Owl in flight Close Up

During my last visit to Dudley Zoological Gardens I was able to witness a "bird of prey demonstration" althought I have to confess slightly dissappointed when I saw the owl('bird of prey' being so vague it could have been an eagle or kestrel or something) it was nevertheless a good demonstration, where The demonstrator Dr. David Riley had this owl fly from its perch over the heads of various members of the crowd.

My apologies for the vagueness as I usually like to get the species exactly right but I think this is an Eagle Owl or Great Horned Owl (Bubo Virginianus) or some derivative - I confess I did not pay much attention as I was fussing over camera settings for capturing something flying over my head...

This should give some idea of the difficulty and proximity I was dealing with - the keeper was right behind me. I like this as a composition even if it is more luck than anything, but I have learnt my shutter speed was very slow for this as you can se the owls eyes blurring where they should be sharp.

See also: Owl Calling Owl Close Up Owl in Flight

Taken at Dudley Zoo (Dudley, West midlands, UK) with a Canon 7D and Sigma 120-400mm OS

© 2010 ~James-Marsh