Last night I sat for a very long time watching this same Barn Owl, it regularly hunts beside a road that is quite busy, at one point it sat on a fence post for over an hour staring into the oncoming headlights, always alert and always watching, then a gap in the traffic and across the road it shot, a brief hover then down, a distinctive arrowhead pose with the wings swept back to avoid breaking bones, it popped its head up for a look around a couple of times, then up and back to that favourite post, landing perfect on its small round top, the Vole hung limp in the Owls bill, though it was soon gone in a few convulsed heaves and stoops, then just the tail was visible like an after dinner cheroot waiting to be lit.
Dawn just started to cast a blur of purple blue along the horizon, my fingertips matched the colour, it was cold and my camera sat dormant as it had since I set it up. Home, hot coffee and bed beckoned and tempted like a brazen mistress, but I knew in my heart that this was the time that if I gave-in to temptation I could miss something special, the something that takes the sting of fatigue from the eyes and the cold cramp from your bones, I waited in concealment.
Dawn crept a little higher into the blue-black retreating night; the Barn Owl was now on another favourite perch, the top of a lamp that illuminates a road sign, a wise bird with warm feet, I was envious, and the bird was further away as the first warming rays of the morning painted neon edges on the frosty grass.
Cold was making me want to pee, with no pictures for my trouble I reluctantly started to pack my gear away, broke cover and headed for the car, convinced the bird had gone to roost. With the engine started I sat waiting for the frost on the screen to clear, and checked my D60 and 600mm were all set, I always have a readied camera and bean-bag on the seat just in case, feeling cold and lazy I wound down the passenger side window to clear the frost from the glass and could not believe my eyes……….. Take a look at this… I still could not believe my eyes when I downloaded the pictures, but I instantly forgot that I was cold.
Nigel
A brilliant picture, you and Owls go together like Stawberries and Cream!
what a superb photo right up there with Eric Hoskins best well worth getting cold for! clive c