Killer at my feeder

[wearyo]

This savage bird was at my feeder last evening dining on one of my chickadees<div></div>

[wearyo]

I dont know that I'll ever learn to resize things to post on web. But this bird was sure a treat to see. It's one of those you never find if your looking for it.

[wearyo]

I'll try this photo 1 more time<div></div>

[ellis_vener_photography]

It's one of those "Circle of Life " things.

[mark_chappell]

All I can say is: I'm envious you are treated to a visit by such a cool bird.

[leicaglow]

Bob, that's a neat owl. What lens did you use to capture it?

[wearyo]

Mike ,I shot(i hate saying that)this with a D200 apiture priority ,50-500 sigma lens at f6.5 at 500mm . It was taken at 5:35 in the evening sun had been down for 1/2 hour so I used the built in D200 flash. I only had 4 good frames out of 20 cause of slow shutter speed this one was at 1/60sec ,even with a tree for a rest , but as usual with these things there is no time to set things up right. but I'm happy with what I got.I'll probibly never see another one,(or it will turn into a pest I cant get rid of) Bob

[hjoseph7]

Wow that is a great shot !

[stp]

"Killer" and "savage" probably aren't the most appropriate words to describe how the natural

world works. Or, if one is religiously inclined, they aren't the best words to describe the work

of God. Acts of predation are seldom seen, so you were privileged. The alternative is for the

owl (or its chicks during the breeding season) to die a slow death due to hunger, and when

the chickadees, juncos, song sparrows, and the like increase beyond the carrying capacity of

the land because of the lack of predators, they too will die of starvation because of lack of an

adequate food supply. We don't live in a fairy tale world.

[david_robert1]

Great picture...In thirty years of looking from behind a camera, I've never seen this bird.

[jdrose]

That is no pest.

 

Owls are amazing birds.

 

The owl getting a bird is as natural as you going out to eat. Everyone's gotta have dinner.

[gman]

It is great that you were able to capture an image of the bird. Last month I had a small hawk that was eating a smaller bird in my back yard. By the time I figured out what he was doing and went to get my camera...he was gone! I went out to the area and there was blood and feathers left in the snow. Good job and thanks for sharing.

 

Wayne

[andrew robertson]

Chickadees are disposable anyway. The owl is worth 100 of them.

[jeff_drew4]

The presence of owls & hawks would indicate your area is healthy and providing food & shelter for others. It's a healthy sign and you are lucky to be participating in a natural process. Nice picture!