Last night I had another ''Owl listening'' session, expecting to hear some LITTLE OWLS which I did, but I also heard a female TAWNY OWL only the second one recorded this year, keeps the months list ticking over.
However, today the list really did come to a grinding halt, as is to be expected after finding 69 species so far this month. The walk to and from work, and the afternoon visit to Migrant alley and the tree nursery, produced very little of note, half a dozen MEADOW PIPITS moved through, a KESTREL was hunting around the greenhouse complex, and a Common Buzzard was seen just off my patch to the west. It seems the resident summer species have all moved on, and no migrant birds are coming through yet, so my patch is very quiet. I did see two warblers in the tall hedge at Migrant Alley this afternoon, and got some distant views, they were either Chiffchaff or Willow Warblers, but each time I moved nearer they went deeper into the hedge, normally these species are a bit more tolerant of my presence than that! If I had to make a stab at their ID i'd go for Willow warbler, but I cant count it, a shame, as it would have been a month tick.
A quick look at my 'last seen' dates for some of the summer migrants that breed on my patch, shows that I won't be recording most of them for very long now. Heres some figures. ( not including this year)
Hobby - 1st Oct
Turtle Dove - 1st Sept
Cuckoo - 5th Aug
Swift - 9th Sept
Swallow - 18th Oct
House martin - 22nd Oct
Lesser Whitethroat - 20th Sept
Whitethroat - 12th Sept
Garden Warbler - 14th Sept
Spotted Flycatcher - 14 Sept.
Chiffchaff and Blackcaps can sometimes overwinter so I didn't include them.
6 comments:
Oh how lovely - a Tawny Owl and Little Owls and all heard from your garden!
I've just turned a very funny shade of green).
Hi Warren
You seem to be doing well for Owls at the moment, even if your patch has gone quiet at the moment. Hopefully it will improve.
Hi Warren,
I had to look at the tawny owl as I did not know this species name. It is one that we do have in France, and even if I saw it when I was young I did not add to my life-list, that I only started from last year. You still have plenty of time to beat your record, eventually you will find something!
To answer your question, I did not see the ruff, but it is surely somewhere around and somebody will spot it soon or later. I'll then go back and give it a try.
I was fascinated to know how you identified it as being a female (as opposed to a male) Tawny Owl Warren but I looked it up on good old google and have learnt something again thanks to you. Great stuff as always! Thanks very much :)
21 days left. Don`t give up yet, Warren. Not that you won`t.
Warren ,
re. your comment on the leaves , we were only saying whilst hedgelaying , that many had a yellowish tinge without being Autumn colour . As for dryness , the wind we have had all Summer seems to have taken all the moisture out of the ground . Driving in stakes for the layed hedge was really hard work , could have done with a Kango .
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