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Post by kentyeti on Jul 29, 2017 10:54:43 GMT
Here you go, a half decent photo of one of the family mentioned in the above post. Was well into moulting, so one of the adults. But some older juveniles get to look like this quicker than others. Anyone here remember Danny and The Juniors, At The Hop? A number one from 1958. Its on Youtube. Well, this Shortie looked like it was trying out its dance steps before going off to the local Shortie Sunday night Hop! LOL! Cheers, Bryan
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Post by accipiter on Jul 29, 2017 17:03:33 GMT
Here you go, a half decent photo of one of the family mentioned in the above post. Was well into moulting, so one of the adults. But some older juveniles get to look like this quicker than others. Anyone here remember Danny and The Juniors, At The Hop? A number one from 1958. Its on Youtube. Well, this Shortie looked like it was trying out its dance steps before going off to the local Shortie Sunday night Hop! LOL! Cheers, Bryan Oh yes (I remember it well; the wanderer by Dion fits these birds quite well too. Incidentally great photo dear boy, oh and welcome back I’ll see you in my dreams, not really but I am sure you take my meaning. Alan
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Post by jonathan on Jul 31, 2017 17:11:41 GMT
Using my thermal imager throughout the winter months and into the spring, it is clear that Short-eared Owls are well insulated, as you would expect a ground roosting bird to be. As expected a lot of my watching on my recent Langholm trip was at night, and I noticed the Shorties giving a much stronger heat signature. Most noticed on their breasts. All I can think of, is that their feathers are wearing in advance of the post breeding annual moult, (to be expected of course), and as a result are not retaining as much heat as normal. Has anyone come across this with other birds that have a complete annual feather moult please? Wonder if it could be the result of a brood patch. Not sure about Shorties but brood patches can develop on both sexes, usually when the male of the species incubates the eggs. Cheers Jonathan
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Post by kentyeti on Sept 10, 2017 17:11:23 GMT
Thanks for that Jonathan. I've never come across a male Shortie brooding eggs. Yet, anyway!
Quite a lot of Shortie activity has been reported for a few weeks now. Some coming in for the winter, others leaving to go south. Have to wait a couple of months until we know what sort of Shortie winter we are going to have. Fingers crossed!
My absolute priority now, is coverage in Wales. It's looking like, subject to the proofs I am starting to get done all look ok, that I could be able to publish the book in the first half of 2019.
But I have to get some reasonalbe observations and photography in Wales before I can do that.
So any information at any time, of them being seen anywhere in Wales, would help a great deal.
Cheers,
Bryan
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Post by kentyeti on Oct 29, 2017 11:14:35 GMT
Time for an update. Torn myself away from summarising my field notes from that amazing Sheppey roost of last winter. My counts peaked at 23 - 25, four times. I first counted 20 or more on January 17th, last such count was March 22nd. With the roost down to 1 on April 20th.
None there yet this winter, and with some work going on close by, they may well will roost elsewehere on the Island this winter.
The owls have been reported coming in off the North Sea for over 2 months now, despite very few days of NE winds. But Shorties will cross the sea into adverse winds. A few weeks ago one was picked up off the ground on the East Yorkshire coast and taken to a rescue centre. Fingers crossed! Better than leaving it on the ground to get killed by a fox.
My winter priority is Welsh coverage and I have joined what seems a very friendly FB group, so hopefully I may some some local information from them.
The Peak District is also high on my list of must do areas.
Progess with the book is still very good. If all goes to plan, I should have the first 6, out of 11, chapters with my designer by year end. That's not half of the book, the big chapters start with Chapter 7!
Cheers,
Bryan
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Post by kentyeti on Jan 17, 2018 10:19:00 GMT
Just a brief update here, I have been posting on Deb's lovely WAB Castways Facebook page.
Book is steadily progressing. The second proof should be printed shortly and covers chapters 2 and 3. With chapters 4 to 6 almost ready for my designer. Out of an 11 chapter book. I am hoping to finish all the proofing in time to publish the finished book sometime next year. But please don't hold your breath!
I have limited myself to one visit per week to the Sheppey winter roost. Last winter it peaked at 24 Short-eared Owls, this winter it is around 15. Unsually high two years running. But rarely visible as they are a nocturnal species, and with a few exceptions, they leave to hunt as it gets dark. As the BTO recently said about Shorties, 'daylight acivity is on a needs must basis, if they can get away with being nocturnal, they will.' Bad weather can force them out early.
My limit on visits is so I can analyse an incredible year of observations up to last October, and get the summarised detail into the draft book. That is going very well, albeit extremely demanding work, and I hope to be be to get up to my key planned observation area of Wales before too long.
Cheers,
Bryan
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Post by Tringa on Jan 17, 2018 10:20:49 GMT
Always good to hear your updates, Bryan.
Dave
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Post by NellyDee on Jan 17, 2018 11:02:06 GMT
Reading your updates Bryan is like reading a suspense novel - what will you be up to next. Keep up the good work and don't exhaust yourself
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Post by rowanberry on Jan 17, 2018 22:00:42 GMT
I second what's been said- a lot of illness going around now, so don't tire yourself! It's very easy to become engrossed in a project to the point you can forget to look after yourself. You've been years working on this, and we're all behind you.
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Post by kentyeti on Jan 21, 2018 9:51:57 GMT
I second what's been said- a lot of illness going around now, so don't tire yourself! It's very easy to become engrossed in a project to the point you can forget to look after yourself. You've been years working on this, and we're all behind you. Good advice! It's something I am alert too. The problem is I get involved in something after tea at night, which for some reason is one of my most productive times. And if I'm not careful the clock has raced past 23.00 hrs. Re the owls themsleves. I am seeing a lot more reports than usual for this time of year. I suspect there have been movements down from the north due to the snows. And those already in the southern half of Britain are being forced to do some daylight hunting due to the long sepll of wind and rain we are going through country wide. So it may be a good time to look out on your local Shortie friendly patch to see if you have any out. Afternoons are the best times to see weather disturbed ones, I have rarely seen them delay coming back to roost before dawn even in very bad weather. Bird guides is very good for seeing the reports. I think you can still see some data even if you don't subscribe. Typically, my once a week visit to Sheppey for the 15 strong roost is only ever catching a daylight glimpse when there has been some disturbance to the roost. I think that prey levels must be good on Sheppey, and with a vast area of saltmarsh nearby, it is likely the wading birds are taking quite a hit from the Shorties at night. Cheers, Bryan
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Post by kentyeti on Jan 22, 2018 21:39:12 GMT
Had my weekly visit to the Sheppey roost today.
Don't really need it for my book, although it will probably be a couple of sentences. Having covered the roost last winter, when it peaked at 24 Shorties, in very great depth.
I just go every week to enjoy watching those beautuful creatures!
And tonight they behaved for the first time since October. Lots of pre-hunt perching, but very little of the flying around over the roost which makes it so hard to get an accurate count. I have to point the thermal imager at the main depearture point and count then going out, which is fine if they all go out without any flying around.
And tonight they just got ready for the night, and then left nicely across my line of view.
Count was certainly 19 Owls. I got distracted very briefly once and I think I missed one, so it could have been 20. But I'll record it as 19 with a 100% confidence level. A truly wonderful size for a Sheppey winter roost. Again.
After they had gone out into the night, 2 Little Owls were up.
Came home via a Barn Owl location and saw two that I think are a pair there.
Not a bad eve. 19 Shorties, 2 Little Owls and 2 Barn Owls!
Cheers,
Bryan
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Post by kentyeti on Mar 19, 2018 9:58:20 GMT
Starting to see signs from on-line reports that the Shorties are heading back from the south to their northern breeding grounds. Hopefully some will stop in North Wales where I need coverage for my book!
The reports are of those been seen down in the south west where there have not been reports during the winter. That could suggest they are those that have over-wintered in France, Spain and even North Africa. No way of being sure of course.
My Sheppey roost looks to be still around 15. Spent a very uncomfortable 3 hours on the seawall yesterday afternoon and evening watching for them to come out. 30 mph wind straight from Sibera with driving snow showers at times. I had everything on I could possibly wear. And got through two flasks of coffee!
One was flushed a couple of times in daylight, not sure why, but I did manage to get a distant photo in appalling light, with the snow covered North Downs over on the mainland behind it.
But this roost has been nocturnal all winter, regardless of the weather. Unusual; bad weather nights often force some at least out into the afternoons to start hunting early, but not this lot. The only early sightings have been after obvious disturbance, when such as a dog has got into the roost. I am still expecting to see some out before dark as surely they must need extra food soon before they migrate. Unless they are still catching all they need at night despite the bad weather nights, which could include a lot of roosting Dunlin.
They had mostly moved to more sheltered parts of the roost where I picked up their thermal images early on. They didn't start coming out until gone 18.00 hrs, and then went to a sheltered location to do their pre-hunt. I didn't see any go off to hunt until at least 18.43. Not easy to count in the conditions, I had to put my imager down very quickly at times to pour another coffee and drink it quickly before it turned to ice!
Back to my book. I now have a draft of all eleven chapters. Just one very small gap in chapter eleven, where I need Welsh coverage. I have got the appendices to tidy up; then I reckon at least a year to get it all through the initial edit, then design, copy edit and proof print stages. So am hoping to publish next summer. Fingers crossed and subject to getting some Welsh coverage.
Cheers,
Bryan
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Post by Tringa on Mar 19, 2018 10:25:32 GMT
You deserve a medal for your dedication, Bryan. It was cold enough here. I can only imagine what it must have been like where you were.
Thanks for the update.
Dave
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Post by kentyeti on Apr 9, 2018 18:56:34 GMT
At long last I have started to get Welsh coverage, long may it continue! Up on the vast Migneint Region in the eastern side of the Showdonia National Park. Just drove to where the right habitat for breeding Shorties mixed with mountain backround scenery, and waited. And waited! LOL. 2 there within a couple of days. Up to 6 when I went onto Langholm after 5 days. At Langholm I found 4 breeding pairs. All this in late March as they arrive to breed. Hopefully. A lot of reports around the country, they are on the move towards breeding I guess. Fingers crossed. Not all will make it. The local reserve let me have a dead one they found. Malnutrition by the look of it. But it will live on in my book. It's in the spare freezer in the garage at present. When I get time I will gently boil the flesh off the head to get a real Shortie skull, ethically obtained. My current owl skull is a replica, from the USA and a company who say they follow decent ethical standards in obtaining their originals to make the moulds from.
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Post by kentyeti on Jul 12, 2018 9:10:24 GMT
Brief update. Making good progress with my North Wales coverage now. Not up in the Migneint, but elsewhere. Langholm has seen all Shortie breeding stall, as it looks to have done with most other big bird species up there. Fingers crossed something will start again up there soon. I suspect a mix of the very late, very bad weather, and the steady increase in pedators after the gamekeepers were pulled off the moor in spring 2016. Foxes in particular look to be getting a firm hold on the moor now. Very sad.
The book is now fully drafted, all that is missing is an index, which can't be done until all design and edit is done. I am still updating parts as I'd like some South Wales coverage and I still need something in the Peak District. It's a long hard process getting it through sub-edit and design, but I hope to publish late autumn 2019.
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