Possible Local Sighting Of A Short Eared Owl

In March 2016 I spent many cold mornings and evenings standing in a Derbyshire (England) field watching and photographing a pair of Short Eared Owls hunting. After so much time waiting and watching I developed a fascination of these incredible hunters.

Whilst driving/riding (still don’t what to call it when you are on a Quad Bike) near a flood plain this afternoon, something caught the corner of my eye. It was a bird of prey hunting. I wasn’t close enough to identify it, however, it was flying low over perfect Short Eared Owl hunting terrain and performing swooping acrobatics I remembered from my time the Derbyshire field.

I’m still to have my 500mm f/4 lens returned from Nikon and now it’s becoming frustrating as I’ll need it to have any chance of capturing some good shots.

As a throwback, here is my gallery from last time with Short Eared Owls and can only hope my 500mm f/4 is returned soon.

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Short Eared Owls

Bad light didn’t stop the fish jumping (including video)

I took a visit to Norbury Weir on the River Dove which is right on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border north of Uttoxeter. I was there watch the Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout making their way as they migrate upstream to spawn.

The weather was perfect for the fish, but terrible for photography it was one of the darkest days I remember meaning I not only had to shoot with very high ISO settings (up to 6400) but also open up the aperture far more than I would of liked just to try and get a fast enough shutter speed. None of it was good enough and coupled with the dull and flat light, the photos are not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least I got to spend 2 hours watching an amazing spectacle.

It’s quite hard watching these fish attempt time after time to clear the weir without any luck. Norbury Weir is quite long and as the water was only a few inches deep, the big fish struggle to get their powerful bodies in a forward momentum. This weir really needs modification to include a Fish Ladder such as the ones further downstream, but it seems this debate has been going on between the fishing clubs and land owners for quite sometime.

{Click image for a higher resolution}

D810, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 105mm, f/6.3, ISO4500, 1/1250sec
D810, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 105mm, f/6.3, ISO4500, 1/1250sec

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