A passing owl and the passerines
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
We're tiptoeing dangerously close to March. Spring is within touching distance!
I took a picture of this beautiful barn owl which we see on a fairly regular basis. My attempts to take a good shot have been numerous but they're usually thwarted by the lens*, the light, the obstructions and the speed of flight.
*I refuse to use another lens so this will always be an issue.
This is possibly my best result yet. It's a privilege to be able to watch such a majestic beast hunting and I enjoy the experience immensely.
My assumption is that the barn owls stay on the same hunting grounds all year round although I recently discovered that the little garden passerines migrate over winter to warmer climes. The lovely little blue tits and blackbirds head off and the ones which are resident over the winter are from Sweden and Norway! How puzzling, but here's the reason. Birds need to find the similar type of temperatures to those in which they were raised in. So although blackbirds live in the UK all year round for the summer lightweights it's a normal warm bird and the winter hardy ones it's their warm retreat away from the nippier northern climes in which they were raised.
Well I found that fascinating.
Take care,
Sophie
I took a picture of this beautiful barn owl which we see on a fairly regular basis. My attempts to take a good shot have been numerous but they're usually thwarted by the lens*, the light, the obstructions and the speed of flight.
*I refuse to use another lens so this will always be an issue.
This is possibly my best result yet. It's a privilege to be able to watch such a majestic beast hunting and I enjoy the experience immensely.
My assumption is that the barn owls stay on the same hunting grounds all year round although I recently discovered that the little garden passerines migrate over winter to warmer climes. The lovely little blue tits and blackbirds head off and the ones which are resident over the winter are from Sweden and Norway! How puzzling, but here's the reason. Birds need to find the similar type of temperatures to those in which they were raised in. So although blackbirds live in the UK all year round for the summer lightweights it's a normal warm bird and the winter hardy ones it's their warm retreat away from the nippier northern climes in which they were raised.
Well I found that fascinating.
Take care,
Sophie
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