Contemplating the Rain

I had a fabulous day with Time Line Events at the Hawk Conservancy near Andover. It was the first time I have really been able to give the long lens a "work-out" since buying it in January and took over 1280 photos (though I was on high-speed multi-shot throughout) The images shown are just a quick selection!

The weather forecast was initially a downer, with heavy rain moving in from the west, but our falconers for the day really knew their stuff and we managed a whole morning of birds both static and in flight with the highlights being the owls in their woodland setting (extras).

After lunch we joined up with the public display, but with the rain now starting in earnest it was "Plan B" with flying restricted to a flock of black kites followed by a display of birds on the fist bought up close to us under shelters in the relative dry. Not so for their handlers who were drenched.

The day ended with the TLE group staying on in the arena for more close-up encounters with the birds, though these were also allowed to run around and forage in the sand for food.  The bald eagle didn't seem to mind the rain one bit and was quite happy to sit quietly on rocks or on the fist of his soggy handler, our lead falconer for the day Ben (extra), who spent most of the day in the rain displaying these magnificent birds.

A coffee and chat with fellow attendees ended a very successful day despite the weather conditions.