Lancs Eagle Owls (1 Viewer)

[DavidST]

Without the benefit of time travel ( either Dr. Who and his Tardis or Harry Potter and his time turners) we are, I doubt, ever going to prove this argument one way or the other.
What I was hoping to find out is are the adult pair still alive and courting again this year, have we any sightings of the three chicks sucessfully fledged last year ? If their location is being kept confidential this year I dont wish to know where they are just that they still are, please.
Your time and trouble is appreciated.
Be lucky
David

 

[DPR]

Any further word on these birds? Has anyone been up there looking?

 

[rob stoff]

Yeah but - like I said, owls have this bad reputation, which would mitigate against them being deliberately brought into a settlement. And sheer numbers don't prove a lot. A Flixborough council estate wheely bin might well have hundreds of KFC chicken wings and leg bones in it but they would all be from chickens. Numbers without analysis don't tell us anything, and discounting cultural influences (which are evidence of a kind) doesn't help either.

John

Eagle Owl bones are one of the commoner raptor bones found in Stone Age settlememts elsewhere though it is unclear exactly what their uses were, some may have been ceremonial or ritual but others were almost certainly used in falconry (certainly the case in Persia later on anyway). So there's no evidence to back up your assertion that these birds wouldn't be brought into settlements, the archaelogical record shows that they were actually commoner than large falcons, unless you can show that Stone Age Britons had a particular antipathy to owls.

Rob

 

[Farnboro John]

Eagle Owl bones are one of the commoner raptor bones found in Stone Age settlememts elsewhere though it is unclear exactly what their uses were, some may have been ceremonial or ritual but others were almost certainly used in falconry (certainly the case in Persia later on anyway). So there's no evidence to back up your assertion that these birds wouldn't be brought into settlements, the archaelogical record shows that they were actually commoner than large falcons, unless you can show that Stone Age Britons had a particular antipathy to owls.

Rob

Blond genug.

John

 

[MarkHows]

Any further word on these birds? Has anyone been up there looking?

Was up there in late march but no sign

Mark

 

[DPR]

Rumour has it that they have been done away with.

I know there are some strong views on this thread about HH and EO's but I hope that these magnificent birds haven't been 'done away with'. It is a little worrying that even amongst birders that there are so many anti-EO views, we can only surmise what the 'usual suspects' must think of the Owls.

 

[rob stoff]

I know there are some strong views on this thread about HH and EO's but I hope that these magnificent birds haven't been 'done away with'. It is a little worrying that even amongst birders that there are so many anti-EO views, we can only surmise what the 'usual suspects' must think of the Owls.

the usual suspects would be pleased to hear that EO's have done away with some HH's

Rob

 

[barontan2418]

Was up there in late march but no sign

Mark

I to was there in March, again without any luck. I was informed that they had moved location further up the valley, hope this was the case?

 

[Gary Jenkins]

The Eagle Owls ARE there and HAVE bred. The difference this year is :
1, They have nested in a different area.(Still in the same Whitendale Valley).
2, The nest is not viewable from the road.
3, The Police are not wanting the scenario of what happened last year, even though there is a 'right to roam' in the area.
4, No authority has taken the role of protection as yet.(The Police and RSPCA took charge last year.

There are two ways of viewing what Ive written, dismay at the revenue Dunsop Bridge will miss out at, as hundreds and hundreds of birders spent money in Puddleducks cafe last year.
Or
The Hen Harrier population HAS suffered in the last 12 months (Bowland being a HH stronghold),I know at least 1 male being killed the authorities are maybe hoping for the bubble to burst regarding peoples interest in the owls, and then maybe move/dispose the owls to a less fragile environment so the HH can thrive again.

 

[Amarillo]

Great to hear they are still around (for most of us!)

As for the Harriers, does the alleged predation of one bird really mean that the population has suffered? Do you have figures to back that up? As I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong) the hen harriers have been very successful in the last 2 breeding seasons.

 

[rob stoff]

Great to hear they are still around (for most of us!)

As for the Harriers, does the alleged predation of one bird really mean that the population has suffered? Do you have figures to back that up? As I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong) the hen harriers have been very successful in the last 2 breeding seasons.

given their perilous state and the fact that Bowland represents their last remaining stronghold the loss of one bird (and who knows if its only one) obviously means the population has suffered. If they were being taken out by Mink there'd be calls for controls on Mink.

Rob

 

[Amarillo]

given their perilous state and the fact that Bowland represents their last remaining stronghold the loss of one bird (and who knows if its only one) obviously means the population has suffered. If they were being taken out by Mink there'd be calls for controls on Mink.

Rob

The loss of one individual doesn't necessarily represent a significant impact on the population. It would be interesting to see some population data if there is any available.

Don't want to go back to this argument again, but if you missed it the first time my view is that eagle owls are not comparable to something like mink because they naturally interract with harriers across most of their range. Mink are from a completely different ecosystem.

 

[rob stoff]

The loss of one individual doesn't necessarily represent a significant impact on the population. It would be interesting to see some population data if there is any available.

Don't want to go back to this argument again, but if you missed it the first time my view is that eagle owls are not comparable to something like mink because they naturally interract with harriers across most of their range. Mink are from a completely different ecosystem.

who says its one individual? The same argument could be made about shooting one Hen Harrier.

Mink interract with Harriers in North America don't they?

Rob

 

[Gary Jenkins]

Great to hear they are still around (for most of us!)

As for the Harriers, does the alleged predation of one bird really mean that the population has suffered? Do you have figures to back that up? As I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong) the hen harriers have been very successful in the last 2 breeding seasons.

Yes Amarillo, there has been 1 male and 2 females recently and at last years nest there was the corpse of a male HH.So in my opinion the population HAS suffered. The HH breeding last year was reasonably successful in Bowland, but obviously there has been exceptions.

 

[Amarillo]

who says its one individual? The same argument could be made about shooting one Hen Harrier.

The big difference being that gamekeepers specifically target harriers, eagle owls hunt whatever they can find. The less harriers there are, the less liekly they are to become prey.

Mink interract with Harriers in North America don't they?

Rob

Yes, but alongside a different set of species in a different ecosystem.

Yes Amarillo, there has been 1 male and 2 females recently and at last years nest there was the corpse of a male HH.So in my opinion the population HAS suffered. The HH breeding last year was reasonably successful in Bowland, but obviously there has been exceptions.

So now you're saying 4 have been killed by EO's? Do you have numbers of pairs for the last few years?

 

[Farnboro John]

Eagle Owl bones are one of the commoner raptor bones found in Stone Age settlememts elsewhere though it is unclear exactly what their uses were, some may have been ceremonial or ritual but others were almost certainly used in falconry (certainly the case in Persia later on anyway). So there's no evidence to back up your assertion that these birds wouldn't be brought into settlements, the archaelogical record shows that they were actually commoner than large falcons, unless you can show that Stone Age Britons had a particular antipathy to owls.

Rob

Interestingly I was in a pub with a Finn yesterday and a wide-ranging conversation revealed that whereas in British culture the owl is a symbol of wisdom, in Fenno-Scandia it is considered stupid (and used as an insult to people as such) so one might actually expect different deep-rooted cultural influences and different treatment of the birds.

I detect PhD possibilities here but in which discipline might be a problem!

John

 

[rob stoff]

So now you're saying 4 have been killed by EO's? Do you have numbers of pairs for the last few years?

figures for 2006, a good year:

http://www.sourceuk.net/article/8/8443/hen_harrier_recovery_project.html

its probably only a matter of time before gamekeepers start using EO as an excuse for the disappearnce of HH

Rob

 

[Amarillo]

figures for 2006, a good year:

http://www.sourceuk.net/article/8/8443/hen_harrier_recovery_project.html

its probably only a matter of time before gamekeepers start using EO as an excuse for the disappearnce of HH

Rob

So what happened to the figures in 2007 once the eagle owls arrived (assuming they weren't in the area before)?

I agree and it wouldn't surprise me if some of these alleged eagle owl kills weren't actually that at all.

 

[rob stoff]

Rumour has it that they have been done away with.

any idea where this false rumour originated?

Rob

 

[rob stoff]

So what happened to the figures in 2007 once the eagle owls arrived (assuming they weren't in the area before)?

I agree and it wouldn't surprise me if some of these alleged eagle owl kills weren't actually that at all.

the owls, more than one pair, are believed to have been there for several years

Rob