Fierce Curiousity

Hoot Hoot! This Eurasian Eagle Owl played nice for the camera and I got a great close-up. It’s a captive bird, held at The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre just north of where I live. It’s probably the only place I’ll get to photograph this beautiful creature, as they aren’t native to this continent.

Here’s a tip for budding bird photographers: even in direct sunlight, don’t be afraid to use fill flash – it fills in the shadows so nicely on shots like this and really brightens the eyes. Many professional bird photographers use flash, sometimes with a “better beamer” flash extender for the light to reach the subject.