Little bit of what you fancy

Temperature up to a balmy 7 degrees - felt like a Spring evening as the light went tonight.

The coveys of Greys, so prominant during 5 weeks of snow, now split into noisy territorial pairs dashing all over.

Little Owl activity building as the afternoon wore in, with much calling from multiple birds at dusk



kissy kissy

  - this culminated in a pair "getting jiggy" on a fence post 

the action shot - possibly the worst owl photo ever....

i suppose this is to do with strengthening the pair bond rather than a breeding attempt......


Here a Little Owl in a local working quarry

LO enjoying the sun on a Limestone face

Evidence beneath a rather open Long-eared Owl roost

Leo pellets beneath recently evacuated roost, boot toe cap for scale.



 

for a pair of orange eyes that were waiting for me

Long-eared eyes

Doesnt show up too well, but this was all i could see of him

New Years Day 2011 - Long-eared Owl commencing territorial activity

As is the tradition, i had a look to see which birds i could note on the first day of the new year.

I left it late, not leaving the house till @ 15:00, a jog over the fields left me just enough time to see one or two species (including a Bittern that exploded at my feet ! ) before making my way to a Leo roost.

As the light faded, a pair of Leos commencing their breeding cycle -


Dueting, male hooting while female called from a likey nest area.

There was some limited wing clapping & two pursuits after roosting thrushes.

So, a good start to the year - lets hope the Leos breeding season is more productive than it was in Co.Durham in 2010.


As i came away, the local 'shutters' posed infront of their vehicles headlamps for digi images, with a big dog Fox they'd bagged.


I will keep this web log for owl related topics

& have this new one for my local birding - this year i am looking at the whole City of Sunderland area, aswell as our well known Local Study area

http://wearewandering.blogspot.com/