Jacob Dedman, The Owl (JUNIOR 2020)

Owls are such magnificent creatures! They are extremely smart, they have the power of silent flight, and are handsome in many ways. This particular bird is a Barking owl (Ninox connivens). This species is listed as endangered and they are not readily seen in the wild. The owl pictured in this photo is called "Digger". He is a very excited bird and he never stayed still for very long! The highlight of photographing him would have to have been the moment when he flew off his perch and actually landed on my shoulder! I can just imagine you, the viewer, saying: "But doesn’t its talons hurt you?!" and the answer is no it didn’t hurt, but I wouldn’t say that it tickled! Black sheet used for background. EXIF data: Canon 5D Mark IV with Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 VC G2 (AO25) @200mm, f/2.8, ISO 800, exposure time: 1/1250sec, Flash (Yongnuo 600EX RT II), spot metering. Edited in Adobe Lightroom Classic

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.