Moment climber disturbs hidden owl - but manages to hang on from flight credit Watch Video

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✓ Published: 16-Apr-2024

Description:
Amazing slow-motion footage captures the moment an owl flew out over a climber in a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment.<br/><br/>The video, captured by Will Birkett, 28, shows the bird leap from its perch as he scaled a quarry wall in Silverdale, Lancs.<br/><br/>He reaches into the hold where the owl is sheltering, unaware the bird is there, and the owl then takes flight – wings skimming the top of his head.<br/><br/>Will, who was climbing without the aid of ropes, was filming for his social media account @willbirkett_lakes when the moment happened.<br/><br/>And he said while it was common for climbers to disturb crows and ravens throughout their climbing career, the owl was a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment.<br/><br/>Will, from Langdale Valley, Lake District, said: “I was going up a crack in a local quarry and just as I was reaching out to grab the hold, the owl came out of nowhere. <br/><br/>“It’s unique that it’s an owl. Climbers will quite often disturb birds not knowing they’re there. <br/><br/>“More typically it's a crow or raven, an owl is unusual – it was once in a lifetime. <br/><br/>“You can’t really afford to jump in that situation, I was climbing without a rope or anything. <br/><br/>“I had no choice but to hold on and deal with it - it was quite alarming at the time for sure.”