Leo - Witches broom site

Late afternoon
Went to have a look at the Long-eared Owl pair which I'm hoping may nest in a Witches Broom growth.

Directly underneath I found what must have been the previous occupant.

A rather mummified grey squirrel - this wasn't here last time, so it looks likely that the Long-eareds have removed it from the witches broom.....

Once selection has been made, females will roost at, near or even perch up on the nest prior to occupation.

I found her in the immediate area, but extremely well hidden...

a small trail of splash gave a clue as to her whereabouts

Can you see me?

Very difficult to find birds when they roost in Gorse scrub


Close by a pellet under one of the males song perches

This will be an interesting one to follow up on - never seen birds use a witches broom for nesting.
Fingers crossed.

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This is a large Hedgehog i've seen last 2 nights at our garden
It was looking worse for wear this morning - took it to get some attention - small puncture wound & blood on its back, looks like a dog has had a hold of it.

Brown owls poem n photo

The Brown Owl sits in the Ivy bush
and she looketh wondrous wise
With a horny beak beneath her cowl
and a pair of large round eyes 

Pair of Tawnies in an 'Ivy-bush'.

(im still looking for #6 in the previous post, but im told its definately there !)

as the headmaster used to say.....

six of the best.

( well, six of the second best, 'cos they're Shorties )

Photo with kind permission of David Kray, Hurworth Burn Res, Co.Durham.

Eviction update and daylight Barn Owl !

Having lost their spot in a roost tree to a Tawny, the "evicted" Long-eareds have only moved @ 25metres

They dont seem too put off and have been calling n displaying as usual at dusk.

A rare treat for us Up in Weardale, when we happened upon a day-time hunting Barn Owl !
by far the most difficult species to catch sight of across much of the County.

It landed in a tree and i managed a digi-binned record-ish shot!

The next field across held an old barn and obvious signs of who's occupying it  :-

 1,000's of pellets here - including several big fresh black ones
This site is moorland edge , at over 400 m / als, with pockets of snow in the shady dyke-backs - its pleasing to know Barn oels are still present after 2 previous bad snowy winters.

Long-eared Owl roost - FEB_2011

images of 5 birds from a Co.Durham Long-eared Owl roost containing 8+ individuals
lowland site on private farmland.

( click to enlarge pics)

Bird 1
#A

#B

#C

#D

#E

Bird 2
#A

#B

Bird 3
#A

Bird 4
#A

Bird 5
#A

#B

#C

These images taken using a mobile phone, hand held through a telescope - with obvious limitations.

Hopefully they help illustrate how the birds can 'gradually appear' whilst the scanning observer changes viewpoint.

Luckily this location suffers no disturbance & therefore 4 of the birds are perched relatively openly, being observed relatively easily.

More often than not, starting by viewing the base of the roost trees can be a productive method to locate roosting otus.

Scoping, even from range, for tell tale signs of splash is a good system.

Working up the trunk, pellets may also be visible lodged in the branch network - as the season progresses, the branches imediately below the roosting bird can become very obviously white washed - this is often the best single indicator to aid locating obscured birds.

Why a species which relies on superb cryptic patterning to remain undetected, should leave such an obvious "calling card" beneath its daytime roost is a mystery......

perhaps those white marks help pinpint roosting branches when returning to the roost before first light ?

Countless hours of fieldwork in County Durham, primarily by a small but dedicated group of "owling specialists", has led to us confirming in excess of 100 breeding pairs of Long-eareds.

This week i obtained first account from a gamekeeper of a 'new' pair in a moorland edge location - there is certainly further scope to discover further breeding pairs..........