I called in at Cossington Meadows on the Tuesday to show my wife the Barn Owls (we saw three) and decided to go back the following afternoon to see if I could get some photos. In Whitwick, on the way there, I spotted a 'suspicious' tree and turned back to investigate - yes, Little Owl site No.7. Unfortunately I could not get at all close as it was not the sort of field you would enter unless invited to do so!!
Little Owl - WhitwickHaving grabbed a few distant shots I set off again and, as I got near Woodhouse Eaves, a Kestrel dropped into a tree in front of me. This most obliging bird allowed me to open the door of my car so that I could take a few shots. I have been very disappointed with my Kestrel images until now - I quite like these, although I appreciate that they are far from brilliant and lack artistic merit!
Kestrel (male) - near Woodhouse EavesI got to Cossington Meadows, and almost immediately bumped into someone I had 'met' on the internet via our blogs (it was a pleasure to meet you, Ben). No owls were seen for some time, and then a Barn Owl came out in the distance whilst it was still light, but kept low and then disappeared almost immediately. After half an hour there had been no further sightings, so I decided to try another spot. I got there to find two Barn Owls, one of which settled on a distant post, but it was rather dark by now, so only record shots. I watched them for a while (they're such a delight), and then decided to give up because of the light, when a Short-eared Owl arrived and landed on the post that the Barny had been on earlier. I'm not even sure if my efforts even count as a record shot!! Thus ended a very enjoyable day - even if the only images that I'm happy with are those of the Kestrel. It's always nice to have a good reason to go back and try again, however.
Barn Owl - Cossington Meadows
Short-eared Owl - Cossington Meadows
