At Prestwick i was hoping to see an owl or two. Getting out of the car straight away i came upon a Grey Heron "fishing" in the still waterlogged fields. A couple of Robins and a Blue Tit could be heard singing in the trees that line the "wonky" road as i walked along and passed the goats. A couple of bearded heads peered out from the doorway. I took up my place leaning on the metal gate that i normally frequent when i'm here and a few hundred metres further along the road i noticed 4 people. looking through my binoculars i recognised them as regulars from the hide at Big Waters and they were all focused in front of them at the hedge line. Sure enough perched in a small tree what looked like a Short-eared Owl but it was a distant view for me. I watched it for some time, but it was happy where it was. The light was fading fast and the birders along the road dispersed. Time to leave i thought but as i was turning to leave something caught my eye. The Short-eared Owl had lifted and was hunting on the Carr. Not much light now but the brief sighting of it in the air was worth it. Heading back to the car thoughts of a Barn Owl crossed my mind but it was not to be. Bill "the bike" made his usual appearance saying he had seen 3 Short-eared all sitting in a row on fence posts earlier this afternoon.
On and around feeders at Big Waters
Love the Siskin shots, I saw some at Bolam but photo's didn't come out as clear. Nice
ReplyDeleteMichelle
Hello Michelle
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments. I'm not too keen on taking images from feeders but some species you may only get close to from a hide. It is always more challenging in the field and you get so much more satisfaction from those shots. I was enjoying so much watching these pretty birds at close quarters that i had to capture them.
Thanks again
John
Really like the siskin pics. We usually get a few in the garden but haven't seen any this winter - bramblings seem to have taken their place. Amazing how aggressive siskins can be - I've watched them see off greenfinches, which are 50% bigger.
ReplyDeleteLovely post and photographs John. Owls are fantastic, aren't they. I've only ever seen two. One was when I was walking the dogs in the evening and it glided over us. It was a magical experience to see it gliding silently by. The other was a sleepy little owl nestled in a hedge one afternoon. As I stared at it, it just looked back slowly blinking its eyes.
ReplyDeleteHubby had a lovely experience going to work a few months ago. Two baby owls tumbled out of an ivy-clad tree and fluttered back up before reaching the ground. I wish I could have seen that. It's now nicknamed 'The Owl Tree'. :)
Love the Siskin pictures; we used to have them and Greens/Goldies, (arriving in October (the 16th/17th, Each year.)
ReplyDeleteApologies again for not relying earlier but computer has been out of commission for a couple of days.
ReplyDeletePhil,pleased you enjoyed the pics. Shame you haven't had any Siskins this winter but you couldn't have had a finer sub. in the Brambling. The subjects i was watching were actually being harassed by, of all things, Blue Tits. They seemed rather nervous of everything to be fair.
Yoke, thanks for the praise. I find it very interesting in the species you actually get where you live.
Lesley,brilliant comment (as ever) Lovely descriptions of your experiences of Owls. All birds are marvelous, and no one species should be put above another. But they all have there special characteristics. The silent flight and i lioved the description of the Little Owl looking at you and slowly blinking....priceless. I wish i had an Owl tree. I do have a spuggy bush mind you!
John