Barn owl

[wafflycat]

Just had a barn owl fly sliently across the garden. Quite lovely.

On a sadder note, one of the two male pheasants who regularly visits the garden has paid another visit. This time he's limping badly. I've put *loads* of bird food out so hopefully he'll spend the rest of the evening eating to keep his strength up and spend the night in the shelter of the big viburnum bush. If not, he's a meal for Mr Fox all too soon. Such is life.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

at least he's not, like many stupid peasants pheasants round here, dashing into the road oblivious to the oncoming traffic

 

[Renard]

*licks lips* Cubs to feed!

 

[Toshiba Boy]

Wafflycat, I know what you mean, here in West Somerset it makes my day when a buzzard or owl swoops past, it happens a lot as I'm right out in the sticks.

Pheasants everywhere in these parts, they really are quite dozy creatures though, how they survive all the roadkill and foxes is a mystery.

 

[Maz]

There was a bird of prey in our back garden the other day that was pecking away at a big fat wood pigeon it'd killed. As soon as it was light enough to carry, it flew off with it. Never seen anything like it. It was amazing to see up close.

 

[Crackle]

Only ever seen one Barn Owl in flight, very impressive. Saw three Buzzards today wheeling and fighting/courting very low in the valley, beneath the road, wish I'd had my camera with me.

 

[gbb]

I was lucky enough to cycle almost alongside a barn owl for what seemed like ages, late last summer.
It was slowly flitting from one side of a country road to the other, maybe 10 metres in front of me. Didnt seem bothered by me at all

I used to live on a disused aerodrome in the early 70s. My bedroom window used to overlook a very large grass field. Almost every evening we'd see a barn owl working his way up and down the field...awesome to watch, beautiful creatures.

 

[Baggy]

On a sadder note, one of the two male pheasants who regularly visits the garden has paid another visit. This time he's limping badly. I've put *loads* of bird food out so hopefully he'll spend the rest of the evening eating to keep his strength up and spend the night in the shelter of the big viburnum bush. If not, he's a meal for Mr Fox all too soon. Such is life.

Coincidentally, one of the two male pheasants who regularly visits our garden has also had a terrible limp. It was so bad to start with that he was hopping and not putting any weight on it at all.
He's got a very big bump on his heel spur, but after three weeks suddenly seems much better, so there's hope...

 

[Milo]

Saw a dead ketral today on the road.
Looked like it had been foxed though.

 

[wafflycat]

Coincidentally, one of the two male pheasants who regularly visits our garden has also had a terrible limp. It was so bad to start with that he was hopping and not putting any weight on it at all.
He's got a very big bump on his heel spur, but after three weeks suddenly seems much better, so there's hope...

If he appears tomorrow, I'll be putting extra supplies of food out so that he doesn't have to wander far to eat

 

[craigwend]

Last year I also used to regularly cycle along a lane with a barn owl flying the same lane (very regimented in its pattern) – wonderful sight

Probably had something to do with the young kid with glasses, a funny scar and stick thing in his hand?

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

There was a bird of prey in our back garden the other day that was pecking away at a big fat wood pigeon it'd killed. As soon as it was light enough to carry, it flew off with it. Never seen anything like it. It was amazing to see up close.

Did it remove the head? This is a characteristic of sparrowhawks to lighten the load and carry the prey back to the nest.

 

[wafflycat]

The sparrowhawk that periodically visits Chateau Wafflycat simply dines in the garden! None of this taking it back to the nest mularky.

 

[Maz]

Did it remove the head? This is a characteristic of sparrowhawks to lighten the load and carry the prey back to the nest.

That's exactly what it did.

 

[longers]

I've only seen a couple of Barn Owls over here in the wild, and a few at a raptor rescue centre. Much better to see them out and about but the ones in the centre were in good hands.

I did see one in Portugal a few years ago and it was HUGE. It looked much bigger than one of ours .