Beast meets a barn owl, with a camera for a change

[beast66606]

Despite seeing my local barn owl frequently, she has eluded my camera - until tonight

 

I had to keep stopping the car to take the shots, if only I had a passenger with me - there would have been some awesome, "barn owl flying alongside the car" shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again she perched in a tree, waited for me to get very close and then, before the shutter clicked, was off.

[beast66606]

Not posted any barn owl shots for a good while so I thought it was time to add a few more.

 

I know of several barn owl roosts in my local area, the one near where the pictures were taken was used for rearing some (never saw them but the noise coming out of the tree implied more than one !) young and for a while the parent owls were busy every morning when I passed. (It's a handy place as I can pass it on my way back from photographing trains!) but for a few weeks they have been absent - or at least I haven't seen them - until this morning when this one appeared right next to me whilst I was driving along (I only drive at about 10 mph as there's lots of wildlife to see in this area, and there's rarely any other traffic) so I parked as quickly as I could and got the camera out and these are the result

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the last shot the owl flew very close to me but unfortunately the sun was directly behind it so I could watch as it passed but no photo possible.

[mark374]

supeb photos of such a lovely bird, by far one of my favorite birds

 i was at college oneday and one landed on a fence post  6ft from the window,  i was facinated by it  but when i got my phone for a picture it flew off,    also had a tawny owl living in are makeshift workshop,   i use to walk around with two featheres i found in there  taped inside my hard hat,  and use to ger callled Astrix, 

 

mark

[Southernman46]

Excellent stuff Dave - heck of a job catching a bird on the wing, specially with a long lens.

 

Indeed - this was taken off the OB just north of Culham station - I then had to duck very swiftly ........ even out of focus those eyes .................... glad I'm not a vole ......................

[beast66606]

Although I've seen plenty of barnies, not really had chance to get any decent photos - until yesterday afternoon when I was heading home. Very windy so unusual for the owl to be out, they are so light the wind knocks them around so he (I think) must have been hungry or have young.

 

Note - the owl flew very close to me, the last photo is not cropped, it really was only a small number of feet away.

[jamie92208]

Those are fabulous Photos.  They are such lovely birds.   We've heard the barn owls and a little owl around us but the one that we had resident in the woodshed doesn't seem to have come back this year.

 

Jamie

[Joseph_Pestell]

9 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Those are fabulous Photos.  They are such lovely birds.   We've heard the barn owls and a little owl around us but the one that we had resident in the woodshed doesn't seem to have come back this year.

 

Jamie

 

Probably does not like the sound of O gauge trains rumbling round the layout.

 

By "little owl", do you mean a Petit Duc (Skop's Owl)? Very rarely seen but very distinctive call which can go on all night and really disturb sleep. My cousin had one that had roosted in a small alcove in the wall of her house.

[jamie92208]

18 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Probably does not like the sound of O gauge trains rumbling round the layout.

 

By "little owl", do you mean a Petit Duc (Skop's Owl)? Very rarely seen but very distinctive call which can go on all night and really disturb sleep. My cousin had one that had roosted in a small alcove in the wall of her house.

Yes I think that's the right one.  I have seen them around in the day whereas the Barn owl is almost nocturnal, we have only seen one once in the daylight.

 

Jamie