Owl glare - Régis Cavignaux - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007: Animal Portraits - Highly Commended

Régis Cavignaux Enlarge image Owl glare

Régis Cavignaux (France)

Owl glare

'Step by step, I crept towards the long-eared owls. They were dozing in wild rose bushes in Champenoux, France. They looked over sometimes, but ignored me. It took me an hour to get close enough, then one turned to look straight at me. Its eyes seemed as bright as the berries.' Like all owls, the long-eared owl can see and hear extremely well. But the tufts on its head are not ears, they're feathers the owl raises when alarmed. This species is highly nocturnal, so it is rarely seen in the wild except on migration or when roosting. In winter it forms communal daytime roosts, where 12 or more birds might gather.

Nikon D2Xs + 400mm f2.8 lens; 1/350 sec; ISO 250; monopod.

This photograph is available to buy as a print.