This was the highlight of the Kruger trip for me, African scops owl (Otus senegalensis). It is our smallest owl, about the size of a sparrow. This little owl gives a monotonous quivering distinctive "prrrp" at five second intervals, which Esther recognised as soon as she heard it, causing a rush to find it in the trees outside the chalet. It has ear tufts, but they are usually folded back unless it is disturbed.
Something else about these photos, they were all taken handheld at 1/60th of a second, something I would not have believed possible until I tried it. The lighting is just a normal hand torch, I would not use a flash with night birds as it would be highly unethical as it can damage their eyes. The hand holding at such a slow shutter speed was made possible by the combination of optical image stabilisation of the 400mm f1.8 lens, the ability of the lens to open to f1.8, and the in-body image stabilisation of the Canon R5 which is off the scale amazing.
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This was the highlight of the Kruger trip for me, African scops owl (Otus senegalensis). It is our smallest owl, about the size of a sparrow. This little owl gives a monotonous quivering distinctive "prrrp" at five second intervals, which Esther recognised as soon as she heard it, causing a rush to find it in the trees outside the chalet. It has ear tufts, but they are usually folded back unless it is disturbed.
Something else about these photos, they were all taken handheld at 1/60th of a second, something I would not have believed possible until I tried it. The lighting is just a normal hand torch, I would not use a flash with night birds as it would be highly unethical as it can damage their eyes. The hand holding at such a slow shutter speed was made possible by the combination of optical image stabilisation of the 400mm f1.8 lens, the ability of the lens to open to f1.8, and the in-body image stabilisation of the Canon R5 which is off the scale amazing.
Africa (entire continent rather than south of Sahara)
AN
Antarctica
AO
Atlantic Ocean
AU
Australasia (Wallacea (Indonesian islands east of Wallace's line), New Guinea and its islands, Australia, New Zealand and its subantarctic islands, the Solomons, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu)
PAL
Eurasia (Europe, Asia from the Middle East through central Asia north of the Himalayas, Siberia and northern China to Japan)
IO
Indian Ocean
LA
Latin America (Middle and South America)
MA
Middle America (Mexico through Panama)
NA
North America (includes the Caribbean)
NO
Northern oceans
OR
Oriental Region (South Asia from Pakistan to Taiwan, plus Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Greater Sundas)