Monday 17 March 2014

Beautiful Birds ~ Barn Owl



I have spotted quite a few owls since we moved to Suffolk, and this is the latest. 
We were driving along a road in the Bawdsey area over the weekend 
when this fine creature caught our attention. 


I was expecting a Short-eared Owl, since I know that this species has been seen not far away, 
but I'm pretty sure this creature is a Barn Owl
The heart-shaped face is quite prominent.



As you can see, the light was fading fast. 
We were a good distance from the bird, so my zoom lens was sorely tested!


The owl spent a few minutes quartering the large expanse of open field, 
between the road and a wooded area.


You can just make out the barred colouring on the wings in the photo below.
I suspect this may suggest that the bird was a female. 


The owl disappeared from view after a few minutes,
and we reached Bawdsey just in time to watch the sun setting over Felixstowe. 


I have logged the sighting on the iSpy a Barn Owl page of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

For some wonderful photography of owls in Suffolk, see ...


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N.B. My 'Tree Following 2014' post is HERE. The Loose and Leafy page about the project is HERE.

4 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Caroline, cool sighting of the Barn Owl. And what a beautiful sunset.. Gorgeous photo! Enjoy your week ahead!

Em Parkinson said...

I've seen owls SO rarely. I'm very envious. Great to have got something on camera!

Crafty Green Poet said...

definitely a barn owl, how exciting! I've never seen a barn owl!

Dartford Warbler said...

You were so lucky to catch sight of a barn owl, especially in flight. I sometimes see a ghost-like shape flit across the fields when I am feeding the animals at dusk, but I rarely see one still and in daylight. We seem to have more tawny`s around here.

Your sunset is amazing. What colours!