A field in Shropshire, England
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We’ve rescued the owl box that came down with the old oak and have put it up in place of the old owl box on a huge old (living) oak nearby.
No time to get the cameras inside it working yet but a trailcam by the tree has captured a barn owl already settling in to the new residence. It’s ringed and may well be one of the pair that were using the same box before. Not sure what it makes of the enforced move but it seems happy enough.
A brief visit from a female barn owl last night. She is ringed so has come from a managed nest but we don’t know where, yet.
Update. On closer inspection we can just make out some of the digits on its ring, which match the adult male from this year. So he’s roosting somewhere else and keeping an eye on the empty nest box.
(the oak leaves are from a squirrel who has tried to make a nest in the nest box)
A kingfisher has appeared on the pond for the first time. A brief glimpse earlier in the week but today confirmed as we watched it wait patiently on a branch over the water before diving down to catch a fish (a small roach).
These are the best photos we could manage but we have set up a camera next to its perch so hopefully a better view soon.
Three juvenile moorhens have survived (so far) and are now settled in with the two parents on the island. They are all quite shy and skittery so we never see them that close up, but they seem quite happy where they are, safe on the island and with lots to eat.
Here’s where they live.
The heron’s managed to find a way in past the wire around the pond: limboing under it in a gap in the reeds. Beautiful bird but a menace to our fish.
So we added two more strands of fishing line which seems to be working, at least for now.
The scarecrow hasn’t been that effective though.
