Life and Death in the Ouse valley

For the last few evenings I've been in the in and above the river Ouse valley between 4pm am 6pm with my camera trying to get photos of the various birds of prey that are there together at this time of year.

Perhaps the easiest to get a shot of is the Kestrel, this one eating a short tailed vole I believe.

The Short tailed vole is a favourite of the Barn Owl and these can be seen flying as the sun goes down at Southease all year round.

The owl I really wanted to bet a photo of was one of the the Short eared Owls that are passing through the area at the moment. Sadly this is the only shot so far, as it was indeed passing through, argh!

There are plenty of Buzzards to see and at this time of the years there plumage fits in very well with the colour of the bare branches.

The most exciting prospect for me was the arrival of two pairs of Red kites, easily recognisable by their forked tails.

Let's hope they nest nearby this year... I cannot wait!