Orange eyed Owl

At first, we thought there was one Long-eared Owlet that had survived to branching stage, as we only saw or heard one in the tree where they had nested. A whole week passed, in late May, before the youngster had moved to another tree and after another day or two, another joined it! 

Most of the time they both remained deep within the willows, but occasionally I would get lucky and they would come out. Inquisitive creatures and a real joy to watch. 

VJP

 Fantastic views of VJP, at Yaxley at the weekend. 

Target pratice

Great to watch a couple of the young Peregrines flying around the fields and hedgerows, flushing up Wood Pigeons and giving chase. Although half hearted and unsuccessful, no doubt a critical stage of their development and strive towards independence. 
 

Branching out

In late May, the first of the two Long-eared Owlets left the nest and started branching. Super hard to see at first but by early June, they were relatively easy to find, although would spend large amounts of time in the thick twine of the willows. A huge amount of patience was needed to get photos and not every visit was a winner. I quite like this 'in-habitat' shot.

Adult Long-eared Owl in late May

 One thing I learnt from last year, adult Long-eared Owls never roost far from their young when they first start 'branching'. This adult female was in constant attendance when the two owlets left the nest. 

Golden Hour Falcons

The Yaxley family of Peregrines performed well mid-week. Just as I was packing away for the evening, the sun broke through the clouds for a magical couple of minutes and all three juveniles went from sleepy teenagers to lively youngsters, flying around the church. 

Early summer Reed Bunting in a meadow

A rare sight these days- a bird's beak full of insects! Taken earlier in the summer.

Young Long-eared Owl

I have been following a family of Long-eared Owls in south Lincolnshire for the past few months. This is one of the two youngsters, 'Tufty and Floofy'. Over the next few weeks, I will be showing more photos from the past month of so of these great owls.
 

Black-winged Stilt

No, not from the Mediterranean! But actually only 40 minutes down the road, at Frampton Marsh, where two pairs have young. At the time, when I took this photo, there was only brood hatched and although we saw all four tiny 'Stiltings', they were a bit distant and elusive for photos. The male did regular feeding flights in the evening though, which allowed for a few photos.  

Muntcjac

 

VJP and young

 

Tiercel, VJP, from Stamford and his young on St Peter's Church in Yaxley, from last week.

Yaxley Falcon in flight

 

St Peter's Church Peregrines

 

Visited the Yaxley Peregrines today. The male, VJP, was born in Stamford in 2021, so was quite keen to catch up with this old friend! The Falcon (top photo) and VJP (bottom photo), didn't bring any prey during my early morning visit but they did put on a fine show, including a few skirmishes on visiting Red Kites. Apparently, yesterday VZF, only showed for the first yesterday. Love the icing on the head from the remaining down.