Regular Visitor now

[Bertie Bassett]

My abject apologies for the grim photos but they were taken on my mobile from a monitor at work.
This young barn Owl visits everyday between 6. and 7.30ish. He quarters a large paddock and provides endless entertainment.
They are so rare now though we have two pairs around the village where I work and eleven pairs of Tawny Owl.

 

[Cal54]

Great to see. Your lucky with that sort of view at work.

 

[old-mo]

Get some day old frozen chicks from a decent pet shop and lay one over the bit of wood next to the post he/she lands on... it will appreciate it..

Due to pesticides etc they are struggling in this country..

Judy, back in the early 1990`s used to breed birds of prey,,,, and Barn owls were taken to the New Forest Owl Sanctuary and onward shipped to some Island that was over run with Mice and Rat`s.. (Cannot think of the Island they were shipped out to..)

I got some beautiful photo`s of her and all her birds some where.. I had a Supreme Hawk with a six foot six inch wingspan.... fantastic bird she was..

 

[Bertie Bassett]

Get some day old frozen chicks from a decent pet shop and lay one over the bit of wood next to the post he/she lands on... it will appreciate it..

Due to pesticides etc they are struggling in this country..

Judy, back in the early 1990`s used to breed birds of prey,,,, and Barn owls were taken to the New Forest Owl Sanctuary and onward shipped to some Island that was over run with Mice and Rat`s.. (Cannot think of the Island they were shipped out to..)

I got some beautiful photo`s of her and all her birds some where.. I had a Supreme Hawk with a six foot six inch wingspan.... fantastic bird she was..

Good idea Mo, and one I shall follow up. There are umpteen rodents of all shapes and sizes and the pic was taken of a paddock behind the now (sadly) unused stables. The Barnie takes about 3 mice/?voles? in the hour and a half I watch.
The best sight I've had was a Tawny taking a bat and eating it on the same fence. Something none of our gamekeepers had witnessed. One of them was standing alongside me when it happened so I had a witness. (You know what country folk are like............ ooooooh arrr I never eared that'un afore,..... you already know the rest)

 

[Bertie Bassett]

Great to see. Your lucky with that sort of view at work.

We are privileged, best sighting so far was a female Goshawk (big girl, but so fast in amongst the trees) taking a pheasant..............stunning (particularly for the pheasant)!

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[Bertie Bassett]

Get some day old frozen chicks from a decent pet shop and lay one over the bit of wood next to the post he/she lands on... it will appreciate it..

Due to pesticides etc they are struggling in this country..

Judy, back in the early 1990`s used to breed birds of prey,,,, and Barn owls were taken to the New Forest Owl Sanctuary and onward shipped to some Island that was over run with Mice and Rat`s.. (Cannot think of the Island they were shipped out to..)

I got some beautiful photo`s of her and all her birds some where.. I had a Supreme Hawk with a six foot six inch wingspan.... fantastic bird she was..

Was it Havengore Island Mo? I was a nature nut when in the Army and the attached link is to the in House Nature Magazine. I remember the article about rodent control by Raptors and Owls.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/33358/sanctuary_33.pdf

 

[old-mo]

Was it Havengore Island Mo?

That was interesting.. surprising what goes on behind the scenes..

And No to your question..... All I can remember it was a hot country (Singapore is rattling round my head, but not sure)... Because when we took the first dozen or so Owl`s up I asked how they got on with the change in climate.... and they said no problem and because of the warmer weather that is why the rodent`s were breeding like mad..

 

[Bertie Bassett]

Ahh right (to the hot country bit).
The military has some of the best 'nature reserves' in the world strangely and that magazine is one of the best, chronicling as it does the major effort the military puts in to protect and preserve the environment. In Germany it's exactly the same but on steroids! Great for wildlife!