Sunday, March 05, 2006

Northowram Sunday

7.oo . 22 Meadow Pipit West
10.15 . 12 herring Gull west
10.30 . 4 Carrion Crow mobbing female Sparrow hawk
11.00 .2 little Owl and 2 Stock Dove near barn
12.00. 4 Goldfinch over
12.15 . 3 Skylark singing and 1 Snipe
5.50 25 Corvids going crazy opposite house.?
5.55 1 Barn Owl being mobbed by corvids flew across field and into conifers .
6.00 35 +Corvids going crazy around conifers,
6.02 Barn Owl flushed from conifers,seen very well with no jessies and fully winged (very pale above)
heavy snow and light fading fast hampered any other views.
8.05 Barn Owl called twice but could not be re -located.
I have notified local falconer to see if any one has lost a bird .But with the major increase in birds nationally you never know.?Will search tomorrow

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an ace observation, well done. I did'nt know that Barn Owl numbers were improving; just shows the value of this blog site.

AndyC said...

This year Barn Owls in many parts of the country began nesting earlier than usual, reared above average numbers of young, and even nested for a second time. This bumper breeding year for what is still a rare species in the UK was probably the result of continuing efforts by conservationists to improve habitat, a mild winter and a plentiful supply of the Barn Owl’s prey - small mammals such as field vole and wood mouse. These in turn are thought to have thrived because there was an exceptional amount of wild fruit and seeds, such as beech mast and haws, for small mammals to feed on last winter.

"With so many young owls looking for suitable breeding sites next year, traditional sites are likely to be in huge demand.Numbers are now up to 20,000 pairs?

Andrew Huyton said...

Andy struggling to find you using the grid ref do you have either a full OS ref or can you direct me using street names etc. Was it anywhere near the open fields before you get to the VW dealership??

AndyC said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Nick Carter said...

"Barn Owl flushed from conifers,seen very well with no jessies" That's what I like a butch Barn owl!

I take it your population comments refer to last years breeding season Andy?