Barn Owl during a sunset (c) then?

Taken this one evening during Luna's evening flight session around the farm.

With a great sunset, this provided some really nice warm light for which I had my back to.

No cloning as the jesses she wears have fallen in front of the perch she's perched on. More or less full frame, just cropped a bit to frame

Thanks for looking

D2X
Nikon 105mm VR Macro
ISO 200
F4
1/1000th sec

(c) in title for captive bred

THEN

A wondering Eagle Owl showed up, see image below

Here is a snap shot that was taken showing a stray Eagle Owl in a tree, this was overlooking our Owl Aviaries & taken at about 11.30pm.

I spotted it earlier & managed to get real close up of the legs as it took off, this was within a bright lit area, the Owl is not ours plus it was wearing no anklets or jesses Night Flying of our Barn Owls now postponed until I figure out what to do, frustrating.

Anyone lost an Eagle Owl

Both great pictures. And no it's not mine. Sorry.

Love the light Vince and the orange glow in the background adds immensly to the image.

Nice Barny Vince, lovely light and the bg colour really matches the colour of the wings well.

As to the EO, know any one with an eagle? That would certainly put the wind up it, spoke to someone at a falconry centre and they mentioned the EO's get real up tight when the Bald Eagle is flying.

Think it could be a wildy? (ie one from say the lancashire pair etc, did they breed this year?)

Beautiful shot! The light is just suberb!! Beautiful detail on the bird too.

The EO must belong to someone surely, if it's attracted to the centre? Perhaps you could lure it down and catch it if it's hungry...! Do people have their birds microchipped?

Brilliant BO shot....

Gook luck with the EO

Both great pictures and wish both where mine (first pic that is and second..owl.. )

Greetings,

Jeroen Stel

Fantastic Barn owl shot Vincent.

As someone who works with owls, I'd love to know your opinion on the issues of eagle owls in the UK. Should they be allowed to re-establish, or do you see them as an unnecessary threat to our native wildlife?

Cheers,

Dan.

Here in Spain there are Eagle Owls everywhere, there are 3 pairs that i know of nesting within a 3km radius of my village. I have never heard of anyone here saying they will take anything but rabbits ( which in the UK are an introduced species themselves ) as prey, and indeed, the documentary made of them in Northumberland appeared to confirm this. As for an Eagle chasing one off, i watched a male Eagle Owl making a savage attack on a Spanish Imperial Eagle when it flew too close to its nest site. As for reintroduction, the anti-brigade will always come up with arguments against, but they have reintroduced naturally and may be as many as 40 pairs already living wild in the UK. Whether this is right or wrong, i think you have to look at the whole scenario of reintroductions, after all, if the were no reintroductions, there would be no Little Owls, Great Bustards, White Tailed Eagles or Red Kites anywhere in the UK at all. The pro reintroductions will say the Little Owls, Great Bustards, White Tailed Eagles and Red Kites were eradicated by man so the reintroduction is re-establishing the status quo. We do not know why there have been no Eagle Owls in the UK since the end of the last ice-age, but as the rest of the Northern half of the globe is inhabited by them, and the habitat is perfect for them in the UK, i say let them thrive.

I am no expert, and would also love to hear Vinces views.

Here's my input (The Owl in this image is not the same Owl that as just appeared around our Centre)

Image uploaded showing an escapee Eagle Owl found dead under an Electricity Pole. These poles make ideal perches for them to land on & from this the consequences are very simple, very sad in my opinion.

I don't want to get into to much of a debate about Eagle Owls as I personally do not agree with the introduction of them in the UK, the island is too small & the dangers out way it's long term survival. Yes I know they are breeding but where have all the young vanished to? Probably hit by traffic due to their low level flying or electrocuted on the many power cables that pass over the poles.

Yes I agree that the main prey would be rabbits & rodents, but lets not forget what they will take out to make their environment safe. They will kill or harm many species that many are working hard to conserve, one of which being the Barn Owl. They will also take out (not prey on) localised species such as Tawny & Little Owl. They will take out localised Buzzards & other birds of prey like Harriers etc. Ground mammals also harmed are foxes or someone's dog that is taken out for a walk. Never under estimate the Eagle Owl just because it is impressive.

Yes the Eagle Owl is an amazing bird but remember, it is a top predator & when threatened it can do a hell of lot of damage to localised species especially those that have conservation concern.

The problem I personally have is the pet trade of Eagle Owls, also the price tag they have & how easy it is to buy one with no controls in place. I call owning one a 5 minute wonder & it is not long before the novelty of owning one eventually wears off, then all of a sudden its escaped/released to the wild because no establishment wants to take it on.

When the introduction of the Eagle Owl is compared against other introduced species such as a beetle/worm eating Little Owl or an Eagle that eats fish, I must say that it is a poor comparison to such a deadly killing machine of the Eagle Owl. I call this a lack of understanding.

As for the Eagle Owl migrating to the UK, not a chance in hell!

Anyway, they are here, they are breeding & the young that are UK bred are protected under European Laws. Now try to prove what is an illegal captive release, it is more or less impossible & if one shows up, there is nothing you can do, if you attempt to capture it you could be prosecuted if you can't prove its origin.

With the loose Eagle Owl around our Centre, all the Barn Owls we fly at night for conservation education are grounded, this includes the grounding of the Barn Owl seen at the top of this post. Also I haven't seen our local wild Barn Owls since it's arrival to the area. Am I happy, NO, do I enjoy working & studying the Eagle Owls I work with, YES. I am now trapped in a dilemma as the Eagle Owl that as appeared doesn't seem to support any signs that it is of captive origin.

I wish people would stop breeding more in captivity & I wish someone would look at taking the unwanted in & then link them to a release project somewhere in Europe where they belong.

Some excellent points there Vince, and from a new angle, it just shows how someone working with these magnificent creatures can put forward a much better case than us laymen. The presence of Eagle Owls here must account for the lack of other Owls seen or heard, as is the case at a nature reserve in UK where 2 Harris Hawks have been living wild for a couple of years. It is time the keeping of all creatures of this ilk was banned in captivity, except for specialist centres such as your own.

Agree 100% Vince

I agree as well and love the barn owl image by the way!
Rene de Heer