I’ve always been a sucker for Birds of Prey, and Owls in particular, so when I got the chance to photograph this species I jumped at the chance. The Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosi) is a large bird – the longest in length – and primarily inhabits areas of the cooler northern hemisphere.
I shot this beauty on a workshop run by Roy Rimmer and Mike Hudson (North West Wildlife Workshops) in NW England on a typical northern drab day. These dull days that we have so many of are quite helpful in that they help to create a more detailed shot of the bird as there is no strong sunlight to burn-out the highlights or create harsh contrasts. As the Owl normally resides in dense coniferous forests I wanted to try to re-create that in the shots which can be seen below…