We have been enjoying some beautiful sunsets over recent evenings. The
wan sun shining low through trees and bracken has lit up the meadows and
fields around us with a thick, autumnal glow. I went out to film this a
couple of nights ago, and as I set up my camera, I was blessed with one
of those moments for which one cannot plan. A familiar shade flew
directly across the path of my lens, so quickly and quietly that I had
to play the footage back to check whether it was indeed what my instinct
said, a barn owl. I have slowed it down a little so that it can be seen
more clearly in this footage, and added some suitably crepuscular music
(the beginning of our track 'The Birds' from the 2010 album we recorded
with Niamh Cavlan). I could not have set this up any better, with the
light providing a perfect silhouette for this magnificent predator as it
set off for a night's vole-hunting in the long grass that abounds in
the adjoining meadows. It was definitely luck, but I suppose the more
one puts oneself in the position to capture such moments, the more
'lucky' one becomes!
How lucky are you! This is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jean. Yes, I fell on my feet a bit there! We see them quite regularly locally (thankfully) but getting good shots of them is tricky.
ReplyDeleteGreat little film, you make a lot of the luck if you get yourself in the likely places and you have the right equipment. Great to catch up very briefly over half term, the terrific little metal crayfish is mounted on our cooker hood, a permanent reminder to try harder to actually see a live one next year, thankyou !
ReplyDelete