2007: The Eric Hosking Portfolio Award - Winner
Bence Máté (Hungary)
Hawk owl swoop
'Finland has many wild places. I spent eight days with friends looking for different species of owls, in areas so isolated few of the birds were scared of humans. In winter, the owls are also very hungry and come out in daylight. This hawk owl took little notice of me as I photographed it swooping to snatch rodents just under the snow.' A favourite among birdwatchers, hawk owls can be very active during the day. They can be seen perching on the tops of trees and roadside telegraph poles in Alaska, parts of Canada and northern America, Europe and Asia. They survive on voles, and have particularly long tails for owls.
Canon EOS 1D Mark II + Canon AF 300mm f2.8 IS USM lens; 1/2500 sec at f8.
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