Northern Saw-Whet Owl

by Matt Bango

The Saw-Whet Owl is a very small owl of all types of woodlands. Its size is a conservative 7-8 inches from head to tail. Imaging an owl the size of your fist that sits completely still and has camouflage to help him blend in. The main prey items of the Saw-Whet are mice, especially deer mice. This cute little owl's main defense is to sit still and hide behind branches when something comes near it. I happened to come across this Saw-Whet while actually searching for one. The result was about 3 hours of shooting the little guy, it was quite a treat and would spend a month looking for one if I had to. It's amazing the things you can find if you know what to look for. The next time you're out walking in the woods, take a few minutes to pay attention to the small things surrounding you, you never know what will be hiding there. You might see some big bright yellow eyes staring at you!

Equipment: Nikon D50, Nikon 300mm AF-S, Tripod

Matt Bango

21 year old amateur photographer currently attending the Rochester Institute of Technology pursuing a degree in Information Technology.

Website: www.mattbango.com

Northern Saw-Whet Owl by Matt Bango was photo of the day on Sunday, 11th March 2007. It is tagged Birds, Owls. You can leave a comment below.

21 Comments

Poras Chaudhary

11th March 2007 at 5:18 am

Wow… Look! what’s in its claws…
Fantastic capture..

Marilyn Fioravanti

11th March 2007 at 8:05 am

What a wonderful photo. The surrounding colors, the brown in the branch and the greens and orange, make it perfect.

Thank you.

Marilyn

Bill Pevlor

11th March 2007 at 11:00 am

This is an excellent image – I love the clarity and detail. Those eyes immediately draw you in. They eyes captivated me so much it was a awhile before I noticed it had a mouse in it’s talons. I was almost fooled by the, “Who, me?” (pun intended) expression on his face. Cute predator. Great capture!

Photo Buffet

12th March 2007 at 5:21 am

I enjoyed your explanation almost as much as this remarkable image, Matt. I didn’t realize owls came in such compact sizes! I could hear your passion for photography, and it certainly shows. It inspires me to pay better attention, too.

Doug Jansen

13th March 2007 at 1:15 am

Great shot……..what a HOOOOOOOOOOT,,,,,,,,,,,feel sorry for the mouse, however that is nature, the Owl has to eat to stay alive as well as the mouse.
I always look around me when I walk my dogs in the bush..I live in Sydney AUSTRALIA…..
Doug Jansen

Charu

30th March 2007 at 7:38 pm

Howwww cute! The seeming mix of bewilderment and innocence in the owl’s face is simply adorable…thank you for this brilliant shot, it’s sure made my day!

Joshua

17th July 2007 at 2:00 am

This photo seems as though the owl is surprised to see you, it’s certainly the cutest owl I have ever seen. The branch and the tree really goes great against the staring owl. Great photo. Well done!

Michele

30th July 2007 at 1:33 pm

Vey beautiful. Looking at it promotes a feeling of beautiful innocence that makes everything seemalright with the world.

kml

11th August 2007 at 1:35 am

You captured him so perfectly – the background really sets him off beautifully! How lucky you were to see him, and how fortunate we are to get to see your beautiful work!

Ann

11th March 2008 at 7:16 pm

A fantastic nature shot. Everything is spot on. Many a professional I am sure would be happy with an image of this calibre. I also applaud your explanation, I find it makes for far more interest when there is background information.