Long-Eared Owls part 2

 A few days after I got my first long eared owl pictures I finally got the better views I was looking for. After a few days of failing, where the owls came out too late meaning I couldn't get any photos or video (but still got great views with my eyes it has to be said), I finally got the photo opportunity I was after. 

I arrived early and got into my usual position waiting for the owls to come out of the strand of scrub where they roosted deep in the middle of during the day and almost straight away I heard a juvenile calling only a couple of metres away from me. I looked up and to my amazement I saw a long-eared owl perched on a branch right in front of me. It was beginning to get dark so my ISO was high meaning the pictures aren't too sharp but I'm still delighted with what I got. The juveniles continued to call for a few more nights and I returned about two more times however despite getting great views in the moonlit nights with owls flying only a few feet away from me I didn't get anymore photo opportunities as they became more dispersed as they began to explore the area more and begin to hunt for themselves and also frankly because a lot of luck is involved with this stuff but then suddenly one night the calling was no more. The owls had grown up, were no longer reliant on their parents and began making their own way in life where they may start breeding themselves as soon as next Spring ending the Long-Eared Owl saga for this summer. 

Hopefully the adults will remain in the area to breed again next year as I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful and amazing encounters and experiences I had with them. While one saga came to a close however it also opened a new one as on my second last night with the owls I heard 2 Barn Owls shrieking in the distance. Wow! Now comes the hard part however... Trying to locate them again and so far I have most definitely failed. But I will find them lol :)

Anyways I've attached some of my long-eared owl shots above and below. They're so cool!

Elegant Tern

I was delighted to re-find this extremely rare Elegant Tern today. 

Whilst on a trip up to North Clare i found a quiet little pond in a place called Aughinish Island with lots of sandwich terns and a few waders to photograph. However, whilst i was photographing some sandwich terns flying overhead i noticed one had a long orange beak and I instantly knew what i was looking at. It was an Elegant Tern! This bird usually breeds on the Pacific coast of America and Mexico but a small breeding colony that has recently become established in Southern France due to individuals crossing the Atlantic seems the more likely source for what none the less is still a mega rare bird in Ireland. However an individual fresh in from America would have been a bit cooler! This bird was first found in Wexford a few weeks ago before being relocated a few kilometres away from where i found it, in a place called Inishroo, a few days later. It hadn't been seen for 17 days however so the majority of people believed it was gone. I guess it wasn't!

I got a few decent pics too that I'm over the moon with and overall I'm just delighted that i was able to see this extremely rare tern. Only the 8th Irish record and technically the first officially on Clare soil. 

Long Eared Owl chicks

 Im fortunate enough to have long eared owls nesting just up the road from my house. This pic was taken at 10:10pm with a shutter speed of 1/3s so taking that into account im delighted with how it turned out. Ive had some amazing experiences watching them recently they are amazing birds.