Searching for the Owls

I went out the Hönö yesterday and had some nice weather but also the luck to find the Long-eared Owl and a Goldcrest.

Unfortunately I didn´t get the good quality shoot of the Owl that I had hoped for so I decided to go back this morning. The forecast wasn´t the best but at least I would give it a try. The sunrise was beautiful and the temperatures above zero when I started the car.

I arrived at the ferry just when they started to embark, perfect timing, and onboard I saw a lot of young soccer players that was going to Öckerö to play an indoor tournament over the day. 10 minutes later we arrived and I started the short travel to the same site where the Owl was found yesterday.

Lucky for me it was still there so I rigged the set and looked in the finder. It sat facing inwards towards the trunk of the tree. I now realized that the wind had picked up and it was a freezing cold wind that swept over the island. The nature wasn´t on my side but I must at least try to take some pictures.

Due to the windy conditions and cloudy weather most of the pictures ended up in the Trash. I kept 2, that´s probably just 5% of the pictures I took before the cold got the best of me.

This isn´t a tack sharp picture but it is as good as one could get during those conditions. Hopefully I will be able to go there next weekend under better conditions to get a quality shot. I wish for a picture with a sharp eye with minimal noice. I should have gotten that yesterday but ended up with too much noise for my taste.

I also found a Eurasian Treecreeper that wasn´t camera shy. Still not a quality shot. Twig in the way, lacks sharpness and to noisy, but it gives a feeling for the little fellow. They are not easy to spot and this one I heard just behind my back when it climbs in the tree.

Hönö and Öckerö isn´t really home turf for me but I am beginning to get a grip of the different photo opportunities that could be found there. I will visit the islands more and I hope to bring some better results back home.

One thing I have learned from this weekend is that I always should bring the tripod with me. At least pack it in the car even if I don´t use it. I like to be mobility that my monopod gives me and that setup bring good end results most of the time. I also need to slow down sometimes and think more about the end result and not just shoot away. It is easily forgotten but quantity don´t always bring quality.

My last photo to show is this one.

The sun is over the cloudbase but gives a nice light to the horizon but you can´t see any sunlight on the sea.