For the second successive year our local Barn Owls have reared five young. It’s a long process and has involved the male catching hundreds of prey items over the last six months. In his favour of course has been the best Spring and Summer weather in living memory. It won’t be long now before he is able to rest for a few short months before it all starts again!!
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An encounter with three grown-up Fox cubs playing on top of bales of hay has been one of the highlights of late summer. I waited several nights for them to perform !!!
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With the exceptional Summer that we have had it’s been an absolute pleasure to spend time in the company of hunting male Long Eared Owls. So as they return to their strictly nocturnal activities we can savour some of the photographic delights that they have provided me with.
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After a highly successful breeding season all the Sand Martins at my local nest-site have now moved south. Some have reared two broods so with fifty pairs present hundreds of young have been reared from just one sandy bank – well worth the effort to get it ready for their return every March!!
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Now is the time that two species of birds of the Pennine streams have their second broods. Both Kingfishers and Dippers managed to rear their first young without a drop of rain falling on them. For their second attempts the weather has not been as kind and one of my Kingfisher nests failed after a dramatic thunderstorm – the flood-water coming down the stream was ten foot above normal and the Kingfishers nest-hole was only three foot above normal water levels. Disaster ensued with all the young drowning. Thankfully the Kingfishers take it all in their stride by clearing out the nest-chamber and laying again! Lets hope that there is no repeat performance. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
Having spent all summer filming the hunting male Long Eared Owls it was good to catch up with the fledged juveniles. They would normally be hard to find in the forest but when they are hungry they give a high-pitched call which makes them easier to locate. Unfortunately for the male Owl he will still have to feed them for some weeks to come so his job is not yet done.
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