Hunting from the Shadows

For a time, and perhaps still, this is probably the image I was most proud of receiving recognition for.

It was taken on ‘my’ patch. An area close to me, near a river, with lots of surrounding floodplains. It was a popular area for barn owl spotting. But not this side. Everyone else went the other side. It was easier to access, there were fewer trees in the way. Photography was just… easier.

But me being me, I put the experience first.

I loved being on the unpopulated side of the river. I largely had the place to myself. The trees only added to the environment, bringing more colour into it. And the couple of people who did frequent that side of the river became good friends. Perhaps that says something about those of us who chose this side of the river.

Of the hundreds of times I ventured out here to photograph the barn owls, my return rate was minuscule. There were plenty of evenings when I'd question whether I should bother going again. But the place had a draw, and a very special one at that.

And I think that's why I'm proud of this image.

Because of the nature of the area, I'd have to pick my spot and pretty much stick to it. There were numerous fields, but depending on where you positioned yourself, you'd likely only have a good view of one field, and possibly the one behind you.

And therein came the frustration. So often you'd catch a glimpse of an owl flying in the field that you weren't in. Quite possibly the field you'd been sitting in a few days earlier. But rather than chase the owl, I'd usually choose a combination of behaviour and chasing the light.

Over many occasions observing the barn owls in this meadow, I'd learnt that they fairly regularly used a bank of trees to perch in between their hunting forays.

One autumn evening, I spotted the owl fly into those trees.

There was only one way I wanted it to fly out for a decent image, so I set myself up accordingly. I changed my focus point to frame it coming into the frame, and waited in anticipation for it to re-emerge, hoping it would leave in my direction.

So often it feels like they do exactly the opposite.

But out it came from the shadows, and the late, soft evening golden light caught the owl, leaving the shadows behind it.

'Hunting From the Shadows' was awarded Runner Up in the Bird Category by Asferico in 2021.