Nothing too much out of the ordinary, a few bushes & old fence posts that have seen better days
But, this is a very likely looking hunting post.
Out of the prevailing breeze, on the sheltered side of a field boundary Holly tree - although at first glance, no clues on show....
Who's been here then..
Viewed from the other side, some limited "white gloss" splash confirms our suspicions & lets us know an owl or raptor has been perched here...
Viewed from the other side, some limited "white gloss" splash confirms our suspicions & lets us know an owl or raptor has been perched here...
A closer inspection,
the splash on the grass becomes more apparent & reveals 2 pellets (1 on ground, 1 in the gorse).
confirmation that a Long-eared Owl has been present.
In the evening, Long-eareds regularly hunt from perches like this - i should imagine theyd be glad of a bit shelter when the wind is as wild as it has been -
So we now know otus is present, but finding where its sitting during the day requires a great deal more time, care & commitment.
So we now know otus is present, but finding where its sitting during the day requires a great deal more time, care & commitment.
1 comment:
Hi Stevie. I was up in Northumberland last week - passed your way en-route. I was disturbed to see a report on Look North which reckoned that up to 80% of Barn Owls have perished in the north, due to the hard winter. Particularly disturbing was a large pile of recovered Barny bodies on a table Do your own observations support this sorry state of affairs?
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