We often think of owls in one particular type of habitat, and for good reason.
These solitary night hunters typically are found in a certain different range of environments where they can utilize their best abilities, including stealth flying and night vision, in the most effective manner possible.
Recently, a Dutch photographer named Hannie Heere photographed an adorable baby of the barn owl species in a completely different environment: out in the open, running across a field of grass.
The photo has been viewed and shared hundreds of thousands of times across social media, as glimpses of the quirky baby owl have inspired countless people due to their quirkiness.
“Oh my goodness!! Looks like a costume!! So cute,” wrote one commenter named Trisha under a posting of the photo from the website PetaPixels.com.
Another reader named Leslie had the following to say.
“Kudos to the photographer. I would have been too amazed to remember to snap a pic. Cutest thing ever.”
The Story Behind the Iconic Photo
The photographer Mr. Heere told PetaPixel the story behind his famous photo recently.
“I was laying on the ground,” she said. “This young bird could not fly yet and was not afraid. I took the picture from a distance of about 5 to 6 meters (about 16 feet).”
Heere, age 63, lives in the city of Dordrecht in The Netherlands.
She says she has always enjoyed photography throughout her life, but did not start taking it seriously until her children became adults and left home.
She began taking courses and workshops in 2016 to improve her skills, and since then her primary focus has been nature and wildlife photography.
Heere saw the owlet and did her best to capture it before snapping the timeless photo of the tiny bird running.
On May 28th, Heere spotted the confident but small owl chick nearby.
The chick was fluffy with white feathers, which are typically replaced with mature feathers as the owl becomes old enough to fly.
Barn owlets begin flapping their wings at seven weeks, making short flights around the nest at eight weeks before appearing similar to adult barn owls and becoming skilled flyers at the age of 10 weeks.
With so much diversity of wildlife nearby and so many other species of birds to compete with for food, the adorable little owls need every ounce of skill and competitiveness to get ahead in life.
This baby owl is clearly taking the initiative by developing his running muscles prior to learning how to take to the skies.
Heere said she was surprised at how popular the photo has become in such a short period of time.
The photo captures the innocence, softness, and the burgeoning struggle of becoming a young owl, which is part of why it became so popular across social media networks so fast.
Heere snapped the timeless photo using a Canon 5D Mark IV DSLR and a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens at f/8, 1/1000s, and ISO 200.
“I was very, very surprised (at how popular the photo has been),” Heere said to the website.
While she did not take video of the owl running, you can see what it may have looked like in live action below.
She added that she hopes to take her nature photography to the next level by earning money from it in the near future.
You can learn more about the cameras that Heere used or purchase them for your own photography adventures by clicking on the pictures below.
Mrs. Heere, who says her favorite hobbies are traveling, hiking, cycling, and photography, also has a Facebook page you can check out here.
Below is a picture of her and another one of her works.
She is currently doing photography as a hobby, but that could definitely change in the very near future!
Until then, let’s share her wonderful photography in hopes of making that dream come true some day.
She certainly deserves it!
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