Eagle Owl (Bubo Bubo)

There has long been a general acceptance that eagle owls have not occurred naturally in Britain in post-glacial times although they may colonise here in the future, as the population recovers on the European mainland. The eagle owl however has been known to have been in captivity in this country since at least the 17th century and many were brought from India during the 19th century. 

This photograph was taken at  Sion Hill Hall Birds of Prey Centre, near Thirsk, during one of the many daily flight demonstrations. I wanted to show the true beauty and size of the Owls wings and managed to capture the bird as it came in to land. I set the camera to continuous focus and shutter priority and began to follow the bird as it flew around the display area. Out of many photographs taken only a small amount were sharply focused.