9 June 2023 - Hollingworth Lake, Blackstone Edge

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Common Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owls, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Red Grouse

Relatively quiet at the Lake this morning, with just a Common Sandpiper visible from the hide.

In the evening I went with Andrew up to Blackstone Edge and beyond, in search of owls.  First we went down Cragg Vale, where straight away we saw a Short-eared Owl hunting to the right side of the road.  It headed back up the hill towards the reservoir, but we lost it to view during a vain search for Merlin.

Afterwards we headed up beyond the Blue Ball Inn, where we found some apparent Long-eared Owl pellets close to a wall bordering a small plantation.  As we came back to the road a Barn Owl showed quite well, though it was beginning to go dark by this time.  We headed back the way we'd come, and spotted a Little Owl by the roadside, and then shortly afterwards a Long-eared Owl flew past.  As we waited we had several quite good views of Long-eared Owl in flight, and at one point a bird landed on a fence post just a few yards from the car, but unfortunately only for a couple of seconds.  Shortly afterwards we again saw Little Owl, flitting between a stone wall and some haystacks, and then two Long-eared Owls came towards us and overhead, almost in darkness by this point.  Not a bad evening, though the owl shots are a little dodgy...

Common Sandpiper, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 200 (view full size image)

Barn Owl, 1/125 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 25600

Little Owl, 1/60 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 6400 (view full size image)