Red Kite and peregrine

 It is not all that unusual to see a red kite flying over the house (maybe once a month). I watched one soaring overhead this afternoon, but then another bird of prey caught my eye and it turned out to be a peregrine falcon. These are very rarely seen in this part of the country and to see one in the same sky space as a red kite, was remarkable.

Barn Owl

 Walking along a hedgerow recently, I disturbed a roosting barn owl. It flew from its perch just five metres from me across the field to land in another tree. There it drew the attention of some crows. By the time I had circumnavigated the field, the owl had gone. The tree it flew to, was on the edge of a very large wood, so it would have no difficulty in disappearing from view.

This is only the second sighting I have had of a barn owl in my area in eight years of residence.