Hot air / advanced Leo juvs

Got in today & "she" has installed a new device to catch me out . . .

No longer will i be able to blame the dog . . . .

it is of course an airports infrared camera

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Had a couple of hours Sunday evening

still half a dozen Groppers reeling - some in new spots compared with earlier visits - one showing itself clearly on top of a wild rose

Long-eared owl family active - couple of the youngsters now over 200m from the nest site & flying superbly, wheeling & swooping - 1 making a feint & dropping as if to make a strike in the grass, only to pull up at the last moment.
Still havnt perfected the landings though - a couple of "bounce -offs".
 Theyre still prefering the more open Elderberry & dead thorn trees as opposed to the "springy" leaf clad Hawthorns.
Some scum came by shouting on & hoyying cans - the juvs quit begging without any need of a prompt from the adults.
They stayed quiet for a good 10 mins, then started begging again.
Quite a relief to actually see some young have managed to get right up this year.
A couple more weeks then they'll become hard to locate as the begging stops.

Rain extends play

Recent deluges impacting on nocturnal hunting

Tuesday nights downpours resulting in Long-eareds hunting throughout much of the following day

Heres a short clip :-

A well advanced youngster singing for his supper

Within a week or so, they'll begin following the adults out on hunting trips - at the moment they remain close to the safety of thick cover.

At the time they begin flying out, they can be incredibly inquisitive, even more so if you happen to have a dog wandering around with you !

Gradually they'll start flying further & further afield - returning to roost together the next morning.

On the whole they'll remain in these family units through the remainder of the year, untill the adult birds start over again the following Spring - even then some can remain in the parents territory as non breeders.

Begging tails off towards the end of July & we seldom hear any after mid August in Co.Durham.

From memory my latest begging juv was @ 20th August

Images courtesy of DK,one of our many keen local owlers.