The other day I wrote about my trip to see European Bee-Eaters in Spain. That visit took up my morning. I returned the same evening to capture shots of an animal that has been on my wildlife wishlist for years.
Little Owls.
Like most owls, these beautiful little birds tend to hunt at dusk and dawn. While this is a brilliant time to see them in action, it’s not the easiest time to photograph them. Luckily they are one of the few owl species who are also regularly active during the day. My time in the tiny little hide near their nest site was in the evening golden hour, an hour or so before sunset. The light was amazing in late May. It was the perfect set up.
I did have one issue though. I was still sneezing. Owls have incredible hearing. My sneezes would not only scare the birds away but possibly make them wary of the the hide itself which would mean years of work spent gaining their trust would be ruined. Now was not the time for hayfever.
Thankfully, after clambering into the hide, it became clear it was so well covered there was very little issue with pollen. All I had to do was wait. And sit very, very still.
It paid off.
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
I was lucky to have about an hour with the male little owl who was nesting nearby. He flew in a number of times and I managed to get a few different shots. There was little planning that I could do for this one. Once I was in the hide I couldn’t move or I’d scare him away for the day. All shots had to be taken from where I was. Other than my initial set up with the branches and tree rootballs, all my shots depended on where he landed.
 Little Owl in Golden Light |
 Little Owl |
It took me a while to get my eye in. I had to watch for a while to learn the direction he would fly in from and figure out what his preferred landing spots were. There are a lot blurred shots in my recycle bin! Once I understood his behaviour and patterns, I managed to get a few images in focus.
Watching Little Owl
I’ve seen captive Little Owls before and even held one. But nothing compares to sitting with them in the wild and being part of their world, even just for a couple of hours. Wildlife photography is always a privilege and will never stop making me happy.
Little Owl Looking for Dinner