I love working out exactly where the owls are nesting. I have so many questions. Where from the six nest sites have the owls chosen to rear their babies this year? Do we still have two pairs? Can I recognise any of the adult birds and is our beloved adult female still with us after fourteen years?
I am astonished to find that our first pair of owls have chosen the chimney to nest in this year. This happened about seven years back when the owls had a second brood but I am amazed that they chose this rather unusual site when other more suitable boxes were available. I had noticed an owl waiting on the house aerial and seen them flying back and forth so I hid behind the barley store and sure enough both male and female were seen busily ferrying food into the farm house chimney. The fireplace is disused and I assume there is a wide shelf that works perfectly for the owls. I do wonder if the other pair which are braver had perhaps intimidated the more reserved birds which had encouraged them to nest further away. They have been lucky that the weather has been settled too as I assume that rain won't go down the chimney but the dry, settled spring certainly has certainly benefited them. As I watch the bird that sits patiently on the aerial I realise that this is indeed our old female. The way she sits and holds her head slightly to the side, her patience and quiet confidence convince me that she is still with us and I am excited to think she is rearing another brood.
(over exposed but I like it!)
I watch the second pair avidly too. I also recognise this female. She is the very dark bird from last year. I hadn't noticed her during the winter and assumed we had lost her but she is quite obvious as she glides in the half light. She flies to greet me and circles low and keen before dismissing me with a flick of her wing tips. She is also usually the first to fly in for me, hitting the shed with a dull thud before flying away with the food. One evening I waited in the shadow of the shed to see where she headed to when she thought I had left. I watched as two adults ferry food up to west nest box. I am ashamed to say that this one is held together with baling twine and owl dropping, another unsuitable site, at least in my eyes. Having been used by second broods last autumn it was occupied as a roost all winter and although we knew it needed mending, the owls beat us to it. It will hold up I am sure but it isn't ideal. I continue to watch the box closely and am delighted to see these two fluffy youngsters sunning themselves one morning in the porch
Daddy Kestrel is also keen now that his female is sitting and he braves the owls after dark much to their annoyance. The Little Owls have also returned and can be spotted across the farm waiting patiently too. If you told me that these serious little birds hibernated each winter I would believe you as they are never seen but come summer I spot them readily. I see them in trees, perched on machinery and in the dutch barn eaves. They too have their own nest box and also use the straw.The farm is busy and I am in my element.
By mid May, however, something changes. The owls keenness hints at desperation. They now fly incredibly close to me and fly to the nest sites regardless of my presence. There is a tension between the two pairs too. I begin to wonder if the dry spring is actually now having an adverse affect on the owls. Voles eat young grass shoots and we haven't had more than a few milllimetres of rain since March.No rain will mean no fresh grass shoots which I assume could impact the voles breeding. I watch the owls that are now hunting by daytime and despite keenly observing them I don't see them hunt successfully. I then receive a message from one of the local owl ringers that confirms my fears. Whilst out checking nest sites locally recently he found nothing. No owls and certainly no eggs. His inquiries countrywide seemed to indicate a similar picture elsewhere. Last year was a good vole year which is always followed by a slump and it seems the dry weather is impacting this situation too.
This was valuable information for me and I increased the food I left for the owls. It benefited the kestrels too. I noticed that daddy Kestrel was having trouble flying. He was fine as he flew in but couldn't get any lift once he took a chick. He seemed either weak or injured. I put out extra food through the day and noticed his mate stealing the food from him time and time again. As their box is high in the eaves I think she was taking it from him for the youngsters but this wasn't helping his dire situation. I am now taking food again and again and I do believe he is improving. This morning he flew into the straw with his breakfast and tonight he waited on the platform to eat but when an owl flew too close he managed to get high up onto the shed vent. These feisty little falcons will need both parents to fledge successfully and I will do my upmost to help them through these lean times.
Midweek we had 28 mm of rain. Both man and nature needed this soaking and I walked out in the rain reveling in the freshness of it all. Lets hope this will encourage the new growth and make things easier for the owls and kestrels as their families continue to grow and flourish.