Great moments but rubbish photos

Dave Semmens

Dave Semmens

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I had been talking to a dog walker a few days earlier and they mentioned seeing the owls and it was at a location I knew as I grew up just a mile away from it.

Left work and got there by 5pm. Light was good – hazy sunshine and it looked like it would remain that way until the sun set.

I setup about 30 yards from the tree – it is in the edge of a private field near a country road. Got settled in and waited.

After an hour and me losing feeling in my backside an owl landed in the tree and the took off within a few seconds. It never faced me – so hadn’t been spooked by me. It flew across the field to a tree around 200 yards away.

And there it stayed – about 30 minutes later another owl appeared on a lower branch in the distant tree.

I sat and hoped they would make their way over to the close tree but they stayed put – happy to preen and clean themselves.

After another 20 minutes the male bird swopped down to the female and they had a little cuddle then started mating – all 200+ yards away.

The light was fantastic on them and they got up to all sorts – I can only dream of what the photos would have been like if I had been closer.

Anyway – took a quick record shot of them – quality is awful with the distance / haze etc. But it will always remind me of the hours I spent and the spectacle I was privileged to see. Beats East enders and Coronation Street any day :)

Naughty Naughty by davepsemmens, on Flickr

Dave.
 
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Nice story, shame your efforts didnt pay off
Its hard to tell the detail and quality from the size Dave and when I click into it it just tells me the photo is private :(
 
The photo is tiny Steve and quality is very poor. I don't think looking at it on Flickr would improve it much :( its the largest size I could link to.

It is just really a record shot - not made it public as it doesn't really give anything to people viewing it without the story of how / why it was taken.
 
I have photos and video footage of the owls mating , they mated on a post just 12 feet in front of me .....they can be at it four or fives times a night ,they do have their favoured spots ,but you will notice after the male as left he goes to were he wants the female to nest,not always the case though as the female decides were to go,a very underated bird in britain...
 
Congrats on the viewing spectacle dave, i wouldn't be too worrried about photos what you saw will stay with you forever.

stick at it mate sounds like you have what it takes :)
 
Thanks Dennis - the female stayed put and carried on preening but the male disappeared. It was the male that came in the closer tree for a few seconds earlier in the evening.

I will keep my eye on them and see if other opportunities present themselves :) One positive is that the other pair I have seen are in a location that suits the morning sun / light and these are better in the evening.

Dave.
 
i was walking round a lake the other day and seen 8 squirrels next to each other in a wood and one jumped up on to a thin tree stump which stood up about 10 inches out of the ground.

thought that would make a nice photo as it sat there eating something put the camera up to frame the shot and get focused and it jumped down and looked at me
 
It's disappointing you didn't get a great photo, but you captured a great moment, and photography (IMO) is not just about the quality, it's about capturing a moment in time. The photo will mean a lot to you, and as you say, beats watching soaps any day! Remember, 200 yards away is far! I would have been pleased as punch to have seen this. To get a great quality photo would have been the icing on the cake, but hey-ho.
I don't know much about wildlife photography, but she may be nesting somewhere close? In a few weeks time, you might capture some fledglings in the area.
 
Great experience ... and you have two pairs to watch! :)
 
Went back tonight to take another look but only took my binoculars.

One of the owls was in the closer tree and sat happily preening and then swapped branches a few time and swooped onto the ground a few times as well. Light was good.

Should have took the camera but still enjoyed watching it for 15 minutes. I know where it likes to sit now and that it isn't spooked or bothered by cars or motorbikes going past just 30 yards away.

Looks like another evening trip with camera is required soon :)

Visited the other pair this morning - only one could be seen but I am hoping that means the other is on the nest.

Light wasn't great, got a few shots but hopefully we will get some good morning light on a weekend in the next few weeks :)

Dave.
 
I managed to watch 'my' Little owls do their thing a couple of times on Saturday. I just need to hope they're not deposed from their home by a pair of upstart Jackdaws that were causing trouble.


Little Owls by Paul Whitbread, on Flickr

Then today I managed to twice see 'my' kestrel pair also getting busy. As to my photographs of that, 'rubbish' would be seriously generous.
 
Dave Semmens said:
But it will always remind me of the hours I spent and the spectacle I was privileged to see. Beats East enders and Coronation Street any day :)
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Lovely shots Dave

Whilst I love to come home delighted with what's on my the memory card - some of my most enjoyable days out with the camera have been down to the whole experience of what I've watched.

Don't dwell too much on the images. Folk tend to think of 'record shots' as a record of the subject but but if you've a nice 'record' of a memorable day then that's invaluable.
 
Wonderful capture, Paul.


Dave Semmens said:
Went back tonight to take another look but only took my binoculars.
Should have took the camera but still enjoyed watching it for 15 minutes. I know where it likes to sit now and that it isn't spooked or bothered by cars or motorbikes going past just 30 yards away.
Looks like another evening trip with camera is required soon :)
Click to expand...

Sounds lovely. Repeat trips a great idea, as they'll be getting used to you. I'm looking forward to seeing your photos.
 
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