Take offs and landings

 29.03.24 NT Gibside with the family on Good Friday for a stroll along the avenue to the Octagon Pond. I have never taken as many pictures of Mallards as I did here, they were fighting, taking off and landing, it was canny to watch.

Female taking off.

Male doing the same

Male coming in to land.

Touch down.

It just makes you want to go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee doesn’t it (or is that just me).

But no sooner had he landed then he was being attacked

And made to take off again.

A couple of Little Grebe were also on the pond hopefully there might be even littler ones soon.

A couple of distant Buzzards were flying over the estate.

My first butterfly of the year.

Roe Buck. I’m seem to be seeing these everywhere at the moment.

Behind

 29.03.24 From not being out much to being out most days lately (I’m’ still not a 100% but I’m getting there) means I’m having to catch up with going through all of the images on the computer which has put me behind. As you can see these are from the 29^th when I had a short local walk. A couple of Roe Bucks were in one of the fields and they both came quite close to where I was.

I think this is the older (certainly the larger) of the two Roe Bucks.

The younger of the two.

And away.

I spooked a Grey Partridge and managed to grab a shot.

Mistle Thrush.

Cream-spot Ladybird.

Red Kite

 27.03.24 While out taking photos of the Barn Owl the other night I also got some canny views of a Red Kite which circled around for a while.

Red Kite. 

A distant Kestrel busy sitting.

I have images of a single Lapwing in the same spot from last year I’m just wondering if this is the same bird.

Barn Owls

 27.03.24 Some slightly better images of the Barn Owls from the other night when both the male and female were out hunting.

Barn Owl sequence

 27.03.24 Quality has taken a bashing in these images (high ISO lack of light etc) they are never going to win any prizes however this is the first time I have been able to shoot a sequence of a Barn Owl hovering, catching, and passing its prey from beak to talons and then flying off with it so it’s content over quality I’m afraid.