Barn owl

We have seen a barn owl once before at West Stow Country Park but unfortunately it spotted us before we saw him and he took off from the his look out post before I had chance to focus the camera. On our last visit however we saw him from a distance and hoping he would go for the same post I was ready. He settled as predicted and we watched him from afar then gradually moved a little bit closer. He flapped his huge wings and moved a few fence posts down! He was huge (I'm assuming it's a he but I can't tell) we turned off leaving him to hunt then caught a glimpse again through a small wooded area. So chuffed to finally get a fairly decent photograph.

Sparrow hawk alert

I have seen sparrow hawk in the garden before, in fact we have had one demolish her lunch of collared dove on the grass while my husband and daughter watched through the conservatory door. Today I happened to glance out of the kitchen window and there was one sitting right in the almond tree, surrounded by empty feeders!

Fly Agaric hunting

There is nothing quite like the red and white of the Fly agaric toadstool for a great photo. The mushroom of fairy stories and Brownie promises never fails to raise a smile when you see it poking out from the leaf litter. West Stow Country Park around half term has provided me with great specimens so we walked there today in the hope of finding some more but, whether it's not a great year or maybe we were too late and they were over, the only ones we came across were mostly fully open, faded and spoiled.  I managed to find one that after a bit of tidying gave me the images below but otherwise I guess I'll have to wait until next year.

Kestrel

It's half-term here which means I'm on holiday. My husband has also booked the week off and hopefully we will get out and about a little bit. The leaves are now a beautiful blanket of golds, oranges and reds and when the early or late sunshine highlights them through the trees the world glows. We actually had a busy weekend and only managed a quick walk round the local woods and fields, the highlight of which was this kestrel watching us with one eye and the ground with the other. We managed to walk right underneath the tree it was sitting high on.

The fungi in the woods were mostly ones I have already photographed (lots!) but this yellow one stood out in the meadow.

Foggy sunday

It has started foggy and dank in my part of Cambridgeshire. Dank - such a dismal word! My husband went off early to play golf. He was thinking he would be teeing off in the dark but dark and foggy? Madness!  I was hoping for a nice autumnal walk first thing but the fog we have isn't even that pretty orange mistiness photographers love. It's just thick, grey and well... dank!

Deer stalking (sort of)

A few years ago we discovered Hatfield Forest in Essex, acres of ancient forest and parkland to walk in. We thought we'd go back this morning in the hope of finding more fungi and maybe even spotting some deer as it is now rutting season. There were a few fungi but nothing special (no fly agaric which is what I had been hoping for) and despite seeing lots of evidence we only saw one fallow deer! Always a privilege to see though and I did manage a photo at the blurry end of my zoom. The rut is between October and November and next time I think we need to be about an hour earlier in the morning or go later in the evening.

Urban nature

I think my home town of Cambridge is beautiful at any time but on a misty autumnal morning it is stunning. We walked along the river this morning, through the commons and into town.  The highlight had to be this kingfisher. I've seen one once before (fleetingly) on the River Lark but this one flew down quite a busy part of the river before landing in a willow on the opposite bank.