Barn Owl & Kingfisher (BOGOF) - Two for the price of one!

Popped out to the pond for a last walk around as the sun was slowly making its way to bed.  I got to the bottom of the garden and saw what I thought were two Kingfishers at the top of the pond, I quickly walked back to the house to grab the camera as I had never seen two kingfishers on the pond at the same time and wanted a picture to mark the occasion.  As I walked back up to the top of the pond, a Kingfisher perched on the jetty and then jumped off to sit on the edge of the boat. The light was fading, but I took a few pictures anyway. At this stage I'm now convinced that there was only one bird and I had imagined the second... 

As I crouched by the reeds watching the Kingfisher, a Barn owl swept across the pond from the meadow and dropped right onto the log and branch pile that  I had built by the pond last year. The owl could clearly see me, I was sitting just a few meters away; I'm certain it could hear the  'click-click-click' of my Nikon, she seemed unphased and posed for me for several minutes before making her exit. 

Quality Alert ;-( Images are cropped and rather grainy due to low light and higher than optimal ISO settings but I'm still pleased to have recorded the event. - Click images for larger views. 

Here are the pictures of the Owl and Kingfisher who went to sea on a beautiful pea green boat.

Time to go... amazing just how long Barn owl legs are!

...and equipped with those menacing talons!

and the Kingfisher that I originally went out to see. Now pretty sure there was only one. 

Barn Owls, Cuckoo's and Doves

 

Delighted to see the Barn Owl hunting round the pond and over the meadow. I have deliberately left areas of uncut meadow and grass to allow a thick thatch to develop to create the perfect habitat for mice, voles and shrews. My Barn Owl box put up earlier in the year has so far only attracted Stock Doves to use it as a home. While I'm happy to have the box used by birds my preference would have been for the owls to use it! Maybe next year... in the picture below there are two stock dove chicks looking more hairy than feathery. On the theme of squatters, I have had house sparrows take up residence in one if my four swallow nest boxes, I'm hoping that I manage to get at least one bird in the right nest box! Heard but did not see a cuckoo yesterday so it seems the theme of squatting continues.

2 X Stock Dove chicks in the Barn owl nest box.