This is a few of my fav's but it's not all about getting photo's, fantastic birds to watch and i've spent a lot of time doing just that and you do need the right conditions for these to hunt in front of the lens.
First one is from a site high up on the Yorkshire dales that you wouldn't say is the best environment or most likely place to find them because it's a bleak place even in summer, this one lives in a barn just across the road from it's hunting barn and takes food back to the nest.
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Next up is a great area for birds of prey and just out side of York, 3 Barn Owls are in the area along with Kestrels, Little Owls and this year held 5-6 Short Eared Owls for most of the winter but these have now migrated back to Scandinavia.
The owls seem to be a bit more relaxed here and it doesn't matter how much i think i'm hidden away in the hedge they always know i'm there and come for a look before hunting.
I have had them too close for focussing on and that can get annoying.
The resident Kestrels are always on the look out for a easy meal and will hassle the owls for food.
We starred each other out for a while but the Barn Owl is tolerant of human presence if you sit quite.
Another site is close to me but see's a lot of dog walkers and pheasant shooters in the area so these birds keep a low profile and come out at the last light and do not show very often in the daylight.
First shot is the one that got me hooked on Barn Owls, the light was just right on a early March afternoon at about 3.30pm when it came in front of the hide with a golden reed bed for a background.
I put a lot of time in at this location often staying well into dark just trying to work out the flight paths and hunting zones.
So fingers crossed that the weather will break soon and let me get back out to spend some quality time with one of Britain's finest birds of prey.
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