Spring ‘25

The Barn Owl

Barn Owl being harassed by Crow

What an amazing surprise and a reminder to never leave your camera at home. Whilst out on an evening walk in the distance I noticed something unusual, a white bird flying close to the ground in the distance. It took a few seconds to understand that I was finally seeing a barn owl in the wild for the first time. Seeing a wild barn owl has been on my list for many months so to see it so randomly was not expected. 

To make my encounter more dramatic, a crow was harassing the owl who was nearly trying to catch some prey for dinner. After the attack from the crow ceased the barn owl few to several locations to perch around the field. I stayed until it got too dark, but what an amazing encounter to witness and a real surprise.

Where Did You Go?

Pheasant ‘hiding’

Roaming around the North Downs you can start to learn the territories of the various animals you can encounter. This Pheasant with its unusual white plumage is very distinct looking and can be found in its usual spot. Being incredibly shy, it cleverly 'hid' behind some flora until I had passed. Perhaps its colouring will become more helpful in Winter.

The Paraglider

Paraglider landing

Whilst out looking for large birds towards the end of the day, something very unexpected showed up in the sky. No motor attached, a paraglider was soaring up in the sky (and chasing away the Buzzard I was trying to capture!).

Once he landed I was able to share the pictures of him fly up in the sky and proves the point that there is always something new to spot whilst out on the Downs.