In Search of Shorties at Lunt Meadows

In the not so distant past Lunt Meadows has provided some of the best Short-eared Owl photo opportunities in the North West, with people coming a long way to try for some good shots.  In the last couple of years it hasn't been so great, with seemingly fewer birds stopping over.  The prospects for this season had been looking as if it might be another good year, so off I went in search of Shorties.

After standing around for a couple of hours in a place where an Owl had been recently seen, all I taken was this shot of a Little Grebe hiding in the shadows of the banks of the River Alt.

An hour or so later there was still no Owl, so my thoughts turned to other things whilst I was waiting in the freezing cold.  This Little Egret flew past and so was a prime target. I'm told that Little Egrets used to be very rare in the UK although they've always been quite easy to see since I've been birding. They first appeared in the UK in numbers in 1989 and first bred in 1996. 

Nowadays we hardly look twice at them when once they would have been highly twitchable. The same is also happening to Great White Egrets and Cattle Egrets too, and one day they may be as common as Little Egrets on the north-west coastal reserves and estuaries. Whatever next, Spoonbills? They are breeding successfully in Yorkshire. Some rather unusual light in this shot, probably enhanced by the out of focus background.

Lunt Meadows are a great place to photograph Kestrels and if the opportunity arises I will always take it.  Such a great bird to capture in flight.

Kestrels make a great portrait shot even when they are sitting on a man-made object.

It was great to see a family party of Mute Swans flying past, but I wish it had been an Owl.

I'll finish with a shot that I'd normally delete - there's something about this habitat shot that I like because it sort of sums up Reed Buntings.  No Owls for me there today then.