiters draw in the owls over and over again just to get the "Perfect" flight shot. It is reckless and completely unnecessary.
(3) Do not shake trees; break branches, or use owls calls played by a media device to get there attention or better the photograph.
(4) Do not spend an extended period of time sitting in front of an owl with a tripod taking several hundred pictures. Take time to correctly adjust your camera; frame the shot and take a few but don't go crazy. If your quiet as you should be the owl's position won't change much so taking a slew of images is a waste of time and prolongs contact with e bird.
(5) Keep your distance.
That's about it, all common sense. Take care with these beautiful creatures and enjoy nature as it was intended.
For any birders/photographers these rules are strictly enforced at "Owl Woods" on Amherst Island and could lead to the area being banned to any photographer if they are not followed. Depending on the exact location at the woods conditions can often be dark so my advice is to bring a 70-200mm lense F2.8 or F4 which is perfect for the area. BIrding scopes are useless as you can get quite close to the owls. There is no need for any camera lense over 400mm. Have an awesome fall/winter owl season. Leave the flashes in the car, thanks for your understanding .
Here is an example of an image where a saw-whet is photographed without distrubance.
