Barn Owl in North Norfolk

I took these shots yesterday whilst on a short birding break in North Norfolk.  I was surprised how common they are with eight birds seen in the Burnham Overy Staithe area alone.  This one was hunting along a deep drain late in the afternoon at eye level.

Barn Owl poser

Some pleasing shots taken at Goss Moor owl sanctuary yesterday.  ScreechOwl is a sanctuary for injured birds and rare breeds.  A totally inspiring place and a must for anyone interested in owls.  More to  come during the week!

Walmsley attracts the birds and birders

A warm Spring day filled both the Tower Hide and mini hide with birders today at this stunning CBWPS reserve. Following a bitterly cold Saturday, today was the opposite. And the birders present could not have been disappointed. A pair of Merlins, 30 Black-tailed Godwit, several Little Egrets, Water Rail, Snipe, Barn Owl, Shovelers, Gadwalls, Teals, Pochard, migrant Swallows and Sand Martins and aggressive swans and geese all added to the entertainment. Below are a selection of shots taken today.

Male Merlin photographed at about 150 metres. This was the best I could get given the distance and heat haze. The visisble spots around this tiny raptor are midges !

About 30 Black-tailed Godwits were flying round the reserve. The middle bird was well advanced into breeding dress.

Barn Owl at Walmsley

This delightful Barn Owl hunted along the border of the reserve for about ten minutes this morning and approached to within 30 metres.

EXIF Detail:Aperture Priority. Shutter Speed varies between 1/1000th second and 1/500th. Ap F/4.8 ISO250, Focal Length 700mm, varies between EV -0.7 and -1.3, White Balance: Cloudy.


All of the images were taken with the 300mm F/2.8 lens and 1.7x TC, in high speed crop mode, hence the high focal length of 700mm.