Adventures in wonderland

Hello me dearies, well another Christmas has come and gone and here I am still standing as the song goes and so what did Alan do to celebrate on the way back from his latest owl trip, a visit to the garden centre of course. One pot of tea and a slice of chocolate cream coffee cake please that will be £6.25 said the cashier HOW MUCH, well it is a rather large slice you have their sir, hmm and all for the price of a mortgage!



And so having just taken out a mortgage on a piece of cake and thinking of Jack frost at this time of year I could not help but ponder “just what is it” that inspires the intrepid birder to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or should I simply say deify the harsh winter elements, especially as I was just beginning to reap the comforts of the restaurant. But having seen very few other birders around one can only presume pure dedication, either that or a manifestation of sheer madness.



Anyhow adventures in wonderland or to put it another way owls, or to be more specific the little owl whom some say does not even belong here because it is an introduced species how very dare they, even though it fits in very well in the British countryside. It is also one of the very few birds I can think of that has a human like character; let me try to explain dear reader. Whilst a Sparrowhawk can look at one with that blank stare of indifference the little owl seems to be looking into ones very soul as if its knows something you do not. And so is it any wonder that the Greeks named this bird after Athena the goddess of wisdom.



But have I become a victim of anthropomorphism who cares I only know what I see before me, the scientific interpretations I leave to the experts. Affectionate, comical, courageous, fidelity, fierce, runner, special, and witchcraft are just a few of the words that spring to mind as its whole body reaches up to the heavens while turning its head from side to side in a movement that would put an exponent of the Argentine tango to shame, yes this bird has it all and dare I say they seem to know it too.



And so as another year has now past us by I thought members might like to have an update in reference to my little owl observational studies, albeit a much shortened version plus a few thoughts as to be written in my journal. Of course all the important information I have will be written up later in a more legible form, in the meantime I now find myself in yet another new location in the hope it will be as productive as in the past, which does seem to be the case.





And so as ever the time has simply flown by whilst carrying out extensive year round observations on predation, hunting, and general behaviour of the amazing little owl, from dawn until dusk or should I simply say black out. But fortunately from the summerhouse in this particular location I could still see them hunting along the ha ha wall illuminated by the security lights revealing some pretty amazing hunting behaviour. But I also estimate it could take another five years to record all the information I need to complete my field studies, but then again it could take even twice as long and so with this in mind I have already arraigned yet more trips from my contacts throughout the country so as to record any difference in behaviour.



And so it would seem that most studies if not all put falling numbers down to the way the habit is managed and loss of many traditional nesting sites which is the case. There are also studies that concentrate and revolve around the monitoring of incubation, chicks, fledgling’s and all it involves during nest box camera surveillance, (to which I have access to) although nest box surveillance has become both popular and useful for taking biometrics, ringing, and other data it is only half the life story of the little owl and can never replace the amount of time I spend in the field observing their other behavioural activity to which I am “much more interested in.”



One such example being parental behaviour, for instance one particular little owl appeared to be extremely vigilant as it sat there on guard, in fact I do not believe I have seen one so attentive to its duties, constantly running up and down the boughs and stretching up at the heavens with all the appearance of a demented Meerkat. Of course every action normally has a reason and so as expected this one spelled danger, suddenly a short alarm call would be sounded so as not to attract attention from other unwanted visitors whilst five bundles of feathers flew into their hole and disappeared at the speed of light whilst a buzzard was circling high overhead. On other occasions whenever other unwanted visitors were in the neighbourhood the same behaviour was shown. All common behaviour of course but nonetheless extremely fascinating to witness as was their interspecific encounters whilst breeding, that is not as common.


And what other behavioural activity these birds display especially the young fledglings that seem to have the body movements of a dancing contortionist, in fact they are the only birds I have ever seen turn their heads completely upside down in an effort to judge distance and focus.



And so to examine the whole question more seriously I am also beginning to wonder if there is any correlation between the increasing numbers of both grey squirrels and magpies in particular and whether or not “they too” have also played a part in such a rapid relatively recent loss, whether through predation or indeed competition (namely food loss. According to my own experiences and kept records over the years predation was carried out by three species of mammals specifically foxes, stoats, grey squirrels, and four species of birds namely tawny owls, barn owls, sparrow hawks, and carrion crows, on eggs and young as well as adult little owls, but I still have much more work to do in this area.


I am also interested in what percentage of little owls choose to use holes in stone walls and indeed old rabbit burrows, and what relationship this has with certain sensitive habitats and how these are managed in terms of vermin control as there does seem to be a direct connection. Strangely enough all little owls in these locations also showed nuances not seen in other regions within the country; and so this also warrants further investigation too.


There is also the question of just how numbers are recorded in the first place as I found good numbers in each location I travelled to, this of course seems to fly in the face of reported numbers, but I really think that recording at least five hundred breeding pairs is not beyond the realms of possibilities. But do not misunderstand me dear reader I am not disputing the fact that little owl density is not very patchy because it is, or numbers have not been dramatically falling but simply they may not be as low as reports show given my own experiences.



Interestingly enough little owls also share the same cache behaviour in common with corvids, hawks, and falcons, so is this particular habit closely related to intelligence I ask myself hmm, well Dr Louis Lefebvre seems to think it is to which I also agree although some think it is related to instinct. I am also interested in mortality particularly in relation to secondary rodenticide poisoning; incidentally I do not know if you remember the emaciated short eared owl I found a few years ago, but this proved to have died from secondary rodenticide which is not all that surprising given the amount of rodenticide stilled being used. I am also looking into the use of anthelmintic medicines used in cattle as these are later passed on to the dung beetle which in turn are eaten by the owls limiting the ability of their breeding success. But so far the deaths I recorded have been mainly those caused by trauma from road traffic accidents’ and drowning in cattle troughs.



Meanwhile my observations for yet another year has now begun in the hope that my intended targets will start to increase the frequency of their plaintive calls and general activity although it could well be a few more weeks yet but who knows as each pair I studied so far seem to have their own agenda. As is often the case I also found this location very difficult to find too especially on foot down a narrow lane in the dark! Well some might call it a lane but it turned out to be more of a jungle assault course not to mention the very same parked car blocking the estate side entrance each time I arrived. Hmm dear me clandestine meetings, a nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat if you understand my meaning dear reader, say no more.



In the meantime a poem dedicated to Athene noctua entitled……





Bright amber eyes peer out from the dark shaded under a hooded brow, fierce and courageous he shows no fear as he flies from his post to the bough.



The day may be long but his talons are strong to resist is a foolish game, the vice like grip holds on to the death all to its victims shame.



Fierce amber eyes shine out from the gloom to light up a cold winters dawn, try as he may he has to stray fleeing from the storm.



Speeding on drove the huge shining beast its owner was unaware that the lord of the night flew its last flight all in its foolish despair.



No more songs greet the end of the day its feathers are tattered and torn his flight from the beast lies dead where it greets a bright amber dawn.

But surprising to say not far away dark shapes are there in their tree with fire in their eyes they look to the skies sheltering from the storm.



Accipiter 20 16



Adventure in wonderland also continues with a musical theme in the music section dear reader