As I am on my way back to Devon tomorrow I thought I would get myself out to Scammendon Dam to see if I could find the Short Eared Owl again and perhaps get a few better views. I parked the car in the public car park and didn't think too much about the other cars parked except that it seemed odd that they all contained single men!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alarms should have rung but being innocent and unsuspecting I didn't think anything of it until I returned to my car after my adventure…………….. I was actually propositioned by some kind of odd disgusting individual who thought my camera was for ………… well I am not even going to say, but use your imagination. I thought about punching him but decided that he might enjoy it so I left in a hurry with my camera full of great bird photos. Sometimes when you are out and about with your camera you get the most unusual reaction.

So now to the real point of my entry. I walked up the valley from the car park and with the binos, scanned the fence lines. I wasn't expecting too much of a result to be honest, but if you don't look you don't find and if I was going to pass on one "Pearl of Wisdom" this would be it. I saw a dark object on the fence line at the top of the valley to my left and thought, this must be a crow. With the binos on it I was so pleased and excited to see an Owl!. I had found it.

After snapping off a few record shots I made my way up the steep side of the hill. It was heavy going, but I had reasoned that the bird couldn't see me and I was going to get close to it. So now I knew that, as I was about to come over the brow of the hill, the bird would be just in front of me. The plan worked and I got a dozen or so shots but in quite poor light. After a short while the bird leapt up and flew down to my left. I was chuffed and excited that I had recorded some nice images, there was more to follow though but at the time I didn't know it.

I my heart was beating with excitement but more likely exertion. With the binos I casually scanned the hillside ahead and couldn't believe my luck when I saw the bird again now around 300 yards to my left on the remains of a low Yorkshire stone wall. If only I was closer! I got a 100 yards nearer and the bird was still visible but as I walked closer still there was no sign and as the light was getting worse I reasoned that it had left the scene and I had missed it. So now, after making my way in the direction of the last sighting, I approached the wall now only a few feet away. The thought went through my mind "Imagine if it was still here"? With a flash and whoosh of wing the bird rose in front of me from behind the wall where it had been all along! It would be hard to put in to words how thrilled and exhilarated I was at this moment. One of those rare, real moments of wildlife excitement that you can't buy. I hadn't given up though and followed on up the hill in it's wake. Again I could get close by being in the lee of the hill and I knew it wouldn't be able to se me. As I got to the top again, there it was and this time he was waiting for me. I could see his starring eyes peering through the sedge and I could imagine that the bird thought it odd that this strange camo clad thing was following him across the hillside. A few more shots and off he went and I left him to it.

I returned to my car and ran the gauntlet of old Yorkshire perverts! Beware if you are ever at Scammendon Dam looking for Short Eared owl. My daughter- in- law tells me that this a well known place to avoid by the people of Huddersfield………….. if only she had told me before!!!!!!!!!!!!