Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 200-400 mm ƒ5.6 L IS USM with 1.4x built-in converter at 540mm, lens at 540mm, ISO 3200, ƒ5.6 at 1/125 second, Gitzo tripod
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
Certain moments in nature are simply elusive. Witnessing and capturing these fleeting moments are why I have always loved photography and being out in nature.
Driving to Radnor Lake State Park in Nashville on this spring day last year, I had planned to hike to an observation deck to photograph the sunset and whatever else I saw along the way on the trail. As I parked, I heard an owl call — and it was close by. I heard it again and started looking for it as I was getting out my gear.
Barely having time to get my camera and lens affixed to the tripod, I saw one barred owl fly up from Otter Creek to a low-hanging perch about 40 feet away. It was deep in the woods and in very contrasty lighting. At first, I didn’t think it was going to be a great setup for a good shot, but, just minutes later, another barred owl joined the first.
It became obvious the second was the male of the young pair and that he was trying to woo the female with a crawdad in his talons as a gift. I was able to observe them for several minutes as they ate and jumped from branch to branch before they both flew back to the creek for bathing and more hunting.
After several misses on more crawdads, they eventually settled back on the original perch where I had first observed them and started preening themselves and each other. I kept shooting images to capture all the activity but wasn’t sure I would have anything really good at the end of the day. All the limbs between myself and the couple and the less-than-ideal lighting made the correct exposure and composition difficult to find.
If we can attribute human emotions to animals, this image captured the sweetest, most gentle interaction between them. I didn’t see this particular pair together again, never saw a nest site either, but was thrilled to have observed them for this afternoon courtship.
