Owl takes flight over climber in incredible slow-motion footage

By Josie Adnitt via SWNS

Amazing slow-motion footage captures the moment an owl flew out over a climber in a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment.

The video, captured by Will Birkett, 28, shows the bird leap from its perch as he scaled a quarry wall in Silverdale, Lancs.

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.

Will, who was climbing without the aid of ropes, was filming for his social media account @willbirkett_lakes when the moment happened.

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.

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.

“It’s unique that it’s an owl. Climbers will quite often disturb birds not knowing they’re there.

“More typically it's a crow or raven, an owl is unusual – it was once in a lifetime.

“You can’t really afford to jump in that situation, I was climbing without a rope or anything.

“I had no choice but to hold on and deal with it - it was quite alarming at the time for sure.”