I blog about nature in the Norfolk countryside and about my wildlife garden.
At last we are having some brighter warmer days and it feels like Spring is just around the corner. Norfolk seems to be quite a hotspot for common toads, and they have been very busy in my neck of the woods...
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Well I had to move quite suddenly away from Oxfordshire to the county of Norfolk. This is a quick, belated post to say farewell to the county that brought me back to nature and introduced me to wildlife photography. I will miss the rolling open countryside and the shadow of the Ridgeway on my dog walks greatly. Although I only lived near South Oxfordshire's chalkhill downland for four years it became a true home for me and it will always have a place in my heart. During some of my farewell walks in my favourite places I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of short-eared owls and a beautiful brown hare silhouetted against the skyline, so I leave Oxfordshire with those images as a beautiful memory.
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We've had an exceptionally mild winter so far, but in December 2010 Britain was covered in snow. This photo of an adult Ural Owl on a snow covered branch was taken at the Hawk Conservancy Trust mid last Decmber. Ural Owls are predominately creatures of the northern boreal forests and very used to snow, though there are smaller Ural Owl populations in the mountain forests of Southern Europe. They are closely related to Tawny Owls; both species are highly territorial and have a fierce reputation for aggressive behaviour.
Ural Owl, Strix uralensis, perched on a snowy branch
Since my wintery Ural Owl shot was taken, I have been fortunate enough to see and observe (from a safe distance!) an adult Ural Owl watching over its young fledgling in the mosquito-drenched Finnish midsummer.
Ural Owl chick in the Finnish forest