27/04/2010 Owl/ Owlets at Vane Farm.

I arrived quite late in he morning as I stopped off to watch Wheatear at a place in Glen Devon that I had been advised was good for Short eared Owl. No luck but the Wheatear were nice!

On arriving I met two other lads armed with camera equipment, they had been up the hill looking for the Owlets but with no look it appeared they had gone deep into the woods. I mentioned how they seemed to be turning back down the hill on my previous visit. They had searched the lower parts with no luck either. I decided to sweep the hill for myself, after about half an hour or so as I was about to give in I stopped and turned for a look back down the hill. There right in front of me no more than six feet away sat, bold as, looking right back at me was the adult just about at my head height. Almost too close for the lens I had on.

I managed to get 6 good shots off before s/he made off. Arcing right and doubling back in the direction I came it flew around 40 yards just out of sight. I went on forward a while thinking s/he may be trying to throw me off, but nothing. I doubled back to where it went and sure enough found it on similar tree at the same height, oddly I thought it sat on the sunnier side of the tree on both. The dark side being back towards the centre where the nest site was. I took up a position half way between the two trees the adult used and turned back down the hill in a straight line to the cafe, It was lunch time! Its quite a steep hill and I hit just about every branch in my way, all the while convinced I would come face to face with the Owlets looking up the hill for sight of the adult, resting out of sight. Just as I was about to give up having no luck and with only two or three trees between me and the cafe, I found them, sat maybe twenty feet from where I had met the others men who said they were not around. Doh! I hope they found them on their way out.

The count is still three, just one is now trying to get away from the bigger two! 30 feet when I left.

After I took several shots :-) I reported them to one of the staff at Vane Farm who set up his scope at at good distance and told the organiser of a visiting school party. The school children seemed happy getting to see baby Owls. The birds looked inquisitive too!

John :-)