The nest box was empty six months ago! This thick layer of pellets, fluff and feathers needs to be cleared out each year otherwise it wouldn’t take long for there to be no room for the owls.
Month: September 2021
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Time for a clean
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Category: Barn Owls
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Haircut time
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Category: The MeadowThe meadow has finished flowering and is now a sea of brown seed heads waving in the breeze. The tufted vetch pods have turned brown and are gently crackling like popcorn in the sun. Which means it’s time for the meadow’s annual haircut!
It’s not dry enough for hay but should make good haylage and likely more than the twenty large round bales we had last year: we’ll know in a couple of days.
It’s a bittersweet moment as it is a sure sign the summer is coming to an end. It’s also a bit of a surprise to any field voles and mice that have settled into the field: they’re going to find themselves a little exposed to any passing bird of prey.
A quick cut, a day in the sun then sixteen bales all wrapped up. Not as many as last year but not bad, and the meadow will get better and better as we cut and take away the hay each year.
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House hunting
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Category: Barn OwlsNow the barn owl boxes are temporarily empty it’s time to check them over and do any repairs needed. It might be time to replace the oldest box so we’re going to have a good look at John Lightfoot’s (from the Shropshire Barn Owl Group) range of new homes at Talon Nest Boxes. We have also identified a good site for one of his kestrel boxes: very tempting and it would be wonderful to have a different bird of of prey nesting in the field.
