A BARN OWL POST.

I thought with having the Barn Owls in our garden I would have a post purely on them. as I am out most evenings {weather permitting} monitoring the birds  as part of my Schedule 1 licence from the BTO, I have also done some experimenting with camera settings   and I think I have managed some improved images shooting when its almost dark. 
I am still unsure as to what is actually going on with the Owls, last night the 9th  of June, a bird appeared at the entrance to the large box at just after  21.45 hrs the went back into the box, probably thought it was overly light, Then at 21.56 another bird flew onto the front of the large box and went in,  I think this bird came out of the smaller box then after about ten minutes  the male came to the front and flew onto the side post of the box for a few minutes before going away hunting.  So as to what is going on, no idea. A friend Christine { one of the ringers} wonders if we have three Owls, any ideas please forward,  after nearly twenty years with these  birds I have never experienced any thing like this before. I will have to have words with them to find out as to what they are doing.
Most of these images are taken at very high ISO so please allow for this.

Male Barn Owl leaving the box.

This was just after 22.10 hrs and dark, just an orange glow to the sky to the front of the box. He sat for about a minute and then.

Flew away , I was shooting at an ISO in excess of 90,000 but still not sharp. he then, 

Flew around the corner of the box and landed on one of the box side supports. 

Settled himself and then, 

He sat and watched the world go by fo a minute or two.

I thought how he was looking he had spotted some food, but no we sat,

And sat    watching  about all the time. 

And the at last I found out as to why he came out. 

He needed to go to the loo, any one that has got near to  a box at when ringing the young will understand as to why he went out side the box, the smell at the end of the season  you certainly will never forget especially when you have six Owlets as my pal Rhys  stated with his eyes running. My youngest grand daughter was most amused that Grandpa had taken a photo of a Barn Owl having a poo.

A happier and lighter Barn Owl.

He then jumped back down onto the front of the box and went back inside before going away hunting after another ten minutes and yes it was getting late, my wife wondered what I was doing, could have gone to sleep.?? 

This image taken last night when eventually went hunting after all the other happenings. This is at ISO 125,600, lucky it worked.









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