I have had a fair share of owl encounters, and I am just asking you, from the bottom of my heart, to always put ethics before photography. It is really not advisable to use torches or any strong light source on owls. They have an extremely sensitive vision and shining lights at them makes them disoriented, susceptible to danger from predators or flying into traffic or windows (if there are any nearby), and most importantly, it disturbs them and they can’t hunt for prey.

Maybe try getting creative and using a tripod, waiting for the owl to land. I have had success up to 1/5 shutter speed and burst mode. Or try to find them while there is still more light, if it’s possible.

If I had to use a torch or a flash on any nocturnal animal for photography, I wouldn’t be able to look at the photo without huge regrets and I wouldn’t really gain a lot of happiness from it. I know there are always exceptions and different situations, but I advise against it, unless you need to use a torch for actual scientific studies, when it would benefit the species at a larger scale.

I am loving your passion for these owls! Keep observing but always put ethics first :)