Owls of the short eared variety.

Just a small selection of images I’ve taken of the stunning Short Eared Owls found un upper Teasdale this summer. Please feel free to save and share but please remember either link back to my website or socials!

Short-eared owls are medium sized owls with mottled brown bodies, pale under-wings and yellow eyes. They are commonly seen hunting during the day. In winter, there is an influx of continental birds (from Scandinavia, Russia, Iceland) to northern, eastern, and parts of central southern England, especially around the coast. They are of European conservation concern and so are an Amber List species. - RSPB

Canon EOS R7 + EF 600mm F4L IS

Canon EOS R6 + EF 600mm F4L IS

Canon EOS R7 + EF600mm F4L IS

Canon EOS R7 + EF 600mm F4L IS

Recent trips.

Over the last few weeks I’ve spent the majority of my time out and about, camera in hand. I had no expectations in terms of capturing images but I do enjoy having my camera there for when something does appear.

Some of my favourite, in fact most, are the ones that I least expected. For example this Sedge Warbler with a catch. I had roughly 10-15 seconds to capture the image. This was while navigating stepping stones over shallow water while holding up my partner behind me. Thankfully Amy is very patient with me and photography.

Canon EOS 1D mark 4 :: Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L series :: ISO: 200 F/5.6 1/800

Another that took me by surprise was this Little Egret that flew over my head at a local nature reserve. I’d only ever seen these at a distance of around 150ft and never had any useable images of them. Thankfully this particular one was brave enough to do three laps around the hide and allowed me to grab a couple of in flight shots. The lighting was less than ideal, white subject with harsh sunlight, however I tend to use the exposure compensation and under expose by 1/3 stop to prevent any highlights being lost.

Canon EOS 1D mark 4 :: Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L series :: ISO: 400 F/7.1 2500

I’ve been using my Fathers hard drive and well organised folders to navigate my way around the wildlife of Northumberland, North tyneside and Newcastle and one bird in particular caught my attention. A local barn owl.

After speaking to a few photographers that knew my Father I quickly found a spot to park up and watch. My wait wasn’t a long one and I was treated to a 30 minute show while it hunted in neighbouring fields before it turned back and into range of my lens.

Canon EOS 1D mark 4 :: Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L series :: ISO: 1600 F/7.1 1/1600

The light was fading fast but cast a lovely golden light over the owl as it looked for it’s next meal. The light faded fast and the ISO crept up. I have a shot that was at over 51k ISO! That required quite a bit of post processing to make it acceptable.

Canon EOS 1D mark 4 :: Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L series :: ISO: 51,200 F/7.1 1/1600

Between my walks I do need to take a rest occasionally and I’ll find a local hide to visit and take the weight off my feet. Carrying my camera equipment around for miles takes it’s toll.

Most days there’s long periods where no photos are being taken. I’m sat listening to nothing but the wildlife and the wind. It’s incredibly peaceful and relaxing. Both of which are well needed at the moment.

In fact most of the images I’m most pleased with came from walking back to the car from the hide. Like this Sparrowhawk which flew over head being chased by two swallows. Thankfully the 1D and 400 prime is a brilliant combination for fast focusing and at 10fps I was bound to get something useable.

Canon EOS 1D mark 4 :: Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L series :: ISO: 400 F/7.1 1/4000

Canon EOS 1D mark 4 :: Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L series :: ISO: 400 F/7.1 1/4000

I could go on and on about my recent walks but I’ll leave it at that. I’ll drop the rest of the images taken recently in a gallery below.

If you’ve got any questions, comments or want any of these images sent to you. Get in touch, either via social media or the contact me section at the top!

Gallery