A Dark breasted Barn Owl in the Fens 26th March 2025

One for the birding connoisseur had me planning a long car trip to Bourne in the Lincolnshire Fens as a  Dark breasted Barn Owl has been frequenting South Fen near Bourne since at least February and possibly even earlier.

Barn Owls are the world's most widely distributed owl species and one of the world's most widespread birds being found in the form of various sub species on every continent apart from Antarctica.

Dark breasted Barn Owls are one of these sub species and normally found in central and southern Europe.The fact that apart from being very attractive only thirteen have so far been recorded in Britain goes a long way to explain the interest being shown by British birders in this individual at Bourne 

It is very obliging in that it has been hunting from daybreak to around mid morning over the rough ground adjacent to the wonderfully named Bah Humbug Christmas Tree Farm, often close to the road that runs past the farm and straight as a die through the fen and thus, being highly visible has attracted many birders and photographers from far and wide to journey to see it.

I was a bit late joining the pilgrimage but made plans to travel to Bourne today as this was the only day I had free this week.

The rough ground where it was hunting around the farm  lies on one side of a long, narrow, dead straight  road that cuts through a flat and featureless landscape that is so typical of the county. The road unfortunately is a cut  through frequented by huge trucks passing to and fro and from previous reports it was clear I needed to park my car carefully at the side of the road to ensure I did not fall foul of the trucks that thunder past at regular intervals, often at a reckless speed.

The owl, flying as it was from daybreak, which is currently shortly after 5am. necessitated me leaving home at 2.30am to make the two and a half hour journey to Bourne, not something I relished but this is what was required if I wished to see the owl.I awoke bang on 2am. my body now so attuned to late night twitches that usually I awake just before my alarm goes off. I was on automatic pilot for a while as I dressed and got everything I needed into the car; bins, telescope, camera, gloves, jacket, counting everything off in case I had forgotten anything.

Satisfied all was in order I set the satnav for South Fen Road and took to the rural highways and byways of Oxfordshire in the dead of night, not encountering a single car for half an hour but on joining the main road north was soon dodging huge, brightly lit trucks also heading northwards..So the journey progressed, following the satnav's instructions as it took me on a tortuous route, cross country towards Lincolnshire. I only took a wrong turning once and by the time I was approaching Bourne the sky was visibly light, dawn had most definitely broken and birds were singing. 

I circumvented Bourne until I turned onto South Fen Road and viewed a long road that stretched far into the distance ahead of me.Passing through an industrial area of warehouses I came to the farm, beyond which lay vast, flat arable fields on each side of the road 

I was entirely on my own and the time was 5.30am. Unsure exactly where to park I could see where presumably birders vehicles had made tyre marks on the grass verge and settled for there. I got out of my car to get some air and stretch my legs after the long tedious journey. The outside  temperature was cold but bearable with not a breath of wind. .The land around me, lay dank and one could say desolate under low cloud and a faint mist that hung in the air making everything ill defined.Not great for photography and my spirits sank a little

To my left and right were plantations of conifers of various sizes so no mistaking if I was in the right spot. 

At least the farmer has a sense of humour!

I settled to await developments fretting about when and where the owl would appear. Another car arrived and stopped behind me. A fellow birder/photographer. We greeted each other and got chatting.He lived locally and told me he  had been many times to see the owl and that it would appear in the field of rough pasture beside our cars. I relaxed a little.

I sat in my car with my window open, hoping. The owl obliged and appeared at just after 6am flying past us, half way out across the field from left to right and carried on along the verge of the road and disappeared into the misty distance.It showed no signs of stopping to hunt and frankly I was greatly disappointed at the brief view I had of the owl although pleased to have at least seen it

My first impression of its plumage was how dark it appeared compared to our 'normal' white Barn Owl.There was little white to see on this owl. with its ginger biscuit orange coloured underparts and extensive grey feathering on its similarly ginger buff upperparts, more grey than buff in truth. A white face was made more prominent by the greater contrast with the dark buff feathers of its head

Any thought of photography was out of the question as the light was so poor and the mist seemed to have intensified. My birding friend said that thick fog had been predicted for here so we should think ourselves lucky.I chided myself for not being more diligent in checking the weather before setting off.Still here I was, so best to make the most of it.Apparently it was going to be sunny and warm from 10am onwards. Just when the owl usually retired to roost.

For half an hour there was no further sign of the owl despite both of us scanning far and wide with our bins.The first huge lorries began to pass us by, very close and frankly sometimes terrifyingly close on the narrow road, their huge bulk passing just feet away from us.

My birder friend assured me the owl would eventually return.

I was slumped in the car weary and a little down when he called out 

It's coming back!

Instantly energised I was out of the car in seconds and poised on the bank with my back to my car waiting for the owl to come into my view. It was coming straight towards us then turned from the roadside verge to follow a ditch running at right angles away from the road, skirted a ragged brambly hedge, then crossed the field at the far end. 

We did our best and got some passable but grainy photos.The 'noise' as they call it could be eradicated to a certain degree by using a remarkable application on my computer called Topaz. which can turn rubbish photos, not into masterpieces but good enough for this blog (I will let you judge)

The owl continued across the far side of the field to where it bordered a plantation of small to medium sized christmas trees and perched on the top of one

It remained there for the next forty five minutes, occasionally moving to another tree but never coming anywhere remotely within camera range. By now several other cars and their birder occupants had arrived.I felt the owl was just as fed up with the weather as were we and had all but given it up as a lost cause as far as a vole breakfast was concerned or maybe it did not relish flying in the damp, misty conditions and preferrred to sit and wait to pounce on something, anything.

Finally the owl flew and our hopes were raised in anticipation of it coming nearer but rather than return in our direction it flew parallel to the trees, towards the road and then over it and disappeared behind the farm buildings into a plantation on that side. It was gone and some speculated it had returned to roost deciding the conditions were too bad to hunt.

I thought this was wrong as I had not seen it catch anything and it must be hungry.Over an hour passed with nothing to see.Some birders left, either to go to work or convinced  the show was over for today.My birder friend was one of those but living locally he could return any day. I was wavering. I persuaded myself to give it another half hour, then another and so on.I stared morosely across the owl free fields.  The featureless, uninspiring landscape of Linconshire.possesses its own bitter sweet fascination and a unique atmosphere especially on a gloomy morning such as this.A benign desolation is how I would best describe it.

A Corn Bunting sang from the top of a wind battered bush far out in a field. His simple repetitive song of jangly thin notes no more than a trickle of sound in the dismal emptiness of land and sky.

Tiring of standing and chewing the fat with other birders I sat in the car and scrolled though messages on my phone to alleveate the boredom.Others could keep an eye out and would doubtless raise the alert if the owl showed up.

A shout eventually came from a large,vociferous gentleman scoping the fields

It's back, just crossed the road and is flying back into the plantation

These were the words I longed to hear but had almost given up on. The owl resumed a distant perch on a christmas tree but it was more restless this time and soon flew, seeming determined on hunting. 

It came reasonably close for a brief spell and I followed it in the camera as it approached an area of long grass, right by the road. It stalled and hovered and then pitched into the long grass but failed to catch its prey. Rising it flew to perch on a metal post but was there for only thirty seconds before taking off once more.

When it was perched I could clearly see how markedly darker and browner  it was. Its face looking toward me was off white with smudges of brown around its black eyes making it look like mascara had run. A totally different  looking bird to our normal Barn Owl and for me at least and probably most other birders present, a very attractive sight indeed.

The owl flew onwards and became more distant, checking further rough patches to the limit where they adjoined built up industrial areas.We followed its progress in our bins and telescopes but finally could find it no more.I hung on until just before ten which is usually the last time it is seen but there was to be no grand finale.

However I was more than happy with what I had achieved and at having seen this charismatic subspecies of the Barn  Owl.

A nice coffee in Bourne set me up for the journey home and I drove into the sunshine of a now beautiful day.