MORE NEWS ON THE BARN OWLS AND ANOTHER OSPREY DUTY.

Sorry for the late post but I have been spending a considerable amount of time of the evenings out on Barn Owl watch. I am seeing birds every evening but not always managing any images when they appear when it almost dark.

The last few evenings all I have seen is the Male, so hopefully the female is sitting on eggs, I intend to give them a few more days and then I will put on the cameras to find out as to what is going on in the boxes.

Male Barn Owl, Small Box.

This bird suddenly appeared , luckily I had the camera with me in the car so it was wind up the ISO and have a try, he was away soon after I  managed the image. All the following images are taken from in the car at a distance of approx 80 metres.

 Male again, this time a little later, but again he did not hang about and was away.

This time he came into the doorway and then turned around and went back into the box. 

Only to appear 35 minuted later and  stand on the front of the box for a couple of minutes.

These taken at ISO 22800 and propping the lens on the car wing mirror .

OSPREY DUTY.
11th July.

I arrived at the centre at 12.30 and upon seeing Marie, was told that the last of the four young had fledged at 07.55 hrs that morning, this being the Male Osprey, 057, he had apparently flown from the nest only to land on the T post just above the camera , and then spent approximately 2 hrs plucking up the courage to fly over to the next T post, by the time I arrived at Waderscrape Hide he was confidently flying around the nest as if he was an experienced bird, wonderful to see. The young fledged as follows, 055 { male} 2nd July. 054 {female} 3rd July. 056 {Male} 4th July. and finally 057 {female} 11 th July.
It has been wonderful to watch these birds as they have raised the young with both adults feeding the chicks, but with all four flying more food will be required to be supplied by 33/11.

It was also a sad afternoon as Shelagh is moving to Norfolk in a fortnights time so this will be our last duty together, she will be really missed by the project as she has been doing duties since the birds were first introduced to the reservoir and were kept in cages on Lax Hill.

Male Osprey, 33/11 on the camera 'T' post.

This is where the male sat when i took over duty, he remained on this perch for about an hour and then flew but I took my eyes of him for a minute whilst talking to visitors and I lost hime unfortunately.

All four of the young birds together in the fallen Poplar. 

Female 057 flew across and took up the spot that 33/11 had vacated.
  

Not sure as which juvenile this is, I can read only 05 on the ring.

The remaining three in the Poplar, 054, 055 & 056. 

After 057 flew to the nest, the adult female flew onto the camera post. 

057 and another sibling on the nest keeping an eye on her. 

Eventually another juvenile lands on the nest and one joins the female on the camera post. 

 Juvenile Moorhen, Wadersrape Hide.

All three of the young were about in the channels but this was the only bird I managed an image from.

Female Mallard, Waderscrape Hide.

Flew in and landed but departed soon after. 

Common Tern, Deepwater Hide.

On my way back to the centre car park I called in at this hide and managed some images of the Terns, such agile aerobatic birds. 

Same bird, just on another dive and hover. I love the fact that Helma calls these "Fish Thieves".



Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did in the getting of the images.