Great Gray Owl Hunting #8

Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) are large measuring about 27 inches in length and about 2.4 pounds in weight; this species is the world's largest... more

by Morris Finkelstein

Title

Great Gray Owl Hunting #8

Artist

Morris Finkelstein

Medium

Photograph

Description

Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) are large measuring about 27 inches in length and about 2.4 pounds in weight; this species is the world's largest owl by length (but not in weight)! They are deceptively large due to their abundance of fluffy feathers, rather than muscle mass. They are found widely distributed in North America, mostly in Canada and Alaska, and occasionally in the northern United States, northern Europe (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and Estonia) and northern Asia. This owl has a rounded gray face, yellow eyes, large facial discs, and a white collar below the beak. Their preferred breeding habitat is in dense coniferous and oak forests, adjacent to bogs or meadows. They prefer to hunt around dusk or dawn, or at night, relying on their very excellent sense of hearing, capturing prey as deep as 2 feet under the snow's surface. They feed almost exclusively on small mammals (mice, lemmings, and voles), and occasionally on grouse, quail, small hawks, and ducks. Their biggest threats are from diminishing habitat, West Nile Virus, and motor vehicles. Because they are not as territorial as most other birds of prey, they are not easily flushed by humans or cars, and are difficult to spot in the field.

This Great Gray Owl flying low over snow covered ground hunting for prey was photographed just before sunset at the Sax-Zim Bog in northern Minnesota on 3-4-2021. I used a Nikon D850 camera body and a Nikon 500mm f/4.0 VR2 lens to capture this image. Settings: 1/2500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000. Sax-Zim Bog is in St. Louis County, Minnesota, about an hour north of Duluth, and is comprised of over 300 square miles of state, county, and private forest, and wildlife management lands. It is considered an Important Birding Area (IBA) because it is home to breeding Great Gray Owls, Northern Hawk Owls and Boreal Owls, as well as many other species of birds and animals. I had the excellent help of birding guide Erik Bruhnke in locating the birds that I photographed during this three day trip.

I am honored that my photograph was featured in the Fine Art America groups:
Water Forms, 3-19-2021
The Magic Hour Of Blue And Gold Photography, 3-22-2021
Images That Excite You, 3-24-2021
Wonder Of Wings, 3-28-2021
Birds In Flight, 3-28-2021
USA Photographers Only, 3-29-2021
The Outdoor Photographer, 3-29-2021
Wildlife One-A-Day, 3-30-2021
Trick And Treat Of Nature, 4-5-2021
Gentlemen Club Art Group, 4-15-2021

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Uploaded

March 18th, 2021