Up at 02:45 and the first thing I heard, on entering the bathroom was a Barn Owl, flight call from the field behind us. This was the first I've heard here for over a year, so nice to know we still have at least one in the locality.
Driving through the dark past Llwydcoed, I saw a large bird about four metres above the lane and around ten metres in front. I quickly stopped and in the light of the headlights, watched it fly away from me for a few seconds and then turn to the right, giving me a nice side view, as it headed off into the field alongside the lane and confirming what I already knew: that it was a Barn Owl and my first view of one, this year.
After that I was on a high, as I travelled to the Raven roost; a high slightly dampened by the sight of all the fresh fly tipping where I park the car.
As I walked to the place I count them from, I heard a Tawny Owl calling from further down the slope and from some disused pit feeder ponds, the unmistakable trilling call of a Little Grebe. This was the first time I had ever heard LG up there, so quite pleased with that.
Once I had set up and sat down, I immediately heard the flight calls of a hunting Nightjar, these being then heard several times over the next half hour.
As usual, I spend the time, waiting in the fading darkness before dawn, listening for and noting any early bird song and calls. This time, the Tawny Owl, Little Grebe and Nightjar were joined by Blackbird (call) Robin (song) and Wren (call).
Later, they were joined by, in no particular order, Dunnock, Lesser Redpoll, Reed Bunting, Herring Gull, Whitethroat, Chiff Chaff, Willow Warbler, Meadow Pipit and Linnet, which to my relief, are still there in good numbers.
In the week after the July Raven count, the part of the hillside adjacent to my counting spot, was burnt. Unfortunately, this was mainly an area of gorse and heather and it was in the gorse that the Linnets nest. As they don't tend to arrive back at the breeding site until quite late on in the spring and nesting still seemed to be underway, when the fire occurred, I feared the worst, but the presence of a flock of 50+ flying about, suggests that at least a proportion of the nests had fledged before the fire.
As for the Ravens: well it has been a funny old summer for them, with low counts in June and July, but at least this month, they were back to something like their usual numbers, with the total of 295 being slightly above the monthly average. It was a treat to see them leave in large groups, rather than in the trickle of pairs and threes that marked the May, June and July counts.
A pleasure to read, as usual. Barn owl were using mad Mansel's place, I'll have to check.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they still are nesting there, Mike. I think the one I heard from the house was one of the pair from Cefnpennar, but there are a few barn owl boxes about. I spotted one, fixed under the roof of and open fronted stable, on my way back from the count, this morning.
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