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."