Barn Owl Chasing

All did not go to plan with my local barn owl (in terms of distance he's barn owl number 2 - a ten minutes walk away). In fact he led me on a merry old dance! He'd start hunting in one field, I'd get myself set-up on the edge, start tracking him in the viewfinder and he'd fly in to the next field, out of sight behind a hedge. I'd relocate to that field, again get myself set-up on the edge, track him in the viewfinder only to see him return to the first field again! An hour and a half he toyed with me like this. Back and forth, back and forth...Pesky little devil!

It'll do for a first attempt though.

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700mm f7.1 1/1000 iso800

95% Full frame - rotation

700mm f7.1 1/1000 iso800

Full frame

However, first thing this morning, I looked out the kitchen window and spied another one (barn owl number one - a five minute walk away) hunting in the field opposite. What followed was a mad dash to get camo'd up, grab the camera gear and race down the road to my pre-planned vantage point. I was treated to one fly-by before it crash landed onto a vole and then sped off with its breakfast into a nearby barn.
I managed four shots: three in the sequence were out of focus and one was okay - the price I pay for keeping the 1.4x attached. Still, I only need the one shot to be sharp (although, to be honest, the beaks a little soft, I'm assuming he twitched!)
I don't take many shots that I export from Lightroom without making any changes but this is one of them. All it's had is a tickle of the Shadow/Highlights tool in Photoshop.

700mm f6.3 1/1000 iso800

Full frame