Checked up on the 2nd clutch pair
female still sitting tightly & not making a sound - a mob of noisy young Crows were close by.
Her mate came in high from a good way off, hearing the corvids, he not only dropped but snuck into the edge of the wood & continued in, i just glimpsed him on his way to the nest tree - moments later the crows were all up...
i didnt see, but presume he scattered them, as 3 flew out from cover adjacent to the nest tree.
Later he came in & followed a similar pattern - high approach, steep decent close to the wood & into the far end ( last years nest site, where young were stolen from the nest) - where the Tawny was calling, within moments it was calling again from 50metres away, whilst the male Long-eared came back out of the plantation where he had entered & continued on a direct course to the nest.
Ive had Tawnies & Long-eareds using the same woods for years & years - often the Long-eareds will switch ends (possibly in responce to available nests ?) & as such initial visits suggest that the Leos appear to have vacated the territory.... more often than not this is not the case - theyre simply more mobile than those fat old Brown owls.
No images from me on this one.....
so i'll leave you to savour a snap from one the the regions most talented wildlife camera-men, 'The Gin-Trap Ninja'.
Plenty more in his gallery, but this one is a bit special :-
Spot of Lunch at Lanchester - Canny gob-full there marra.
