Fly Past

 This incredible bird's piercing cry could be heard every day as it flew along the valley in search of prey.

Most often it flew some distance away but occasionally it came close enough to get a good look and just once I had my camera ready for the shot as it swooped overhead. Not only did I hear its cry but also to powerful rush of air as it flapped its wings above me. 

Lanner Falcon

 This is such a stunning looking bird, so perfectly adapted to make it a deadly hunter. It feeds of small birds and bats, it will fly to about 3000' and then stoop at high speed to snatch its prey on the wing. 

They are so effective as hunters that they are popular in falconry and are bred in captivity. One bird recently sold for over $70,000 dollars.

Patience My A***

 This is a rather fine specimen of a Griffon Vulture, or Eurasian Griffon which is found in southern Europe and across Asia. They can grow up to 122cm tall with a wingspan up to 2.8m so quite a formidable bird. I remember watching a vulture in a zoo ripping apart a goats leg, stripping the tendons away from the bone, it was really impressive to see the power in its claws and beak.

I like the watchful pose of this bird, hunched as if ready to launch into the air and catch some thermals in search of the next meal.

It reminded me of a picture on a t-shirt I saw many many years ago that had two vultures sitting in a tree surveying the dry landscape, they were scrawny and obviously very hungry and one was saying to the other "Patience my ass, I'm going to kill something".

This one won't have to worry about its next meal as it is resident at the National Centre for Birds of Prey at Helmsley where it obviously receives excellent care.

Eagle Eyed

 I think that in the natural world my favourite things are birds of prey and I always get a buzz of excitement when I see them in the wild. There are several birds on my bucket list of birds I want to see and hopefully photograph in their natural habitat. In reality I don't expect to get to see many of them so I am grateful for places like the National Centre for Birds of Prey at Duncombe Park where they do great work for the conservation of so many species that I would never get to see in the wild. 

I visited with my mum recently and although we got caught in the rain we got to see some beautiful birds and enjoy a wonderful flying display. Of course I took loads of photos some of which I will be sharing.

For today I have just one image of a Tawny Eagle a species which is more at home in sub Saharan Africa. While in some regions the population is fairly strong in other areas it is considered as a threatened species with population loss due to poisoning and shooting or from traffic.

I  think this is a stunning looking bird, I love the intense expression.

I have had to do a close up image because this bird was in an aviary and I was shooting through the mesh of the enclosure so it is quite a soft image but I think by doing so I have been able to emphasise the intensity of its stare and get across something of the power of this beautiful bird.

Little Hunters

Another change of theme today, but in case you missed yesterday's post it's well worth taking a look because I think it is one of the best pictures I have shared for a long time.

Today though I have selected these beautiful portraits of two small but very powerful hunters.

The first is an American Barn Owl. It differs from the European Barn Owl by having much darker plumage down its back. I love its sweetheart face and its peaceful expression.

The second image, my favourite, is of a White Faced Scops Owl, in this shot he is sitting on a fence post about to fly to its handler. It really is a delightful little bird with a huge personality.

Birds In Flight

So before I get into today's post and talk about the pictures below I have to put something right. The other day I did a post titled Long Eared Owl and I shared some beautiful shots of a really magnificent bird. The only problem is it was not a Long Eared Owl it was a Eurasian Eagle Owl and I wanted to clear that up, it doesn't change the fact that they're great pictures though so if you haven't seen them take a few moments and have a look.

But now for today...

I won't pretend that these are necessarily great pictures but they're not dreadful either. They do show how difficult it is to get perfect shots of birds in flight especially in low light conditions where it isn't possible to use a fast shutter speed. The light really was poor on this particular day and these birds don't hang about so it is not a good combination.

Nevertheless there it was a good challenge and while I have discarded lots of images I think these few are worth sharing. Bear in mind that these were all shot handheld at 1/200sec with and ISO of 640 between 300mm and 600mm with birds capable of flying 50 - 60mph or more.

So from top to bottom we have a British Barn Owl (this one is called Bob and at one point he sat on my head), next we have two shots of a Snowy Owl, next up is a Harris Hawk and then a hybrid bird, a cross between a Gyr Falcon and Saker Falcon (which by the way is absolutely beautiful and I will share a better picture of it tomorrow) and the final two shots were the last of the day and feature a Black Kite that was demonstrating how agile it is by catching food that was tossed into the air. 

I am fairly happy with these pictures, but as ever they just spur me on to want to do better so come the better weather (better light conditions) I will be back to try again.

Long Eared Owl

I have had a great day today. 

I set out early this morning intent on a spot of landscape photography and with the hope that I would catch a beautiful sunrise across the Trough of Bowland but sadly the sky stayed grey and overcast all day. So I quickly gave up on the idea of landscape photography and I almost decided to head back home. 

However after a delicious bacon butty and mug of hot chocolate I reassessed my options and following a quick search on the internet I decided to go to the Turbary Owl  and Bird of Prey Sanctuary. 

I wasn't sure what to expect to be honest as it was tucked away behind a garden centre and my first impression wasn't too promising. However it was actually a great place to spend a couple of hours on a cold, cloudy Saturday. It was well worth the £5 entrance fee and I didn't mind paying the suggested additional donation for taking Hi Res photos because all of the money goes to the upkeep of the centre which is run by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers.

There were lots of birds to see and get up close to, there was also a really good flying display with opportunities to get hands on with many of the birds. I had Bob the Barn Owl land on my head at one point and later I got to hold two other beautiful owls. It was such a thrill to hold them but also to see the looks of joy and wonder on the faces of the other visitors who also got to handle these precious birds.

I have to admit I went for it today taking close to 300 images and so there will be plenty to share with you. Today I have chosen a few shots of the magnificent Long Eared Owl. In these pictures he is settled on a perch where he is looking very regal. 

In the third shot I think it looks rather feline the way it is hunkered down. I have shared two variants of the third image with the second one having a monochrome background in order to make the owl stand out. I think it is very effective but I also like the full colour version so why not let me know in the comments which of the two versions you like most.