Barry Thomas

In August 2024 I had a call from the BBC to say that my photo of a barn owl, taken here in Derbyshire, had been selected for inclusion in the 2025 Countryfile calendar! Out of 20,000 images entered, my photo made it down to the final twelve. I was very surprised and flattered - some of the other images shown on Countryfile which didn't make the cut were fantastic! This is without doubt the peak of my photographic efforts.

I had been taking photos of the barn owl for a couple of hours, lying in a ditch. She had flown back to the barn in the corner of the field to eat her latest catch. I returned to the car but passed the open end of the dark shed and there she was on the beam in a perfect shaft of light, looking back at me. I took about a dozen quick frames and left her in peace.

Canon R5, Canon 100-500 f/4.5-7.1 L, 2x extender, f/14, 1/1250s, ISO 3200.

Click on any of the galleries below, then click on any image to see a larger version. All enquiries, email bt@barrythomas.co.uk

All images © Copyright Barry Thomas