3 years later.......finally seen a barn owl

Mark-Anthony

Mark-Anthony

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Hi All

If any of you have been in the bird photo section, you will have seen me pop up commenting on people like @den posts when he's been looking for owls and been successful.

I started looking for owls (mainly barn owls) to photograph august 2013. With no luck anywhere including a trip to gibralter point in skegness, I decided to give up and Yesterday sold all my camera gear.

Tonight. I go on a 20 mile bike ride after work around local countryside.....what do i see?


A bloody BARN OWL!!! :mad:

Just my luck:LOL:
 
That's Sod's law at its finest! I've sat for hours and wandered like a lost dog looking for certain birds and not seen them until the cameras gone back in the bag just as I'm about to head home.

Get a new camera and go bac, you know where it is now haha!
 
I've actually just emailed a guy about a camera already, although knowing my luck it wont be there when i go back haha
 
I've seen a barn owl and a little owl on my way to work when I didn't have the camera. The barn owl was nicely pearched on a sign and the light was awesome, could've got a nice shot then.Managed to get one with my iPhone. And then a Little Owl more recently that was really close I could've got a decent shot with my 85mm (longest lens I own!)
 
RacingSnake said:
I have spent days worth of man-hours waiting - meaning weeks and weeks without seeing a bean.... but when you do :snaphappy: it's all worth it!
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I remember asking you for advice before on snapping pics of owls. I've only ever caught pics of a tawny. I'm now left in a situation, wondering if it's worth me buying new equipment to capture the shots

T_J_G said:
I've seen a barn owl and a little owl on my way to work when I didn't have the camera. The barn owl was nicely pearched on a sign and the light was awesome, could've got a nice shot then.Managed to get one with my iPhone. And then a Little Owl more recently that was really close I could've got a decent shot with my 85mm (longest lens I own!)
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Awesome. Fot pics of the iphone shot? I seen a little owl perched on a fence post. Grabbed my cam but light was fading fast. Went back for months and no sight of it again
 
Mark-Anthony said:
I remember asking you for advice before on snapping pics of owls. I've only ever caught pics of a tawny. I'm now left in a situation, wondering if it's worth me buying new equipment to capture the shots



Awesome. Fot pics of the iphone shot? I seen a little owl perched on a fence post. Grabbed my cam but light was fading fast. Went back for months and no sight of it again
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Here you go
 

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My god, that would have made a brilliant shot with a zoom lens
 
Mark-Anthony said:
My god, that would have made a brilliant shot with a zoom lens
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Sure would have, the iPhone makes it appear further away than it is. I only have a max of 85mm but still would've been good to catch. Sat there for a minute or two and just watched it.
 
Got back from my weekly ride last night.

Bot one, but two barn owls this time, flying together low to the long grass
 
Well, I went on my weekly ride last night a bit earlier than usual. Straight away, seen one in the same spot hunting. I kept a good distance to allow him to do his thing. I noticed a pattern where he would fly out the field with its kill, then be straight back in under a minute without the kill.....his home must be near!

Excuse poor photos, only had my phone on me

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My friend and me crossed into the next field and sat deadly still. Once we seen it land, we knew where to look.

Sure enough, a barn owl box

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Well last night I went out again, sure enough they're still there. 2 adults and plenty of little ones you can here in the box. Here is one sitting on the perch of the box (phone camera pic)

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I don't want to get too close so I decided to fork out some cash for a lens. Literally I'll own this lens a couple of weeks before I sell it again, only got it to capture these owls ha. A sigma 150-600 with 1.4 tele converter. I'm using my bro in laws camera body as I sold all my gear

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You do need to tread carefully here. Barn Owls are a Schedule 1 species and a such you'll be committing an office if you "intentionally or recklessly disturb any wild bird listed in Schedule 1 while it is nest building, or at (or near) a nest containing eggs or young, or disturb the dependent young of such a bird".

Birder's Against Wildlife Crime have a reasonable summary of the situation: http://birdersagainst.org/photographing-schedule-1-birds/

Now you've publicly confirmed you know where a nest box is and that it's being used by dependent young birds, you need to err on the side of caution and come up with a wide exclusion zone. A photo isn't worth the risk to either to the bird or your criminal record...
 
The W said:
You do need to tread carefully here. Barn Owls are a Schedule 1 species and a such you'll be committing an office if you "intentionally or recklessly disturb any wild bird listed in Schedule 1 while it is nest building, or at (or near) a nest containing eggs or young, or disturb the dependent young of such a bird".

Birder's Against Wildlife Crime have a reasonable summary of the situation: http://birdersagainst.org/photographing-schedule-1-birds/

Now you've publicly confirmed you know where a nest box is and that it's being used by dependent young birds, you need to err on the side of caution and come up with a wide exclusion zone. A photo isn't worth the risk to either to the bird or your criminal record...
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Indeed, it's not worth the risk.

I know exactly where a Barn Owl box is near me and have seen them there but haven't taken any photo's there for this very reason.

Want to catch it out hunting but he probably hunts quite a way away from the box as have never seen him in action.
 
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