getthegat Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 We have a couple of stacks of 1 ton straw bales, 5 high and 2 wide, where I walk the dog before going home. At the moment it is dark, 5.30 ish, so I use a torch. Nearly every evening we spot 1 to 4 foxes, eyes shining, usually about 100 yards away. One time though when shining the light to the top of the bales, I picked up two large eyes. There is no way it was a fox, too high up, wrong colour eyes. I was not close enough to see anything else and it suddenly disappeared. My thoughts were an owl. Then a couple of days ago I spotted another pair of eyes, half way up the stack, but smaller and orange yellow in colour this time. I would estimate the eyes to be about 2 to 3 inches apart, so not a rat and again not a fox. As I held the beam on it, the thing vanished. On closer inspection I could see a gap between the two stacks exactly at the height I'd seen the eyes, around 6 or 8 feet from the ground, presumably what ever it was had gone deeper into the bales. Surely it's too early for owl chicks, I thought maybe a hawk because of the eye colour, though in the dark and going into a bake stack, that doesn't make sense either? Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Cats have orange eyes . Most likely a moggy . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Short eared owl has bright orange/red eyes in a lamp beam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strimmer_13 Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 hello, we have 2 farm cats on my friends farm and they hide in the bales, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Meerkat ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 not a lot to go on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 Oh, you all know it's the black panther that roams from county to county whenever there is a quiet news day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Owl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Trail camera 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powler Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 3 hours ago, Mice! said: Trail camera 👍 Nah I wouldn't of thought it would be a trail camera, they only have one eye open. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manthing Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 The farm cats here are quite willing to delve into the hay/straw bales and have yellow reflection from eyes in a normal torch light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Set up a trail cam and find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getthegat Posted January 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Doh! Didn't think about cat, though possibly Soph would have sniffed it out. The stack is a long way from any houses and nothing there to eat, could be feral cat maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leach Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Strange it could be something out of space as come to visit or someone been to specksavers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaymo Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Was it Meghan hiding out Waiting for Harry to join her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 20 minutes ago, Jaymo said: Was it Meghan hiding out Waiting for Harry to join her? more like megans next conquest............harry has been kicked into touch now..........he is back to mrs widow and her 4 daughters routine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Chris and scratchy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leach Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 It could be be megan waiting for Harry or it could be somebody else someone like ET Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenBhoy Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Cats love a bale stack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthedug Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 I have 2 cats who often accompany myself and the dogs on our nightly walk. I use the same torch every night. One of the cats , the Bengal has orange eyes reflection and the other, a big black moggy has whitey blue like the hid headlight bulbs seen in some cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 23 hours ago, getthegat said: Doh! Didn't think about cat, though possibly Soph would have sniffed it out. The stack is a long way from any houses and nothing there to eat, could be feral cat maybe Bale stack would = mice and rat so plenty to eat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getthegat Posted January 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 Eliminated a cat, as the position I saw it was not much more than a small clump of straw angled down, so not enough for a cat to sit on. I did see a barn owl on a pillion last night, about 50 yards from the straw stack, I'm thinking owls. A friend got a trail cam for Christmas and is going to set it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leach Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 That might be worth putting up you never know you might find out what it is and sovle the mistry just hope it is not refugees hold in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 Make sure you have your gat loaded and ready just in case it's some sort of beast of the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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