Interesting Photo of the Day: A Parliament of Burrowing Owls

Owls are equal parts creepy and cute. Photographer Mac Stone describes them as neurotic. I imagine getting close to them can be difficult because if you aren’t already transfixed by those beady yellow eyes, you should know that owls can be incredibly territorial and don’t take kindly to shutterbugs poking around. So how did Stone capture this image of owls burrowing outside their tunnel? He hid his camera inside a road cone of course:

Owls Outside Their Tunnel (Click Image to See Full Size, Imgur)

His first setup wasn’t as successful, evidenced by the fact that the owls did not go anywhere near his camera to get a decent shot. As you may have already gathered, owls or wild birds in general, aren’t too comfortable in front of the camera, so Stone had to regroup. He hit the jackpot with a road cone he modified to hold his camera with the lens partially exposed.

This image is actually part of a timelapse video Stone created to show “how much character these beautiful birds have.”:

“These image sequences were all part of an effort to make a unique photograph of burrowing owls in their natural habitat. As diurnal birds, they spend most of the day outside their burrow keeping watch for predators. In order to get really close without scaring them, I placed my camera inside a road cone which they had grown accustomed to as a marker for their burrow. Leaving my camera in the cone-hide, I could let it cycle a photo every 2 seconds, offering a rare glimpse into the secret life of burrowing owls.”

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