Birds of Prey Today

I started my day photographing a dramatic sunrise as it rose above the clearing night clouds to produce a very fine sunny day with light easterly winds which was just perfect to work with local birds of prey as they hunted over rough grass fields on the high grounds of west Cornwall.

First up above was a buzzard which had just caught a vole that it took up onto a fence pole to dispatch.

My second subject was a Short Eared Owl perched on the ground where it had just taken a vole, It looked like butter would not melt in its mouth but down below its talons are squeezing the life out of a large vole and it was now keeping the prey  hidden under its body in the rough grass field.

The reason that the vole was kept out of sight by the Short Eared owl was that a local Kestrel had picked up on the Owl's action and being ever an opportunist it was hovering and looking for any chance to mug the Owl to steal an easy meal !

When the coast has cleared the wise old Owl picks up the large lifeless vole and flies it to a safer stash points for later consumption so that in the meantime it can continue hunting for more voles while the fine weather continues..

Before heading for home from this nine hour Shoot I took a few atmospheric telephoto shots of the sun setting close to the LongShips Lighthouse which was six and a half miles away.  It was a fitting end to a memorable day spent with a few of Cornwall's  photogenic ' Birds of Prey '


More Shorties from today's  prolific shoot will be posted in tomorrows blog !