Birding & Wildlife Owl Backgrounds |
Great Horned Owl Desktop Background Images
We've heard that many of our viewers enjoy placing our images on their computer
desktop as backgrounds. This page is a repository of new images formated just for that
purpose. Generally images go here before they are placed in the galleries. Any gallery
image can also be used as a background but they are not specifically formated to fit the
desktop.
Images will change frequently so that you will have access to the most current events in
our natural world. Even a really great background needs to change after awhile. Right
Click on any image and choose "Set As Background". If your browser does not offer that
choice, save the image to your hard drive and choose the file as your background through
the Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Change The Desktop Background >
Browse (to the file on your hard drive) > Apply > OK.
We believe in Sharing our work. You may use any of our images for a background for
your personal computer. These images are lower resolution than those used to make high
quality professional enlargements.
These images will join other new images in the galleries.
Our Drug PSA Desktop Backgrounds are also online and have absolutely nothing
to do with the natural world.
We've heard that many of our viewers enjoy placing our images on their computer
desktop as backgrounds. This page is a repository of new images formated just for that
purpose. Generally images go here before they are placed in the galleries. Any gallery
image can also be used as a background but they are not specifically formated to fit the
desktop.
Images will change frequently so that you will have access to the most current events in
our natural world. Even a really great background needs to change after awhile. Right
Click on any image and choose "Set As Background". If your browser does not offer that
choice, save the image to your hard drive and choose the file as your background through
the Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Change The Desktop Background >
Browse (to the file on your hard drive) > Apply > OK.
We believe in Sharing our work. You may use any of our images for a background for
your personal computer. These images are lower resolution than those used to make high
quality professional enlargements.
These images will join other new images in the galleries.
Our Drug PSA Desktop Backgrounds are also online and have absolutely nothing
to do with the natural world.
| © 2005 - 2012 ShareTheRoad Productions |
Some techie friends and I talked about the calls that the adult great horned owls make as they return to the nest with food in the evening and the response
calls from the youngsters. We designed a method to video (and stereo audio) tape it. Using a suggestion that I picked up at a Nature Sounds recording
workshop in SF I created a diagram of the system (Telinga Stereo DAT parabolic mic to Sony PCM D-50 digital audio recorder, out through phones via 25 ft
XLR cable to a Sign Audio mixer and into the Sony HDR FX-1000 video camera with the parabolic mic directly under the nest tree, monitoring audio from vid
cam phones out). With the addition of an HID (i.e. very bright) bike light I was able to capture video way beyond darkness. Live audio adds so much to
video if conditions are right. The fluctuations of the wind and the branches moving and most importantly the actual sound of a fledgling owl as it is
made...wow. I am going to try to extend out to 50 ft of mic cable (stereo, unbalanced) as there shouldn't be a lot of RF or magnetic interference in the forest.
Pointing the parabolic up to the nest greatly increases jet noise, but jet noise doesn't make the final cut anyway. I have another 50 ft of cable that allows me to
control the vid cam by remote so that I can be 100 feet from the mic placement. I've extended the video lens to 1386 mm so I can easily shoot near full frame
from that distance. It's coming together. Transporting the gear in the field is a problem solved with a baby jogger.
This is a pretty unusual audio recording. We have been observing owls in the nests for 4 years and haven't even heard this communication before. Here are
the field notes:
"There were 2 Great Horned Owl fledglings in the nest tree who had both dropped down to the nest from nearby branches preparing to receive supper about
45 minutes after sundown. Another fledgling was roosting in a nearby tree. The female adult flew to her nearby roost tree with a small rabbit. The adult
began calling a single syllable call announcing her presence and the fledglings in the nest (one much louder than the other) and the other in a nearby tree
returned her call in a call and response fashion. After about 5 minutes of this call the adult female began calling with a typical hoot and the fledglings returned
her call. After about 30 minutes the adult female delivered the small rabbit to the nest and it was taken by the largest of the two fledglings. The adult returned
to her nearby roost tree and was silent. (Previously the male had arrived, called and delivered a small mammal to the fledgling that was away from the nest,
then flew off.)"
The 3 minute .mp3 audio sample which features the adult female call and hoot and the kids' response will automatically start playing when it has loaded. It's
like being in a Baptist Church out in the forest (call and response)...with the wind blowing. During the hooting you can best hear the fledgling who is roosting
in another tree. The first 1:30 is the call and response. The last 1:30 is the hoot and response.
I stayed so late following the action that I got locked in the park (American River Parkway, Sacramento) and was rewarded with a $54 ticket. The $54 field
session (it was worth it). Fortunately I was also testing a method of transporting all of that equipment in the field so I was able to get it to a gate where I was
picked up by a friend and I got the car the next day.
calls from the youngsters. We designed a method to video (and stereo audio) tape it. Using a suggestion that I picked up at a Nature Sounds recording
workshop in SF I created a diagram of the system (Telinga Stereo DAT parabolic mic to Sony PCM D-50 digital audio recorder, out through phones via 25 ft
XLR cable to a Sign Audio mixer and into the Sony HDR FX-1000 video camera with the parabolic mic directly under the nest tree, monitoring audio from vid
cam phones out). With the addition of an HID (i.e. very bright) bike light I was able to capture video way beyond darkness. Live audio adds so much to
video if conditions are right. The fluctuations of the wind and the branches moving and most importantly the actual sound of a fledgling owl as it is
made...wow. I am going to try to extend out to 50 ft of mic cable (stereo, unbalanced) as there shouldn't be a lot of RF or magnetic interference in the forest.
Pointing the parabolic up to the nest greatly increases jet noise, but jet noise doesn't make the final cut anyway. I have another 50 ft of cable that allows me to
control the vid cam by remote so that I can be 100 feet from the mic placement. I've extended the video lens to 1386 mm so I can easily shoot near full frame
from that distance. It's coming together. Transporting the gear in the field is a problem solved with a baby jogger.
This is a pretty unusual audio recording. We have been observing owls in the nests for 4 years and haven't even heard this communication before. Here are
the field notes:
"There were 2 Great Horned Owl fledglings in the nest tree who had both dropped down to the nest from nearby branches preparing to receive supper about
45 minutes after sundown. Another fledgling was roosting in a nearby tree. The female adult flew to her nearby roost tree with a small rabbit. The adult
began calling a single syllable call announcing her presence and the fledglings in the nest (one much louder than the other) and the other in a nearby tree
returned her call in a call and response fashion. After about 5 minutes of this call the adult female began calling with a typical hoot and the fledglings returned
her call. After about 30 minutes the adult female delivered the small rabbit to the nest and it was taken by the largest of the two fledglings. The adult returned
to her nearby roost tree and was silent. (Previously the male had arrived, called and delivered a small mammal to the fledgling that was away from the nest,
then flew off.)"
The 3 minute .mp3 audio sample which features the adult female call and hoot and the kids' response will automatically start playing when it has loaded. It's
like being in a Baptist Church out in the forest (call and response)...with the wind blowing. During the hooting you can best hear the fledgling who is roosting
in another tree. The first 1:30 is the call and response. The last 1:30 is the hoot and response.
I stayed so late following the action that I got locked in the park (American River Parkway, Sacramento) and was rewarded with a $54 ticket. The $54 field
session (it was worth it). Fortunately I was also testing a method of transporting all of that equipment in the field so I was able to get it to a gate where I was
picked up by a friend and I got the car the next day.
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