One of the most frequent questions I am asked is how do I find and photograph Barn Owls, there is no simple answer really but patience and time are the main factors. Although there is no exact science to locating Owls there are a few key things you can do to increase your chances of success. Notwithstanding the former but the failure rate in seeing and capturing wild Barn Owls is quite high, but the rewards out way the failed attempts. As many of you are more than aware nature doesn’t always play ball!

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

I think local knowledge is one of the best ways to locate and find Barn Owls, as popularity goes this beautiful bird is up their amongst peoples favourites, so the chances are if someone has seen one they will probably share that moment with you. I am fortunate to have very good relationships with local farmers and landowners who allow me access to their land to photograph wildlife especially Owls; their unique knowledge of the Owls comings and goings gives me a great advantage. If it wasn’t for the kindness of these individuals the task of tracking them down would be that much harder, I spend 90% of my time on private land.

The key thing having access to these places allows you to build up a unique knowledge of the particular specie and they will largely be left undisturbed, which allows their behaviour to become unchanged due to the lack of human intervenOtion. I always respect the landowners rules and inform them if I plan to do anything outside of the agreement, as the privilege can always be withdrawn, the offer of free pictures always goes down very well.

KNOW YOUR SUBJECT

As always your subject knowledge is paramount in gaining an insight into their world, books, fieldcraft and weeks even months of study can allow you to sometimes predict their movements, favoured perches, hunting grounds and most of all how they move, flight patterns etc. Most Owl species are creatures of habit so this can be a great advantage, but they can sometimes prove you wrong! For over 20 years I have been fortunate enough to study and work with Barn Owls, 6 years under licence and this has given me a unique insight into their world, the more you look at them the more fascinating they become. All this combined with an added bit of luck will increase you chances of capturing that amazing moment that will stay with you forever. I have also contributed to many publications including the Barn Owl Conservation handbook by the Barn Owl Trust.

LOCATING THE CORRECT HABITAT

Getting to know the birds is one thing but finding each Owls preferred habitat is of vital importance to increase your chances of success. I am not going to cover all species of Owls but focus primarily on Barn Owls, they hunt where prey is most abundant. Rough grassland provides small mammals with plenty of cover which allows their numbers to really grow! Short Tailed Field Voles create burrows through the thick litter layer at the base of rough grassland and emerge through little holes to graze on the surface. Vole holes are easiest to spot through Autumn & Winter. During the summer time, crops and hay meadows can be great hunting grounds, during prolonged periods of bad weather Barn Owls will often hunt in and around farm buildings. Barn Owls can also be very dependent on mice, they frequently hunt along hedgerows and field margins. However, in Britain, rough grassland is by far the best habitat. Generally avoid looking and scouting for Barn Owls during the day as they are a crepuscular specie and really only hunt at dusk and dawn, never give up on an area you know Barn Owls visit as they will at some point turn up.

LOOKING FOR SIGNS

More often than not Barn Owls will leave visible signs that they visit certain areas regularly, whether that’s posts, barns or a favoured tree perch on a field edge. Their poo is a hard one to identify but they do leave behind pellets which are ejected through the mouth daily which contain undigested bones & fur from prey items taken; these can lead to vital clues once dissected to work out their preferred prey types. For Barn Owls, barns are an obvious locations for Owls to roost and breed in, as I’ve explained above liaising with farmers and landowners will allow you to visits sites to look for potential activity. For other owls species this can be more difficult but looking for holes in trees and signs of feathers or droppings can lead to success for species like Little & Tawny Owls, but don’t get too close during breeding season especially with Tawny Owls, as they can be very protective and will attack a human and have even caused serious injury.

PATIENCE IS KEY

I would say without doubt patience is the key ingredient for success watching and photographing Owls, it sometimes takes a considerable amount of dedication and if you invest the time you will be rewarded with some great views and spectacular images. Many people think that just arriving at a known location will produce results which certainly isn’t the case, but using some of the knowledge I have spoken about will aid you in gaining that amazing moment.

Sometimes its not all about getting that image but just enjoying the moment in nature, quite frequently I have put down the camera only to enjoy watching an Owl hunting in front of me, when your eye is fixed behind the viewfinder you loose that intimate moment between you and the subject. After a lengthy period watching and studying an Owl they do become habituated to your presence and your can build up a trust relationship with your subject which can lead to some amazing moments.

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY ETIQUETTE & LEGAL ASPECTS

The Barn Owl is a schedule 1 protected specie in the UK and a licence is required to photograph then on/ or around the nest, these concerns are much greater because the barn owl is known to have dramatically declined in numbers as a wild bird in the UK.

THE LAW

Wild barn owls are given the highest level of legal protection possible under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. Penalties that can be imposed for criminal offences in respect of a single bird, nest or egg contrary to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an unlimited fine, up to six months imprisonment or both.

Offences include:

Photographing Breeding Birds on/or around the nest site (Without a licence)
Killing or injuring a barn owl
Catching a Barn Owl
Taking or destroying any egg of a Barn Owl
Damaging or destroying the active nest site with eggs or young or before eggs are laid
Disturbing the dependent young of a Barn Owl
Possessing, offering for sale or selling a Barn Owl
Release or allow the escape of a Barn Owl into the wild

One thing as a wildlife photographer I have never compromised on is the welfare of the subject, this must be of the upmost importance and not getting the shot at the expense of the subject. I’ve witnessed many photographers chasing/flushing the subject in order to get the shot, which not only stresses the subject out and causes it to change its natural behavior but also gives wildlife photographers a bad name!

IN CLOSING…

I hope this short Blog has given you an insight into the world of some of the Owl species we have in the UK, although there is a lot more to cover this will help you get started with what will probably become an obsession. Just remember some key points fieldcraft, respect, knowledge and enjoyment of doing what we love is what matters most.

If you would like to see more, check out my Vlogs below on photographing Barn Owls and How-To go about scouting a potential site for photographing Barn Owls.

Please leave a comment below and let me know your experiences when photographing Owls, feel free to contact me if you have any further questions and I will be happy to answer them for you.

All the best

R.

Photographing Owls