Birding

Barn Owl dawn

September 27, 2026 by David T No Comments

Late September and early October is the time of the Red Deer rut here in the Brecks. The largest of Britain’s land mammals, our local population of Reds includes many big stags with impressive multi-pointed antlers. However, despite their size, both the stags and hinds are elusive and difficult to see for much of the year, remaining deep in the woods. Now, however, with the rut in full swing, their presence is more obvious, as the stags roar to proclaim their territories. 

The roaring is a wonderfully spine-tinging, primeval bellow, and remarkably far-carrying – on a still night you can hear a stag a couple of miles away. It’s a sound I love to listen to, so yesterday morning I got up before dawn, then drove three miles to a site that is usually favoured by the stags. Early starts are essential, as once the sun has risen the animals tend to go silent.

When I arrived at the forest I could hear distant stags, but disappointingly there were none close by. I walked to a water meadow by the river, often a good place to find the deer, but there wasn’t a single beast to be seen. There was, though, a Barn Owl, silently patrolling the rough ground. The meadow had a light crown of early-morning mist: the hunting owl emerged suddenly from the mist, as if by magic, only to disappear once again.

Like most bird photographers, I usually try to capture a big image of the bird I’m photographing, though this isn’t always a great idea. On this occasion it proved impossible, as the owl (which was, I’m sure, unaware of my presence) never came close to me. But if I had captured a larger image of the bird, I am sure that my photographs would be less interesting, for I feel I have captured something of the magic of my pre-dawn encounter, I hope you agree.

Though Barn Owls are relatively common here in Suffolk, they are always a special treat to see, and I never tire of watching them and trying to photograph them. 

Rutting Red Deer stag with his hinds. I took this photograph a year ago, close to where I watched the Barn Owl this year

Written by David T
David Tomlinson has been interested in birds for as long as he can remember, and has been writing about them for almost as long. An annual highlight is hearing his first cuckoo of the year at home in Suffolk, England, which he rates as almost as exciting as watching White-necked Rockfowls in Ghana or Steller’s Eiders in North Norway. A former tour leader, he has seen an awful lot of birds around the world, and wishes he could remember more of them. As for the name of David's beat, here is an explanation in his own words: "Brecks (Breckland) does need an explanation - it’s the name for the region on the Suffolk/Norfolk borders, renowned for its free-draining sandy soils. It has the closest to a Continental climate of anywhere in the UK. At its heart is Thetford Forest, which has the biggest population of nightjars of anywhere in the UK. The stone curlew is the other special bird of the region, again with the biggest population in the UK (over 250 pairs)."