Monday 9 March 2020

Another Barn Owl

Sunday, March 8

Time for some fresh air. To look at anyway.  Via Walcott Post Office and North Walsham Waitrose (known as going the pretty way in Norfolk), we drove to Halvergate Marshes, west of Great Yarmouth. A quick, but thorough, look behind Clippesby Barn saw no Cranes at all, only a few Carrion Crows and Black-headed Gulls.
Turning off the A47 one drives to the end of the straight whilst scanning the marsh on either side. This used to be a favourite winter Rough-legged Buzzard area  I believe that the lane left just before the village is called Stone Lane. This leads out to a rough parking area favoured by dog walkers and naturalists, cars are not allowed to drive any further.
From here, Pam called a Peregrine flying low to the ground before landing at the raised side of a dyke. It flew - unseen - as I raised my camera.
In the meantime, a flock of about 2K Starlings was swirling, lifting, swooping and diving distantly above a line of trees. A classic murmuration. I never caught the best patterns, my camera gear is too heavy to keep trained for the next fly-up. My fault. Pam caught a lovely pattern. This is the best I managed.



When it was obvious that the light was failing and the Starlings had gone to roost, we returned along the track. Pam was counting windmills (9+) when she saw a Barn Owl flying towards us. More practice at taking photos of flying birds in poor light for me. I took loads with very few being acceptable.






Without ever getting as close as I would have liked, the bird landed for a short while before returning along its original route. 


Lovely. I can never see too many of these owls. Any owl really.

2 comments:

  1. I think your photos are excellent! You are far too modest!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you David. Never satisfied.......

    ReplyDelete