Stockport photographer's gorgeous owl photos will make your weekend
By Jake Meeus-Jones
A local amateur wildlife photographer has captured stunning photos of barn owls breeding in three locations across the Peak District.
Darren Cook, 47, says barn owl breeding season has lasted longer than usual this year thanks to the bad weather.
He has spent much of the summer patiently waiting to snap shots of three separate families of birds at barns across Glossop and Mellor.
Describing his hobby of photographing the birds as being "like a drug", Darren wears a full ghillie suit to camouflage himself in the beige fields.
Darren has taken photos of the owls with their young and witnessed chicks take flight for the first time.
Images show the majestic birds in flight as they hunt for food as well as being perched up in their barn nests.
Darren, a logistics manager, from Cheadle, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, said: "The weather was terrible at the beginning of year so there's been a delay and we're still seeing them now.
The barn owl is the most widely distributed owl in the world, living on every continent except Antarctica.
"Barn owls are like a drug to me, they're a stunning bird."
"I'm extremely lucky - my good friend is now retired and has good knowledge of breeding areas.
"I have one picture of four of them in a hole - it wasn't until I posted it that we realised it was a young one looking through the legs of an older one.
"Over the years we've seen some of the young fly for the first time.
"We've seen chicks waiting on stable doors, watching, waiting and learning how to fly - the parents stay in close proximity to try and encourage the young out of the barn to fly.
"It's beautiful - I've had an owl fly directly at me and land just 15ft in front."
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