Amazing Grass Owls of Candaba Swamp Photo Gallery by romy ocon at pbase.com

Amazing Grass Owls of Candaba Swamp

I visited Candaba Swamp this afternoon (August 2, 2005), hoping to get a glimpse of the early migrant arrivals. I was met with a heavy downpour – perhaps my favorite wetlands is throwing a tantrum for my long absence? My reliable Suzuki Jimny 4x4 couldn’t reach the big pond even at 4L gear, the mud was much too deep.
So I just waited it out inside the vehicle, smoking stick after stick of my favorite lung-buster.

Then at about 4 pm, the shower suddenly stopped. And the golden sun peeked through the rainclouds. As if on cue, the wetlands came alive with bird activity.
To my pleasant surprise and amazement, several Grass Owls (at least six individuals) took to the air and prowled the grasslands, hunting for their meal.

These pics, my best of this species so far, are but a poor attempt to capture the eye-popping beauty of these magnificent birds of prey.

IMG_3869-1000x750.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	anim_owl_300x450.gif GRASS OWL COMING AT ME - I used Adobe ImageReady to somehow animate a 14-frame Grass Owl in flight. This is a largish GIF file, so you have to wait for the whole file to load before animation begins. I chose a frame rate of 5 fps (same as the 20D's capture rate) so the speed of approach of the bird to the viewer is the same as in real life. Comments welcome.	IMG_3600-1.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3602_100%_crop-head.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3602_100%_crop-feet.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]
IMG_3835-1.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	burst12-900x2000.jpg Here's a 12-frame composite of a burst from the 20D + 400 5.6L. Out of 17 total frames, only one is out of focus, and 4 are still in focus but with clipped parts (out of the frame) because the bird is already too near. Amazing AI servo performance of the combo - 16 out of 17 focused shots, or 94 % AF success rate.	IMG_3601.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3599-1000x1000.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3777.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]
IMG_3604-1.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3867-1000x750.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3650-1.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3827.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3627.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]
IMG_3912-800x600.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3600-1.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3913.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3910.jpg Grass Owl Scientific name - Tyto capensis Habitat - Grasslands and canefields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]	IMG_3635.jpg Cinnamon Bittern Scientific name: Ixobrychus cinnamomeus Habitat: Ricefields, marshes and mangroves. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]
IMG_2354.jpg Wood Sandpiper Scientific Name - Tringa glareola Habitat - Exposed shores of marshes, ponds and in ricefields. [350D + Sigmonster(Sigma 300-800 DG)]	IMG_2352.jpg Wood Sandpiper Scientific Name - Tringa glareola Habitat - Exposed shores of marshes, ponds and in ricefields. [350D + Sigmonster(Sigma 300-800 DG)]	IMG_3811.jpg Oriental Pratincole (non-breeding) Scientific name - Glareola maldivarum Habitat - Common in drier open areas, dry ricefields, pastures and plowed fields. [20D + 400 5.6L, hand held]

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