Just heard them - the last nest of owlets have finally started "hunting".

I can hear them practising outside - they are "twooo -wooing" on the golf club fence - if they are anything like the last brood, their next "hop" will be onto the trees beside the dogs' kennels - so that means that the girls will be telling them to shut up for most of the night!

I suppose I'd better bring 'em all in - but then that means I'll have Beau & Thor "singing" to Freya who is in season, and chatting up Vinnie & Loki, who are about to come in :D

Can anyone spare some earplugs please???

Margot

Your very lucky to have them that close. What type of owl are they?
I worked on a huge avery where a friend was working with barn owls and releasing them back into the countryside. Working with 30 owls hissing away was good fun. He did some work for the BBC and had a setup in his room which was made to look like an old barn corner. He showed me how to call them and it really works. They will turn and fly over you to see whats going on.
Amazing birds.
Last year I had a Kingfisher land on my fishing rod not once but twice. He used it as a purch and was looking for small silver fish. Never been that close to one before and I was amazed at its beauty.

They're tawnies - or maybe even barn owls (bit vague on this point - owlets are large, fluffy dun coloured "footballs" when we see them on the golf course).   I'm a bit vague because there used to be barn owls in the old barn at the top of the lane (before the owners turned it into a gym/drinking den) - and the golf club put a couple of large "owl boxes" on oak trees at the edge of the woods on the lane.   

There have been breeding pairs there every year for the last 9 or 10 years, and they generally manage to rear at least one brood - I suppose they are so fortunate in their hunting grounds - never a scarcity of rabbits/other small mammels around for them here.   They always follow the same pattern of dispersal as well - we could almost set our monthly calanders by them - its great!

Margot

How wonderful Margot, I have Screech Owls in the trees here, thankfully though my lot never seem to bother. But oh the noise they make, sounds like a murder is taking place.  I love watching them if I get the chance, just dont see them very much/

We have screech owls here too & kestrel's & sparrowhawks. I  love to just sit & watch the birds come & go from the feeders & around & above the countryside. I saw three song thrushes yesterday(all at the same time) which was brilliant & the little blue tits, great tits etc keep me occupied almost as much as my puppy ! I spend £'s on feed for them best peanuts etc

I'm still putting out loads of fat balls which the young starlings seem to love & the greater spotted woodies too. The song thrushes were scoffing the fat balls too

Margot....there is a big difference between the two! barn owls are quite large & a cream colour....Tawneys are brown speckled & smaller. They sound more like barn owls....we have thos here as well. last year one of the babies fell into the yard & just sat looking helpless. Luckily the hounds are all brought up with raptors so they all sat in a circle just looking at it until i rescued it & put it back in the stable!!!!

I saw the weirdest sight yesterday on my fence by the kennel.  Don't know who was teasing/chasing who, but there was a squirrel and a Magpie.  Squirrel woudl move alon fecne right up to Magpie who woudl hop over his ehad and sit behind him.  When the squirrell moved on a bit so did the Magpie follow him along, and back again.  Very strange and wish I had got the camera but would ahve disturbed them :D

We have owls too in the tree right next to our bedroom window - this time of year always seems to be the noisiest - luckily the dogs just ignore them but they sound like a bunch of banshees  and wake us up regularly through the night..

Sadly we found two Green Woodpecker chicks killed by one of my neighbours cats yesterday - She has 6 cats and they are always in my garden stalking the birds and even trying to get my chickens !. They also sit just outside the dog compound and make them bark like mad . I find it really infuriating that her cats can do just as they like and my dogs have to be kept strictly under control.

Yvonne