Mike Cohen
October 2026 - Burrowing Owl
Original
About the Image(s)
Burrowing Owls are the most animated owls I have seen. Sometimes they just have to see what you look like upside down to get a good read on you. Besides the crop, I played with the color a lot. Overall, I cooled the image down from the entire image except the eyes. I added some sharpening to the owl and tree limb, and removed noise from the background in Lightroom. In Photoshop, I ran Topaz DeNoise which added a barely discernible amount of sharpening. In NIK Effects I added a bit of Clear View and Detail on the owl. Finally, I desaturated the belly feathers a bit to remove more of the yellow color cast. Sony a1ii, 100-400mm lens, f/4.5, 1/2000 second, ISO 6400.
13 comments posted
Mike, I was just out in the Badlands and had so hoped to see burrowing owls, which share the homes of prairie dogs. But they had already gone south. I'll have to look for them in Florida sometime. Such a cute photo with so much personality. I'd love to know time of day, when it was taken, circumstances and all. The upside down gaze is so different! And the editing is all you could ask for. It stands out. The light spots in the background don't bother me. I am focused on those eyes. Great job. Posted: 10/06/2026 17:44:08
Thanks Tracy. We are lucky to have relatively aclimated burrowing owls in several south Florida parks. Coral Cove, over on the west coast, is probably best well known. But Davie Florida has two wonderful public recreational areas where there are many nests. Vista View is my favorite and Brian Piccalo is also good. I generally shoot in the morning, which was when this image was taken, but the afternoons are good for owls too. They have chicks in the spring which is when I go quite often to watch and photograph them. Posted: 10/07/2026 01:24:18
Mike, thank you for those great suggestions. Maybe next year I can make a trip. I love your photo. Posted: 10/08/2026 10:45:01
Mike I think you mean Cape Coral, FL on the west coast. I live on the cape and have had several burrows on my property over the years. We have also had several spend summers on window sills or inside the culvert in front of the house. Late January or early February the city also holds a burrowing owl festival. Posted: 10/19/2026 21:04:23
You are absolutely right. Old age kicking in. Posted: 10/19/2026 21:14:56
(Groups 34 & 81)
He is gorgeous as is the post processing you have done.
Well done. Posted: 10/10/2026 14:27:36
Well done. Posted: 10/10/2026 14:27:36
This just made me laugh. What a wonderful capture of this inquisitive owl. There are burrowing owls in eastern Washington and I have seen them on fence posts but not in trees. Your post processing is spot on. This picture deserves a special caption but I'm at a loss for one at the moment. I just wish it was my image! Absolutely wonderful!! Posted: 10/10/2026 23:28:00
Who doesn't love burrowing owls? We have them in our area too living along side ground squirrels. You picked a great moment to photograph this curious owl. Based on the markings on his chest, I would guess that he is a juvenile. Your post processing looks great. The only minor suggestion I have is to bring back some natural green in the lichen on the branch. Posted: 10/13/2026 17:31:48
What a fun image. I have been to Brain Piccolo (long time ago with Don Hamilton) but didn't get this lucky. To me the upper portion of the background seem a little too bright. If you agree, selecting the background and adding a neutral density gradient might tone it down some. Otherwise I think you post processing works great. Posted: 10/13/2026 18:49:54
I think you're right. Maybe warm it up a tad as well. Thanks and thanks for the other comments as well.
Mike Posted: 10/19/2026 21:14:04
Mike Posted: 10/19/2026 21:14:04
Another great job cropping and editing. It is refreshing to see a capture on a burrowing owl not sitting on the perch that the wild life associations place by the burrows and are acceptable under nature guidelines. There is usually 4 white PVC pipes placed in the ground to create a 10' x 10' protective area around the burrow.
Eye coloring is great and the feathers are of a very natural coloring as sometimes there is often a yellow tint to the chest feathers.
The Cape Coral area is starting to producing a lot of burrowing owls with completely black eyes and they are not anywhere as picturesque as those bright yellow eyes. Posted: 10/19/2026 21:16:56
Eye coloring is great and the feathers are of a very natural coloring as sometimes there is often a yellow tint to the chest feathers.
The Cape Coral area is starting to producing a lot of burrowing owls with completely black eyes and they are not anywhere as picturesque as those bright yellow eyes. Posted: 10/19/2026 21:16:56
That's interesting. Maybe you and I can meet there one day when the chicks are out of the nest. Mike Posted: 10/19/2026 23:07:27
MARVELOUS!! What a delightful fellow. Looking at him just makes me smile. I suggest easing up on the brightness, and adding a bit of vibrance or clarity to enhance the colors. This image deserves prime wall space. Posted: 10/22/2026 20:00:35