GBS Posted May 10, 2023 Report Share Posted May 10, 2023 I did not realise we had a ground nesting owl in the UK until I (almost literally) tripped over this one. GBS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charliedog Posted May 10, 2023 Report Share Posted May 10, 2023 great find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted May 10, 2023 Report Share Posted May 10, 2023 Brilliant ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted May 10, 2023 Report Share Posted May 10, 2023 Would love to stumble across something like this 😃 But I don't frequent any areas that would make it likely. Thanks for posting the pictures 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted May 10, 2023 Report Share Posted May 10, 2023 Great photos etc. I have only seen one and that was disturbed from a pheasant cover. Fantastic bird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted May 10, 2023 Report Share Posted May 10, 2023 Mega ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted May 11, 2023 Report Share Posted May 11, 2023 In the summer of '76 these came over from the Continent in droves. On the satellite airfield where we shot countless rabbit, we started finding them (rabbit) dead with a hole in the back of their neck. Took a couple of weeks for one Gun to finally eyeball what was causing it. One afternoon on the way to the beach with the wife and kids I paused at the airfield for a quick little job. Hadn't been out of the car for more than a minute or two when the wife said can we go the smell is awful and is upsetting the children. She was right. The stench of rotting death was overpowering in that heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted May 11, 2023 Report Share Posted May 11, 2023 Back in the ‘70’s we had locally what is best described as a ‘disused estate’. The place was all closed up and going to wrack and ruin. There were Short Eared Owls nesting in the unkempt meadows. Then the council got hold of it and turned it into a “Country Park”. That is council speak for a town park for townies in the countryside. Now we have car parks, cafes, visitor centres, cycle tracks, theme park, rangers and ‘nature reserves’. The place is overrun with joggers. But there are no Short Eared Owls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted May 11, 2023 Report Share Posted May 11, 2023 Fantastic well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas seal Posted May 12, 2023 Report Share Posted May 12, 2023 Hi gbs they are great photos. Hi London best l have a country park/ nature reserve about 400yards from my house there are still English partridge nesting on there. There are ten park/ nature reserves within five miles from me. Not including council parks. The land was used for chemical works, council tips, coal mining and such and made into nature reserves by the council. For many years we have seen short eared owls close and on some of them also long eared owls barn owls tawny owls and little owls. My late friend once made perches near two of the parks and the short eared owls used them and people would watch them. Birds of prey have often been seen, peregrines marsh harrier, peregrines nesting stopped bridge repairs a few years ago. There is a lot of wildlife on these nature reserves around me and the landscape has changed for the better. The council once tried to move on thousands of acrobatic starlings before anyone heard of the word murmuration . Now want to see them. I found wildlife will adapt and sometimes take advantage of the new landscape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted May 12, 2023 Report Share Posted May 12, 2023 @Gas seal The average council’s idea of a nature reserve is an area where no-one is allowed to go, completely overgrown and home only to foxes and magpies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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