Masked Owl Roost Tree
The Masked Owl is widespread across Australia, but mainly in woodland and forests. Like many owls, it spends the day roosting in a tree hollow. I was lucky to be working with some owl researchers who had tracked an individual to this large dead Red Gum. Being on assignment, I wanted a special shot—one that would make a dramatic double page spread. I prepared well in advance, setting up all my equipment in daylight. The researchers were fairly confident it would emerge from this particular hole in the tree. I focused critically on it and sat down to wait.
When it was fully dark, I could hear scrabbles as it climbed up the inside of the tree. As I peered through the lens I saw—nothing! It was as too dark and I couldn’t risk a torch! So I fired wildly and as the flash lit up the night sky I could see, sure enough, the owl’s head peering out of a hole—but the wrong one! It emerged from a hole about a metre behind the one I was focused on. I love the shot anyway, even if the owl is a bit small and slightly out of focus, because the ambient exposure recorded all the subtle blue and purple hues of night-time.
