My Outback (2003 X) (1 Viewer)

[birdman]

Ended Yorkshire Day with a walk aroung the Outback with partnyorsha and doch'.

(Regular readers will either know or have worked out I use "partnyorsha" as shorthand for "the woman I live with", being the feminine Russian word for "partner". In the same vane, "doch' " is Russian for daughter.)

Anyway, preamble over...

Didn't expect to see much, but the main purpose of the walk was to try to find an owl for doch'.

The grasses are undergoing their annual cut (still happening as I write.)

We followed our usual route, setting off at aroung 8.45 pm. Although the light was surprisingly good, we couldn't even rely on our usual suspects, and saw nothing until we reached the pond, and the Moorhens and Coots.

In the distance we heard a Magpie or two, and also a Woodpigeon.

Continuing on to where the Long-eared Owls hunt, we saw a single Blackbird.

But no owls.

It was still surprisingly light, which perhaps didn't help - and maybe the chicks aren't so demanding now?

We turned to walk alongside the hotel grounds, and saw numerous rabbits, and then in front of us (I was last of the three to see it) a Little Owl flew down from one tree and up into the next.

We were also able to see it perched on a branch looking at us, before it moved on.

Success!

Close by we could hear the call of (unidentified) partridges.

As we continued through the trees, darkness really began to fall, and it was really quite gloomy, when we emerged from the other side.

By now, though we could hear owls all around. Refering to my CD when I got home, it seems that we heard Long-eared Owls squawking and Tawny Owls "hooing" - although we did not see any more.

In fact, we didn't see any more bird life at all, just a few bats, as it was now getting seriously dim, with just a thin crescent moon, and a few stars to light the way home...


(Edited for being completely unable to type! - At least 10 typos!!!)

 

[StevieEvans]

Nice One B'MAN

Its amazing how many birders go home before it gets dark ! & they can miss so much !

I had 2 distant Little Owls, a brief fly- by LEO, & Tawnies calling last night.

Have just heard of a pair of Barn Owls hunting nearby, so may try to see them this evening...?
Still not common here, but thought to be increasing & evidence of range increase up the Dales areas, possibly due to less & less winter snow cover.

Keep up the good work.

(PS. Are you one half Russian & one half Austrailian..?)

Stevie

 

[birdman]

I'd love to see a Barn Owl outback.

I've been lucky enough to see one on my way to work (twice actually, but not for over a year).

It would be great to think I could see them close to home.

Are BOs a bit more picky about their habitat? Am I likely to see any, do you reckon? Any tips?

(BTW, 2 halves Yorkshire, as far as I know!)

 

[StevieEvans]

I know Barnies can have very large territories, & that their preference is for ' tussocky ' grassland.
Having said that i have one LEO territory which extends North-South 1.5KM and East-West 2.5KM ! (Large !) & includes tussocky areas.
Personally, i dont understand why there cant be Barnies in the same sort of areas as 'my' LEO's.

Maybe its simply lack of undisturbed nest sites, rather than hunting oppurtunities ?

(One area near home has acres & acres of seemingly perfect hunting ((with many Kestrel pairs & residentLeo, with up to 20 in winter)) Yet Barn Owls only seen very occassionally....

Who Knows..?

(i still hav'nt had all 5 owls on the same day, but have had the 5 at one site within a week)

Hope You get your Barny soon, & maybe a SEO at the back end of the year ! Good luck.

S

 

[Karl J]

I guess I'm one of those who goes home too early, and I have to admit to not seeing too many owls... Perhaps the 2 are related !

Would love to see a Little Owl, Tawny or a LEO, never seen either, though I did see a pair of SEO once and it was a quite memorable event.

Don;t know too much ( bordering on nothing really ) about their habitat but there is a fairly regular one - Barn Owl that is, often on the way to work, over the marsh, so I guess thats sort of 'tussocky grassland' . Its sort of in the middle of nowhere, possibly roost / nested in an old windmill. There are several Kestrel use the same area as well.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Birdman,
Lovely to see your happy face again. I didn't like the blank White Rose though I know it was there for a purpose. I will have to find out how to get a kangaroo and a shamrock before next March 17th. ! I think of myself as basically Irish but Australian by adoption. (Love the place totally and absolutely!!!
PS.

Patrynosha is just a disguised way of saying "THE WIFE" isn't it. Ghrrrrrr.

Love you all............even the whingers....and the others ............Nancy

 

[digi-birder]

I used to love seeing the Barn Owl around the Somerleyton area. We saw it quite often if we were driving to or from Lowestoft of an evening. Not many about in the Rotherham area!

 

[Nina P]

Lucky as h*** here, have Barn owl and tawney's a plenty, Long eared owls and not so often short eareds, also nearby little owls, not bad for an outlying area of the Dorset rural farmland areas, with moorland within a mile, so get all sorts here, I personally think I'm a dead lucky so-and-so, and would happily share my spot with any keen birder who was interested. Nina.

 

[birdman]

Patrynosha is just a disguised way of saying "THE WIFE" isn't it. Ghrrrrrr.

Hi Nancy,

Glad to be back!

Re above, not quite... as partnyorsha and myself are not actually married.

 

[StevieEvans]

Hi Nina,

Dorset sounds VERY good!

I think, if my memory is correct, you get Owls in your garden..?

I've never been to Dorset, but have FIVE good reasons to visit now !

Excellent !

SE.

 

[Nina P]

Sure do Steve, and well endowed with raptors too, Last night while watering the back garden, had buzzards kiewing, to the right corner, and tawnys hooing in the left corner, at the same time, and if they hurryup and get the hay cut in the field behind the buzzards will be back after the rabbits, as they will then be able to see them more easily, they tend to quarter the fields already cut, as the harvesting is now under way.

 

[steve_nova]

There are a couple of Buzzards a couple of miles north of where I work in Northumberland and have seen them soaring on and off over the last few years. Rabbits in the area look scared!

 

[Nina P]

The corvids are'nt too keen either, I'll be bound!!!
I don't know if the owls would have any trouble with them or if the buzzards have trouble with owls, any idea? Nina.

 

[Andrew]

Birdman, how did I miss this one? Shame you did not get an Owl but I suppose you have been back since then and seen some?

We get loads of Buzzards down here and I often keep track of how many I have seen in a day, the most I have seen at once is six and I think the day maximum is eleven. The DBWPS report mentions a total of 36 or 37 in one field nearby.

 

[birdman]

Look Again, Andrew... yes we did get a quick look at a Little Owl.

I haven't done the walk since, partly due to the weather, partly because it is sooooo quiet, partly due to other constraints...

...but keep watching this space.

 

[Andrew]

Yes, had a look and found the Little Owl. Silly me!