5 minute read
The Great Outdoors
WILDLIFE IN THE UK – LITTLE OWLS PART 2 – THE OWLETS GREG COYNE, WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER
I recently heard about a couple of little owls that could be viewed from a hide quite local to me and detailed this in my last editorial. I had a fantastic session as the adult little owls flew back and forth to the hole in the oak tree where they were feeding young. How many young, I had no idea. In fact I really didn’t know how close they were to fledging and “branching” or exploring their home in this age old oak tree. I spoke to the farmer who gave me some rough dates when all the activity started so I took a guess and booked some future dates when I hoped that the owlets would be out and active. I returned on the 5th June as I had been informed that a baby owlet had been seen perched out side the nest hole and possibly one other had been seen up in the branches. I was filled with anticipation.
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I had only been in the hide for 30 minutes when I saw a small face appear at the entrance to the hole. During my previous visits, the adult had been collecting food and taking it straight down the hole into the tree so this was exciting: My first sighting of a fluffy grey owlet. As the owlet moved a little further out of the hollow and on to a small ledge, I saw another face
appear at the entrance and move out into daylight. It was an amazing sight – two small fluffy bundles of feathers, large yellow eyes and a beak. It was amazing to see.
You can imagine, then how I felt when yet another face appeared and came out into the open. Three little owlets, all perched up on the branch ledge, maybe taking their first steps out into the big world that awaited them. They really are amazing to watch as their heads bob up and down: rotating first one way, then the other way, then backwards, bobbing all of the time. It’s really quite comical to see. I was taking photographs, but the owls were a little way apart and seemed to all be looking in different directions. This is great to see but not ideal to photograph. Wouldn’t it just be the perfect shot if all three would play ball and face the same way, any way, just for a second so I could take a better image?
As a photographer you sometimes, very occasionally, have a day when just everything falls into place, when the gods must be looking down on you. A day that makes all of the bad days, standing in rain and hail, wet through, and coming away with no images, or poor images all worth while. This was my day for things to fall into place. The owlets started to huddle closer together – maybe jostling to be in prime position for when mum returned to the ledge with some food. Then two stood side by side and number three stood behind and, in one amazing moment, all three owlets looked right at my camera lens. As I clicked the camera, I felt a real adrenaline rush, but at the same time thinking – please let it be in focus, please let it be exposed correctly. Please let me do justice to this amazing sight…
My luck was in and the image made my heart leap. I loved it and I hope you do too in this small selection of owlet images. I have been back since to try my luck again as, during that session, a fourth owlet appeared from the hole. I did manage to get a shot of all four close together. It’s amazing to see what a great job the adults have done bringing up four owlets.
If you would like to see more images from my images simply log on to my Facebook page which is Greg Coyne Photography, where there are also video clips.
County Wildlife Site Status Extended for Priory Country Park Priory Country Park, a well-known and wellloved country park, has had its County Wildlife Site status extended. County Wildlife Site status acknowledges a site’s importance for wildlife, and sites of this nature contribute significantly to the richness and biodiversity of the countryside. Priory Country Park’s lakes and the stretch of the river that runs through it have had County Wildlife Site status for a number of years. Thanks to long-term careful management of the park, wildflowers have been encouraged to spread and flourish, creating a welcoming home for native wildlife.
This has seen the Site status extended to cover the whole park including the woods and the various meadows, which see an abundance of wildflowers in the summer. Mayor Dave Hodgson said; “As a Country Park, 28 YEARS EXPERIENCE Priory has long led the way in allowing our natural environment to flourish, with careful management, creating a haven for wildlife within walking distance of FULLY INSURED Bedford town centre. “In recent times especially, I know we have all come Domestic to value our local parks even more as places to get some exercise, enjoy the fresh air and get into nature. Commercial “We have been extending this approach of Industrial encouraging natural grass and wildflower meadows to other parks, to create spaces for nature to flourish Fire Alarms alongside mown areas where people can walk and play through our ‘Bugs and Bees’ project. Fault Finding “Congratulations to Priory Country Park on this extension to their County Wildlife Site status, recognising the importance of the work being done to encourage wildflowers and wildlife.”ALL STAFF FULLY CRB CHECKED AND QUALIFIED THEVISIT BIG TRUNK TRAIL09 July - 7 October *NO JOB TOO SMALL*
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