Posted by Phil Ellard on January 31, 2011 at 3:08 PM
Hello everybody I want to photograph some little owls and have found several reports of sightings from a nearby hertfordshire village that is close to where i live.
Can anyone advise on where abouts to look, terain, habitat etc ... and best time of day. Just to narrow down the needle in the haystack, they are little afterall
cheers for any advice
Phil
Posted by Bob Johnson on February 1, 2011 at 3:47 AM
Hi Phil
I have photographed three pairs over the past two years. Two families live in holes in oak trees and the other was in an old barn but have now moved on. Whilst most active at dusk they are often out during the day time and now is a good time to spot them due to the lack of foliage, so keep your eyes on the lower branches and also were the branches meet the trunk. Fence posts on the side of the road and farm machinery are good but they are most fond of the haystacks were you will often see them tucked in the gaps between the bales.
The tops and the rungs of telegraph poles are also good spots especially when they are supervising there young foraging in the late spring. They are very inquisitive birds and once they get used to you being there they will let you get within 300mm range and on several occasions they heve come to within two yards of my position.
I have a small 4x4 that I use and my technique is to arrive at their position with the minimum of fuss and the window already open and bean bag in position. I then sit tight for a few minutes without establishing too much eye contact. Once they start to relax I then get my camera on the bean bag and Bob's your uncle, or in this case your advisor! I do not use any scrim netting on the window as being open with them works the best, a bit like life really
Bob
Posted by Dawn Monrose on February 2, 2011 at 10:32 AM
Hi Bob, that sounds like great advice. What would you recommend if you cannot approach in a car?
I know of a family of Little Owls near my Mum's - a footpath runs right along where they live. One summer several years ago I tried to photograph them but was unsuccessful. I used a bag hide and hid in the hedge, but they were so wary and when they did come a little closer to investigate they sat bobbing up and down and seemed alarmed, so I stopped visiting because I didn't want to disturb them.
Would you take a more open approach in this case as well? So ditch the bag hide and do frequent but short visits to let them get used to me?
Phil - I found it look some time to 'get my eye in' when searching for them! I would find that I watched their tree for a good hour or so before I eventually spotted one - and he had been sitting there all along! The habitat where I've seen Little Owls here in Norfolk seems to be a mix of arable fields, next to rough grazing land, with large mature trees as well as hedges and grassy field margins. I think they are quite adaptable birds too. Good luck!
Dawn, I have the same problems as you. Being only 16, I cannot drive (yet!) and so I try with a bag hide. There is a family of little owls that live less than 400m away from my aunt's house in Yorkshire, but they are so vary - will not let me get with 60m on foot. And those bag hides are so ifficult to sit still in for long periods of time! Another problem I have is that I am only up there for a few days at a time...
I'm no expert re Lowls, but I've been lucky in that someone shared a site where they were very trusting.
What I would say though is that in my experience, using a bag hide while trying to photograph species that have exceptional eyesight does not work too well. My local Kingfishers were very wary for instance - use a proper hide, and it was a different story. Any movement will spook
Posted by Phil Ellard on February 9, 2011 at 3:07 PM
Thanks for your help, my posts will inform of my success!
Discussion
5 repliesCan anyone advise on where abouts to look, terain, habitat etc ... and best time of day. Just to narrow down the needle in the haystack, they are little afterall
cheers for any advice
Phil
I have photographed three pairs over the past two years. Two families live in holes in oak trees and the other was in an old barn but have now moved on. Whilst most active at dusk they are often out during the day time and now is a good time to spot them due to the lack of foliage, so keep your eyes on the lower branches and also were the branches meet the trunk. Fence posts on the side of the road and farm machinery are good but they are most fond of the haystacks were you will often see them tucked in the gaps between the bales.
The tops and the rungs of telegraph poles are also good spots especially when they are supervising there young foraging in the late spring. They are very inquisitive birds and once they get used to you being there they will let you get within 300mm range and on several occasions they heve come to within two yards of my position.
I have a small 4x4 that I use and my technique is to arrive at their position with the minimum of fuss and the window already open and bean bag in position. I then sit tight for a few minutes without establishing too much eye contact. Once they start to relax I then get my camera on the bean bag and Bob's your uncle, or in this case your advisor! I do not use any scrim netting on the window as being open with them works the best, a bit like life really
Bob
I know of a family of Little Owls near my Mum's - a footpath runs right along where they live. One summer several years ago I tried to photograph them but was unsuccessful. I used a bag hide and hid in the hedge, but they were so wary and when they did come a little closer to investigate they sat bobbing up and down and seemed alarmed, so I stopped visiting because I didn't want to disturb them.
Would you take a more open approach in this case as well? So ditch the bag hide and do frequent but short visits to let them get used to me?
Phil - I found it look some time to 'get my eye in' when searching for them! I would find that I watched their tree for a good hour or so before I eventually spotted one - and he had been sitting there all along! The habitat where I've seen Little Owls here in Norfolk seems to be a mix of arable fields, next to rough grazing land, with large mature trees as well as hedges and grassy field margins. I think they are quite adaptable birds too. Good luck!
Oscar
What I would say though is that in my experience, using a bag hide while trying to photograph species that have exceptional eyesight does not work too well. My local Kingfishers were very wary for instance - use a proper hide, and it was a different story. Any movement will spook