This year has not been the happiest of years for me, as far as the observation of Little Owls is concerned. The year started off well enough, but then, in March, the observation rate plummeted to levels way below previous years. After three months of this, I lost heart, and found that I was putting very little effort into owl watching, primarily just recording the birds on the route that pal John and I regularly take between home and Rutland Water.
In mid- September, we noted a small upturn in the number of birds we were seeing, and I found that I was starting to take heart. I've now started actively going out owling again, and already I'm feeling more positive about matters.
Thursday, 22nd September
My two previous posts have covered other aspects of this day, but I've saved the Little Owls until now. This was a Thursday on which John was unable to accompany me to Rutland Water, so I was left to my own devices.
My first Little Owl sighting was at my Site No.23. This is, I believe, not a nesting site, but an irregular roosting site. Only once have I seen two owls here. The place they favour most is an RSJ roof support. If disturbed, they just disappear up the web of the joist behind the cladding.
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.23 |
Further on, at my Site No.42, I found another LO. The owls share their time between a building that is used as a store room and a nest hole in a nearby tree. There was breeding here this year, although only one juvenile was seen. The owls here are the most nervous I have come across. Often they will disappear the moment John or I get out of the car in our parking spot, 120 metres away on the other side of the road and behind a hedge! On this occasion, I was a little more lucky, and managed to get a shot from the roadside, standing behind a hedge and tree only 65 metres away.
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.42 |
It had been well over a year (possibly two years?) since I'd tried a closer approach to an owl at this site, so I decided that a walk along the footpath that crosses the field was in order. I did my usual trick of not looking at the owl until I gauged that I'd reached the position that I wanted to take my shot from. I then turned with the camera in front of my face - and it was still there!
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.42 |
I'd got to a point 45 metres from the owl (measured on Google Earth). However, as soon as it saw that I'd seen it, it was off.
On the way back from Rutland Water, I found a LO at my Site No.34. This site is one of constant ups and downs, with the birds getting evicted from their nest tree by Jackdaws and/or Rooks most years. This year was no exception, although we found that they'd had a successful breeding (again, only one juvenile observed), by using a hole in a nearby tree. After this, all the birds, except the juvenile seemed to disappear. Recently we found an adult bird had returned to the original nest tree. Here's an image taken this day.
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.34 |
The last owl sighting this day was back at my Site No. 23, where the owl had moved from the RSJ down onto the drainpipe below it - possibly just the fourth time I've seen it there. It is very rarely, however, that the owls are seen here anywhere else but on one of those two perches!
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.23 |
Thursday, 29th September
This was an afternoon out with John, for another visit to Rutland Water.
I found a LO at my Site No.02, on the way to pick up John. This site is now giving considerable cause for concern as the roof is in an advanced state of collapse. Sightings here are currently somewhat sporadic.
We had another sighting at my Site No.34, but the owl was on a distant fence post in poor light and I didn't attempt any photos.
Friday, 30th September
My wife, Lindsay, and I went out to a café for lunch at a place that was opposite my LO Site No.03. The old Horse Chestnut tree that was the nest site has rapidly been decaying and by spring last year only had one branch left on it! My last sighting of an owl here was on 30th April last year.
This year I was disappointed to see that all that was left of the nest tree was the lower half of the trunk. As my wife and I approached the café, I gazed wistfully at the nest tree and the nearby favoured roosting trees.
We had a most enjoyable lunch, and in the course of a conversation with the proprietor, I mentioned the long-departed owls that were once over the road.
My wife and I left, and as we pulled away, there was a Little Owl on the old nest tree!!!! I didn't have a camera with me - not even my phone!
That evening, I had a disturbing thought - last time I chatted with the land-owner where the nest tree was, he was saying that they were considering remodelling their garden but hadn't made their minds up about what they would do with it. The weekend was coming, and what if they decided that it was time to take down the remains of the tree!!
Saturday, 1st October
Armed with a note to inform the landowners of my discovery the previous day, I returned to Site No.03. I pulled up on the road at a spot where I had a fair view of the tree and sat with my window open. No owl was in sight but, a couple of minutes after my arrival, a familiar shape flew from below my horizon to a tree which was the owls' favourite daytime roost. I went to check it out but, sadly, it had stopped in a position where only a record shot could be obtained. I headed back towards the car to pick up the note to put into the letter box, intending to then sit it out in the hope the owl would return.
On my way back, I bumped into the couple who own the land, who were both armed with strimmers and about to have a clearing session in the garden. They seemed genuinely excited to know that they had owls in the garden again, and assured me that the remains of the tree would not be disturbed. Happy in this knowledge, and seeing little point in hanging around if there was going to be a protracted period of disturbance, I set off to investigate a location where I'd seen a Little Owl the previous November. Unfortunately, it started raining just before I got there, and when I was ten minutes from my car, so I headed back across the fields, getting a mild soaking for my trouble!
Sunday, 2nd October
I was back to my LO Site No.03 and the owls was there once more. This time I got a shot.
I didn't hang around here, as I wanted to check another site, where I last saw an owl in July, but had found the nest building (an old army mess hut) had been taken over by Jackdaws.
I arrived to find an owl sitting out on a distant post and with difficult lighting conditions for photography.
I then went to investigate round the nest site buildings, first checking a building that I've only twice seen an owl in. There was no owl there but, as I turned round, this sight greeted me - only about 7 metres away in the nest hut!
I was more than a little surprised by this sight, and even more surprised that all the images were in focus in spite of being taken through dirty glass. Here's a tighter crop from another frame.
I'm relatively certain that this is a different owl to the first one seen.
Thursday, 6th October
On my way to John's for our regular afternoon out, I called at my LO Site No.02. Here a LO saw me before I saw it as it flew - which is unfortunate, because it had been sitting in a place where I'd never seen one sitting before.
A Little Owl was seen at Site No.23, but it was on the usual RSJ so I won't bother you with another photo.
A LO was also seen at Site No.34, and I did take some photos, the first of which were badly over-exposed. However, if I hadn't taken the over-exposed ones I might not have noticed the second owl sitting in the shadows behind the first. You can just detect it in this next image.
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.02 |
Friday, 30th September
My wife, Lindsay, and I went out to a café for lunch at a place that was opposite my LO Site No.03. The old Horse Chestnut tree that was the nest site has rapidly been decaying and by spring last year only had one branch left on it! My last sighting of an owl here was on 30th April last year.
This year I was disappointed to see that all that was left of the nest tree was the lower half of the trunk. As my wife and I approached the café, I gazed wistfully at the nest tree and the nearby favoured roosting trees.
We had a most enjoyable lunch, and in the course of a conversation with the proprietor, I mentioned the long-departed owls that were once over the road.
My wife and I left, and as we pulled away, there was a Little Owl on the old nest tree!!!! I didn't have a camera with me - not even my phone!
That evening, I had a disturbing thought - last time I chatted with the land-owner where the nest tree was, he was saying that they were considering remodelling their garden but hadn't made their minds up about what they would do with it. The weekend was coming, and what if they decided that it was time to take down the remains of the tree!!
Saturday, 1st October
Armed with a note to inform the landowners of my discovery the previous day, I returned to Site No.03. I pulled up on the road at a spot where I had a fair view of the tree and sat with my window open. No owl was in sight but, a couple of minutes after my arrival, a familiar shape flew from below my horizon to a tree which was the owls' favourite daytime roost. I went to check it out but, sadly, it had stopped in a position where only a record shot could be obtained. I headed back towards the car to pick up the note to put into the letter box, intending to then sit it out in the hope the owl would return.
On my way back, I bumped into the couple who own the land, who were both armed with strimmers and about to have a clearing session in the garden. They seemed genuinely excited to know that they had owls in the garden again, and assured me that the remains of the tree would not be disturbed. Happy in this knowledge, and seeing little point in hanging around if there was going to be a protracted period of disturbance, I set off to investigate a location where I'd seen a Little Owl the previous November. Unfortunately, it started raining just before I got there, and when I was ten minutes from my car, so I headed back across the fields, getting a mild soaking for my trouble!
Sunday, 2nd October
I was back to my LO Site No.03 and the owls was there once more. This time I got a shot.
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.03 |
I arrived to find an owl sitting out on a distant post and with difficult lighting conditions for photography.
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.17 |
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| 'The Self-Framing Owl' - Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.17 |
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.17 |
Thursday, 6th October
On my way to John's for our regular afternoon out, I called at my LO Site No.02. Here a LO saw me before I saw it as it flew - which is unfortunate, because it had been sitting in a place where I'd never seen one sitting before.
A Little Owl was seen at Site No.23, but it was on the usual RSJ so I won't bother you with another photo.
A LO was also seen at Site No.34, and I did take some photos, the first of which were badly over-exposed. However, if I hadn't taken the over-exposed ones I might not have noticed the second owl sitting in the shadows behind the first. You can just detect it in this next image.
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| Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my Site No.34 |
Owling sessions don't always yield results, and visiting two sites (not visited for a few months) drew a blank, and an attempt to visit a third site was thwarted by a boisterous herd of young cattle. I ended up photographing Marsh Tits in Calke Park!
I'm feeling quite fired-up about owling again. Long may it last!!
I'm not sure what the subject of my next post will be.
Thank you for dropping by
