Lunt Lures Me In Again

The weather was great, blue skies, cold and sunny and the Owls had been showing yesterday, so off I went to Lunt Meadows again in search of them.  I am desperate to get some of those stonking close shots that many others have got, but as yet it just has happened for me.  It's largely down to a matter of luck, and fieldcraft of course.  And, as we always say, 'the more you go out the luckier you get.'

I met up with Phil 'Mossman' Boardman for the second time in about a week and we had a really good chat whilst walking slowly up and down the River Alt embankment, but seeing very little of particular interest.  Phil pointed out the locations that the Bitterns and Bearded Tits favour and a Sparrowhawk went for a Snipe over the Pumphouse Pool, but alas there were no Owls.

I took these two Stonechat photos at the wooden bridge over the Alt just to keep warm as it gradually became colder during the day. A Reed Bunting also appeared briefly.

One of the local Kestrels was hunting over its regular patch and so that became my next target for something to do.  Lunt is a great place to take Kestrel photos as you can get at eye level in many places as the quarter the fields near the embankments.

And, as it turned out, I got one of my best Kestrel photos ever, mainly because of the background I think. But still no killer Owl shots.

A Quick Return to Lunt

It always surprises me when what I regard as a rather run-of-the-mill photograph gets lots of likes on Facebook, especially when I don't think the shot is that good.  I took this photo of a Kestrel from Lunt Meadows in Merseyside whilst I was waiting for a Short-eared Owl to show and it's had a total of nearly 1000 likes in various groups on Facebook to date.

Gary Clarke, Denis Eagling and I were standing on the River Alt embankment looking down on to a farmer's field over which the bird had been hovering in a few places.  This Kestrel will be the same bird as I photographed a couple of days ago and this must be its territory.

We decided to get a little closer for a better shot because our height on the embankment brought us to almost eye-level with the bird at times. However I was at the back of the queue and, as Gary and Denis approached, it flew past them and towards me, enabling me to get this shot.  I don't think it's quite sharp enough and there's not enough depth of field, but I guess the angle and pose make the shot quite pleasing.

I didn't really get close enough to the Owls today, so all my shots are heavily cropped which increases their lack of sharpness.  So the quest for that killer Short-eared Owl shot continues ...

Lunt Meadows Finally Produces (Part 2)

Late this afternoon I finally got one of the owl shots that I've been dreaming of ever since I first went to Lunt Meadows about five years ago - a close Short-eared Owl sitting on one of the fence posts.

Steve Jones and Graham Roberts, two fellow members of the Leigh Ornithological Society, were also at Lunt Meadows this afternoon but they were much further away from the bird than I, especially when I crept up a little further to a distance of around 20 metres.

So these are Steve's photos of the bird which just happen to include me in the shot as well.  I'm the one with the camera and big lens!

As these were the only decent shots I got of this bird today, I thought I'd have a go at series of cropped headshots to show off those fabulous eyes.

 

After waiting for this bird to appear for around two hours, the Barn Owl suddenly decided to come out at the same time and for a moment I didn't know what to shoot.  The Shortie won out, but I did manage to grab a few of the Barnie as well. The light was a little challenging by now.

So it turned out to be not a bad day at all today.

Lunt Meadows Finally Produces (Part 1)

Another trip to Lunt Meadows in Sefton today finally produced the sort of Short-eared Owl photograph that I am looking for.  Here's hoping there's more where these came from.

I also got a couple of shots of one of the resident Kestrels too.

Another Trip to Lunt Meadows

Following a tip off that the Barn Owls were currently showing well at Lunt Meadows, I set off late afternoon to see if I could get some photos for myself. I've seen these birds on many occasions here and they are well-known in the area as they breed locally. However, as with the Short-eared Owls which are here in the winter, I've never yet managed a shot with which I am really pleased.

The afternoon started well with these shots of a Sedge Warbler catching insects in the reeds and Umbelliferae. The light was good and so I thought the prospects of getting some decent Barn Owl shots were high.

Well today I waited for around five hours before one even appeared and even then it was distant. My guess is that because the weather had been so good all day, the Barn Owls probably fed early in the morning and then slept until dusk.  I got a couple of record shot snaps of one with prey but nothing much to write home about.

However, when you are out and about for a few hours, it's surprising how the species count does mount up with you realising it.  Here's a few record shots of other birds I saw today including Hobby, Buzzard, Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Linnets, Black-tailed Godwits and my first ever sighting of the famous Lunt Little Owl.

Some time the graininess of shot enhances the image and turns it into an atmospheric photograph, as in this Little Owl I shot at dusk.

Little Egret at Lunt Meadows

I had a quick trip out to Lunt Meadows today to hopefully capture some Short-eared Owls with my new lens.  The visit turned out to be quite disappointing in terms of bird photography but very useful because I met up with Phil Boardman who gave me some great tips and locations for my forthcoming trip to Mull at the end of March. I'm really looking forward to it now!

The only shots I took of any note were of this Little Egret which at one point almost flew over my head.

I didn't even see an Owl today. Well, that's birding for you!