Great Barn Owl Sighting

[witham]

We were sat watching telly last night just before dusk and also keeping an eye out of the living room window as the bats are back and we like to watch them swooping through the trees in the back garden, don't know where it came from, but suddenly the Owl swooped down from somewhere, glided low across the garden and landed the other side of the fish pond then a few seconds later took off again, flew back towards us then up and over the trees along the fence into the back field and back towards its usual hunting ground along the drain and river bank, we couldn't see anything in its claws so whatever it had seen it either missed or was so small it wasn't visible, We sometimes get one sitting on top of our telepgraph pole as its a good vantage point for the fields on either side so it may have been on there. We regularly used to see the old Owl in the garden and it used to perch on a fence post watching the field but it died and haven't seen one so close for ages.

[Bub-les]

Can we swap houses. I've got bats here if that helps! Would love to see an owl for longer than a glimpse in the headlights and to have one visiting my garden .... swap please even better if you have kingfishers as well!
Seriously that was a good sighting.
Barbara

[firemayden]

What a fantastic sighting! I was commuting to work some years back and had to go through some twisty Cotswold country lanes, and for about a week the same Barn Owl was turning up at the same spot at the same time every morning; it once decided to fly alongside the car very close to the passenger window (my side). Beautiful bird and I think you're really lucky to be able to see one at such close range

[witham]

Originally Posted by firemayden

Beautiful bird and I think you're really lucky to be able to see one at such close range

We've had a few 'close encounters' over the years when dog walking up on the river bank, when they are hunting they seem almost oblivious if you stand very still

[witham]

Originally Posted by Bub-les

Can we swap houses. I've got bats here if that helps! Would love to see an owl for longer than a glimpse in the headlights and to have one visiting my garden .... swap please even better if you have kingfishers as well!
Seriously that was a good sighting.
Barbara

We have seen Kingfishers up near the river and in the drains, but not this year so far, but it's getting a bit too busy up there now as they opened a bike track on the old railway line nearby and as well as the sensible people it's also being spiolt by attracting those that are lets say a pain in the derriere, I had to shout at some lads that were stoneing sheep at the weekend they thought it very funny to see the sheep charging about frightened witless, then the farmer wonders why he got so many lame ones.

[Bub-les]

Makes you feel like giving them the same treatment as they gave the sheep!

[leifus]

Similar here except we have that every day and we have a nest in the field opposite which has a mysteriuos quiet screeching coming from it (you can hear it from the path that runs 20m away from it)...