Owlfest

I should really have spent the afternoon working, but the light was so gorgeous that I decided to take a trip out to the Nene Washes which I last visited just over a year ago with Chris. On that occasion we were lucky to get good views of roosting Short-eared Owls.

It felt rather strange visiting on my own, and I really missed his company and sharp eyes. But once I'd settled in I enjoyed the extensive views over the washland, though many of the birds were very distant. 

There were several hunting Barn Owls around, though the best view was just after I'd arrived and before I'd got the camera out - still lovely to watch it flying along the bank towards me.

There were plenty of Marsh Harriers, and I briefly had a distant view of a couple of Short-eared Owls who were disturbed by them. They soon dropped back down, and didn't reappear again before the light had gone. 

But the highlight of my day was a close view of a roosting Long-eared Owl - I wouldn't have spotted it without the help of a friendly birdwatcher who let me look through his scope. I managed a record shot, but it's not good enough to appear here!