Intent

This morning I did my weekly web site update, then made up some butter bean stew (always known in this family, for reasons, as 'slunge') in the slow cooker, and finally prepped a third batch of marmalade. Then R and I had an unusually early Sunday lunch - because owls, of course.

Leaving R in charge of simmering orange peel, off I went to the owl field, via a circuitous route devised by Apple maps that took me up my least favourite road in Gloucestershire, supposedly because the road through the Guitings wasn't a good route today (spoiler - the Guitings would actually have been completely fine).

Arrived at the owl field eventually. Got out of the car and walked through the coppice. It started to rain. Tried to wait out the rain. Got wet. Finally gave in, got back in the car, had some coffee, and started browsing social media on my phone. Got a shock when I glanced up towards the field and saw an owl flying along the wall. Realised it had stopped raining.

I squelched back through the coppice, then meandered up and down the wall for a few minutes, not able to decide where to stand, periodically grabbing random shots of one or other of the three owls that were up, down and around the place - though mainly, it seemed, down at the far end of their territory, bickering.

Suddenly one owl broke away and flew towards my half of the field. I got some shots as it swept past, then scuttled after it, just in time to be in the right place when it turned back towards the cross wall, and capture maybe ten images that I knew were going to be pretty good. All the owls then disappeared - which probably should have warned me that the incoming black cloud wasn’t actually joking. 

It started to rain again - hard, and cold - and I was a good five minutes from the car. By the time I got there I was very wet, very cold, and very, very cross. I wondered about waiting for the shower to go over, which I thought it probably would, but suddenly common sense kicked in, and I decided to call it a day. Down at the crossroads I spotted first the Hilmobile and then Hillyblips herself, and pulled over for a chat (to the inconvenience and irritation of other road users). By the time we parted the light was looking pretty good again, and it got even better as I drove back through the Guitings (grrr), but I hardened my heart against the owls and drove on.

Back at home, where R was astonished to see me arrive so early, I finished the marmalade, only boiling it all over the cooker top once, boxed up the slunge for the freezer, put on a load of washing, and finally slumped at my desk to go through today’s images. I doubt I’ll be keeping more than about fifteen of the eighty or so I took, but of those, half a dozen are among the best owl photos I’ve ever taken. Here are two of them - I hope you like them.