O-M-G !!! - on 7th May, 2015

I'd intended that my next post would be a report on April's owling adventures, and this would have been quite a lengthy item. However, I just felt that I had to substitute this post instead. I'm not usually given to using modern 'text speak' but 'OMG' seems to be appropriate in the situation I'm about to describe. Here's the story:-

Yesterday I was booked to do a turn of duty on the Osprey Project at Rutland Water. For the first time in many years I was on the 13h00 to 17h00 shift. My pal Titus, who is usually with me on these occasions, is unable to be available at this sort of time, and so I headed off on my own. The day didn't start with much promise as I only saw one Little Owl en route, when I'd usually expect to see 4 or 5 at this time of year, but the weather was a bit showery.

Shortly after my arrival at the Lyndon Visitor Centre at Rutland Water, there was a heavy rain shower which lasted about fifteen minutes or so, and as I wanted a word with the Centre Manager, I was later than intended in setting off down to the hide. However, en-route to the hide I had my first sighting of the year, plus some fair images, of Yellow Wagtail.

Titus showed up at around 14h00 and the turn of duty was pleasant, but uneventful - with one notable exception - after around 16h00 people were arriving saying they'd seen Otters at Tufted Duck Hide, less than 10 minutes walk away. This is particularly exciting news as, although there are believed to be two breeding pairs elsewhere on Rutland Water, the report of three Otters in this area indicates that we possibly have a third breeding pair. Titus told the couple that had the good fortune to see the three at once (with one of the Otters only 5 metres away!) that they were now banned (in good humour, of course!). When a second couple admitted to having seen them, and taken photos, they were banned too!

We spent half an hour at Tufted Duck Hide at the end of our shift but to no avail and so we set off back to the car park. So as not to be tripping over each other at our usual owling points on the way home, I set off homeward immediately, leaving Titus having his tea in the car park. However, he was arriving as I was leaving at the first Little Owl site on our route. 

I didn't see Titus again that evening and I did manage to pick up just another three Little Owl sightings on my way home. 

Now we come to the nub of my story. There's a point on our route where it makes a transition between country lanes and fast roads. This is the point where we usually stop to sort out the cameras on the way out and put them away on the way back. On this occasion, as I had an empty seat beside me, I didn't need to put the camera away, but I did need to 'answer a call of nature', so I stopped. I got out of the car and was heading towards a gap in the hedge when I saw a Barn Owl working its way down the road towards me. I quickly forgot my need, returned to the car, wound down the window and picked up the camera. Sadly I'd forgotten that, fifteen minutes earlier, I'd taken some shots of a distant Little Owl against a grey sky and my camera settings were totally inappropriate.

The owl passed by me, went a little way down the road, and then came back on my side of the road. My settings were a little better by then, and I was standing beside my car waiting for it.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - my BO Site No. 10 (yes, I have seen an owl here before!)

Unfortunately, it dipped behind the hedge before it got to me, and I spotted it again further up the road, near where I'd first seen it. It then turned round again and came back behind the hedge but didn't show until it was past me. I took a few wasted shots of its backside disappearing down the road and my heart sank as it turned right and headed out into the field - but it came back and started a fourth pass up the road. 

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - my BO Site No. 10

When it got about 30 metres from me it transferred to the far side of the hedge and disappeared. 'Ah' I thought 'it's avoiding me'. How wrong was I? Suddenly it came up from behind the hedge and settled in the tree directly opposite me - between 6 and 7 metres away!!!! This was a real OMG moment. It wasn't avoiding me, but checking me out! My first shot was pretty poor as my set up was more suited to flight shots, but it does show that the owl knew exactly where I was.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - my BO Site No. 10

It only spent a few seconds looking at me standing beside my car, and then totally ignored me! I can tell from my photos that the owl was there for at least 50 seconds. That doesn't sound a lot but it allowed me to change my settings three times and still rattle off 62 frames! If only the light had been better! I've had to do some colour correction as the images were very blue with the failing light. Here's a few of them, all shown in strictly chronological order so you can see how relaxed this owl was with my presence.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - my BO Site No. 10

I'd had to wind my zoom back to 380mm to get the bird in frame, so when the bird eventually took off I couldn't hold it in frame, although I tried, but my settings were geared towards a static bird anyway, so would have been poor if I'd succeeded.

I've not told Titus about this, and if you see him, please don't tell him. If he was going to ban those poor folks for seeing the Otters, I reckon it's a lifetime ban for me!

I know I've been rather self-indulgent with the images, here, but my excuse is that I'm unlikely to ever have another intimate session like this with a wild Barn Owl. 

Thank you for dropping by. Have a good one!