Long Eared Owl Success

This weeks photo is of a fledged young Long Eared Owl with a vole in its talons. If last week was all about Dotterel then this week is about Long Eared Owls.

I have spent many nights under a camouflage cloth filming two male Long Eared Owls hunting and on some occasions they were passing over my head without realising I was filming below. If you read the books they say that Long Eared Owls are the most nocturnal of all the Owls but when they have young that is far from correct. One of the males I was filming passed six voles to three young before 7.30pm. That is one and a half hours before sunset. Seven young have now fledged from these two nests but when dealing with wildlife there is always a downside. A third nest had its young taken by a predator that I can only think was human.

With good weather all week I have had some successful filming from my hide of Oyster Catcher, Curlew and a cracking Ring Ouzel. I heard my first local Cuckoo calling whilst filming the later species.

In the garden a male Greater Spotted Woodpecker has been coming most days and taking food away in its bill to feed its young. We were awakened one morning by a Whitethroat which was perched at the back of the garden, it was in full song. A new bird and great to hear but not at 4.30am! The warm nights have produced three Pipistrelle bats at dusk and they were chasing one another around the houses.