Pantomime villain
I know, I know - yet another owl encounter.
I have to admit to being a little obsessed.
My first visit there were four or five owls (difficult to count across a wide area when they don’t keep still). On several occasions there were two owls together - locking claws and spiralling round before letting go and continuing to hunt. No one owl ever seemed to be the victor, and each remained in the same area after each ‘fight’. I wanted better shots that I managed that first time - the light had been weak, and the ‘fights’ had been just too far distant from the camera. So back I went.
Visit number four gave me right, owls close to the camera, but a very different type of fight - this one looked like it was for real.
He’s behind you!
One owl was drifting my way, oblivious to a second owl zooming in from behind. They seem silent to me, but it seems they are silent to each other too - the first owl seemingly had no clue of what was about to happen.
Happily the owl recovered to resume hunting, a few fewer feathers and no doubt a big dent in his pride but otherwise unharmed. Previous encounters had seemed benign - this one certainly wasn’t. Still neither owl left the area; once this little spat was over they just got on with sharing the grasslands and the voles.
Now I can’t wait for the weather to improve, the rain to stop, and another trip to see these wonderful birds.