How to flush a snowy owl ...

[ddt0725]

When it comes to any form of wildlife, idiots like this we can surely do without...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0_gzY2k7P0


I'm sorry but people like this really ruffle MY feathers!!

[Jonathan Huyer]

Ouch. That type of behaviour sure gives photographers a bad name. And with that many people around, it is clearly stressful for the birds. During irruptions, the owls are already under a great deal of stress, having to migrate farther to compete for food. This is a good reminder to always put good ethics ahead of a good shot.

[HDNitehawk]

The guy is an idiot IMO.

As a good photographer though it would have been my duty to get a pic of the owl plucking his eye out, or opening a gash in his head with his talons when he got that close.

This summer at Yellowstone I made a quick stop in a turnout when I saw a woman sneaking up to a bedded elk. I doubt she realized that I was actually photographing her as she walked up to within 3 foot of the elk. When the female elk stood up and postured the gal went a bit pale, I am not sure if I were unfortunate in the fact that it didn't take a run at her or if she was fortunate it didn't. She got her close up photo of the elk and got away with no harm, however my opportunity for a great "when animals attack" pic was not filled. I guess I could have yelled or something to startle the elk and get it to attack, but I didn't want to disturb the nature of what might happen.

(In the video notice the photog off to the left, he was out of the picture through most of it but was ready for the eye gouging.)

[Kayaker72]

The photographer walking in at the end. You know, the one that hiked 2 miles to get there to finally get a picture of a snowy. The one that would have used that big glass to get some great images from a respectful distance.

Yeah, that was me a couple of weeks ago.

Guess I am still just a wee bit bitter. :)

But seriously, let wildlife be wild. That is why Canon invented the 400 mm lens.

[Dr Croubie]

Well, he was either shooting a nikon, or an uber-tamron, people with white-lenses have so much more class...

And was that a 600L being carried by another guy there? looked huge.


Still, given the title of this thread, I was expecting a much worse video...
*grabs owl*
*drops in bowl*
*flush*

[Sean Setters]

Well, he was either shooting a nikon, or an uber-tamron, people with white-lenses have so much more class...

And was that a 600L being carried by another guy there? looked huge.


Still, given the title of this thread, I was expecting a much worse video...
*grabs owl*
*drops in bowl*
*flush*

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who went there. :-)

[conropl]

...This summer at Yellowstone I made a quick stop in a turnout when I saw a woman sneaking up to a bedded elk. I doubt she realized that I was actually photographing her as she walked up to within 3 foot of the elk. When the female elk stood up and postured the gal went a bit pale, I am not sure if I were unfortunate in the fact that it didn't take a run at her or if she was fortunate it didn't. She got her close up photo of the elk and got away with no harm, however my opportunity for a great "when animals attack" pic was not filled. I guess I could have yelled or something to startle the elk and get it to attack, but I didn't want to disturb the nature of what might happen.

Many years ago, my wife and I were in Yellowstone, and there were constant warnings over the radio about staying away from Buffalo because about a dozen people had been gourd that year (they can run very fast actually). So what did we see... a mother with one baby in here arms, one hanging onto here hand, and a third hanging onto her pant leg as they walked out in the middle of a field to get within 10-15 feet of a mother buffalo with a very small calf. I guess the close up picture was more important than her children.

[ddt0725]

Originally Posted by Dr Croubie http://community.the-digital-picture.com/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/showthread.php?p=64426#post64426)
Still, given the title of this thread, I was expecting a much worse video...
*grabs owl*
*drops in bowl*
*flush*



I'm glad I wasn't the only one who went there. :-)

I'll go for this for the stupid mother @ Yellowstone!

[Kayaker72]

Ha....I was about to follow up with a story from Yellowstone where I saw a father posing his entire family with their backs turned to a buffalo ~ 10 ft behind them.....

But then I remembered this:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6851477027_c66d70a33a.jpg

A scanned in photo of a 19 yr old version of myself, holding an ice cream cone, in Banff Canada. Oops.....what can I say, I was young....and the elk was very pre-occupied with the shrubs......

[bob williams]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who went there. :-)

Yep, That's why I spent $7k on a big white lens, so I could get a decent shot without terrorizing the local wildlife----I would like a second chance to photograph them just in case I flub the first shot.

[Jonathan Huyer]

I just wanted to reactivate this thread to provide a link to snowy owl photos by John Marriott. He is Canada's premier wildlife photographer, and he operates with a very high code of ethics. He went to Boundary Bay and came home with a very fine collection of shots. I found them on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-E-Marriott-Wildlife-and-Nature-Photography/282853571777
John's philosophy is to never disturb the wildlife he is shooting, no matter what. His results are proof that with patience (and big glass), you can get great results without having a negative impact.


(https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-E-Marriott-Wildlife-and-Nature-Photography/282853571777)

[nvitalephotography]

now thats how its done...He has some incredible shots of those owls

[ddt0725]

Wow, that is some amazing photography, Jonathan! Thanks for sharing! I wouldn't want to see that many snowy owl's at once though ...my sheer, uncontrollable excitement would no doubt disturb them!!

[Steve U]

Great shots Johnathan, thanks for the link.

[nvitalephotography]

Took a trip to the smoky mountains over the weekend and saw tons of people doing things that reminded me of this thread. Nobody seems to understand the fact that wildlife is in fact Wild.

I took this picture of these two guys. They were not more than 10ft from this deer, and considering it is the beginning of rut and they are on both sides of the deer (there was a third person approaching from behind the deer) its amazing that the deer didn't attack them. Plus people like this ruin the photo opportunities for everyone who does have respect for the animals and stays at a safe distance.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8115030778_7c36bf4d78_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59342069@N07/8115030778/)

Later in the day there was a group watching a young bear just off the road, the park rangers were telling people to stay back. It was amazing how many people I overheard saying that if it wasn't for the rangers being there they would be walking right up to the bear to get photos. Why do people want pictures that bad? if you want a good picture of the bear get one from a professional photographer who has the correct gear for the job, why risk getting injured (which results in the animal being euthanized)and disturbing the wildlife for a crappy picture with your cell phone?

I love our parks and love how many people go to them to enjoy nature but I found myself constantly annoyed with the lack of respect people have for nature.

thanks for reading my rant.

[HDNitehawk]

Nick, you have to admit he was close enough that his picture wasn't foggy :p

I posted this one earlier; it is the wildlife at Yellowstone. I guess if you only have a PS you have to get your shot somehow;
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8024/7650088532_d4be6e65d5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55888666@N08/7650088532/)
Yellowstone 2012 (1 of 1)-2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55888666@N08/7650088532/) by hdnitehawk01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/55888666@N08/), on Flickr

[dsiegel5151]

Nick, you have to admit he was close enough that his picture wasn't foggy :p

I posted this one earlier; it is the wildlife at Yellowstone. I guess if you only have a PS you have to get your shot somehow;
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8024/7650088532_d4be6e65d5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55888666@N08/7650088532/)
Yellowstone 2012 (1 of 1)-2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55888666@N08/7650088532/) by hdnitehawk01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/55888666@N08/), on Flickr

This is one of the worst parts about going to popular sight-seeing spots. I remember one time driving through Alton (IL) and stopping on the road adjacent to the cliffs that line the Mississippi River. This is a pretty popular midwest eagle spot during the winter if you haven't been there. I got out of my car and was watching some Turkey Vultures circling through my binoculars. Within 5 minutes ten cars were pulled over. Mothers and fathers were pointing out the eagles to their kids, iPhones and P&S cameras were firing, etc, etc, etc...I didn't have the heart to tell all those people that they were not watching and photographing eagles.

[HDNitehawk]

The easiest way to find wildlife at Yellowstone is to look for the traffic jamb.

[ahab1372]

This is one of the worst parts about going to popular sight-seeing spots. I remember one time driving through Alton (IL) and stopping on the road adjacent to the cliffs that line the Mississippi River. This is a pretty popular midwest eagle spot during the winter if you haven't been there. I got out of my car and was watching some Turkey Vultures circling through my binoculars. Within 5 minutes ten cars were pulled over. Mothers and fathers were pointing out the eagles to their kids, iPhones and P&S cameras were firing, etc, etc, etc...I didn't have the heart to tell all those people that they were not watching and photographing eagles.
Something like " No kids, they are vultures, they are looking for dead bunnies and other animals that did not make it in he cold, and they will eat them."

Have there ever been reports about people being injured by deer in Yellowstone or other popular places? I know it has happened in many places, but according to the pictures posted here they seem to be very tolerant

[HDNitehawk]

Deer, you see far fewer deer in Yellowstone than Elk or Buffalo and it happens.
The Elk are probably even more dangerous at the big parks, because in the wild they would run away and never get that close to you.

Three years ago when applying for a back country permit they had a picture in the Rangers office of a grandma being hurled in the air by a buffalo she got to close to. All of her kin were just a few feet away watching, and I guess one of them had the forsight to get a picture of it.

[Steve U]

The easiest way to find wildlife at Yellowstone is to look for the traffic jamb.
Heheh, good one.

[nvitalephotography]

Something like " No kids, they are vultures, they are looking for dead bunnies and other animals that did not make it in he cold, and they will eat them."

Have there ever been reports about people being injured by deer in Yellowstone or other popular places? I know it has happened in many places, but according to the pictures posted here they seem to be very tolerant

No, in reality deer and elk for that matter are rather tolerant. But a wild animal in breeding season is never a good thing to test. Male moose in rut for example will attack anything, they have been documented charging trains!