Photo of the month

by Simon Dibble

A short eared owl hunting on Exmoor, a moment of natural beauty captured by local photographer Simon Dibble. Normally winter visitors, these owls have been seen as late as May prompting speculation there could now be breeding pairs here.

“These owls have given me the run around over the years and I have lost count how many times that I have gone out with my camera to find them, and returned home with nothing!” Simon told Molton Monthly.

“On this particular day I was lucky enough to spot the owl hunting in the distance and hoped that this was the day that I would actually come away with an image. Dressed in full camouflage, I got myself into position, kneeling low in the long grass in the hope that the owl would hunt in my direction.”

“I didn’t have much visibility as I wanted to stay low and not be seen. This was challenging as it meant that I had to shoot through the grass if the owl came in low. It finally made an appearance and gradually got closer and closer, with gentle and slow beats of those long wings.”

“It was a brief encounter, and I did have to take the picture focusing through the grass. Moments later, the owl turned and headed away from me. That didn’t matter though as I got the image that I came for.”

You can follow Simon Dibble Photography on Facebook and Instagram.

Whether it’s wildlife like this, nature, sports, special events, rural life, a local character or something else - please keep emailing us your pictures. We usually only feature one each month in the magazine, but show more on our Instagram and Facebook pages: @MoltonMonthly