Tipton's Croft

A field in Shropshire, England

Category: Animals

  • Valentine’s Day

    —

    Category: ,

    And the frogs and toads are gathering. The toads have appeared first, in great numbers, as they head towards the pond. Some can’t wait until they get there.

    Two common toads can’t wait until they get to the water.
    Lots of frog spawn in the small pond, 19 February 2024.
    Common toads and strings of newly-laid toad spawn, 20 February 2024.
    Two common toads and a smooth newt, 20 February 2024.

    A gang of male common frogs writhing around a lone female (somewhere in the middle).

  • New house

    —

    Category: , ,

    We’ve taken advantage of the nest box being empty over the winter to replace it with a new one, and have updated the cameras too. Now we wait…

    We didn’t have to wait long, two owl pellets appeared overnight: proof of an owl visiting to check out the new accommodation, which must smell strange to them as it’s so new.

    Two common toads and a smooth newt, 20 February 2024.

  • The fish-eater’s back

    —

    Category: ,

    The visiting heron took advantage of us being away for a few days. A beautiful sight but oh, the poor fish!

  • Almost goodbye

    —

    Category: , ,

    The older owlet has already dispersed and the younger one comes back occasionally to the nest box, but doesn’t stay. The end to a difficult but successful breeding season.

  • First flight

    —

    Category: , ,

    This evening the younger owlet found enough courage to leap off the nest box ledge for the first time, though rather inelegantly flew straight into a bush. She made a good recovery though and has now flown off to shelter from the rain in a nearby oak tree.

  • All alone

    —

    Category:

    The older owlet has already learnt to fly and last night spent most of her time away from the nest box, leaving her younger sister alone to sit on the ledge in the early morning light, before going for a solitary daytime sleep.

  • Hungry

    —

    Category:

    Out in the early morning rain the two owlets wait without success for food. We haven’t seen the adult female for weeks and the adult male doesn’t always appear often and certainly not when it’s raining. So we feed the hungry wobble-heads until they can fend for themselves.

  • A room with a view

    —

    Category:

    Both owlets are now coming out of the nest box in the early hours of the morning to view the big new world around them, with their typical wobble-head behaviour as they try to understand what it is all about.

  • The first glimpse of the world outside

    —

    Category:

    The older owlet, now about seven weeks old, manages to get up to the entrance to the nest box to have a look out, with the typical wobbly head trying to make sense of what she can see.

  • Owl check-up time

    —

    Category:

    The owlets are about 51 days old so time for a weighing, measuring and ringing by owl expert John Lightfoot from the Shropshire Barn Owl Group. This year we have two females, doing well though one rather under weight. They still have lots of ‘baby’ fluff but are rapidly shedding this to reveal their new feathers which they’ll be using soon as they venture out of the nest box.

  • Day 42

    —

    Category:

    The two barn owlets are beginning to loose their fluffy covering and reveal their new feathers. Not long before they’ll be trying to get out of the nest box. A combination of the adults and us bringing them food seems to be working.

  • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… 7!

    —

    Category: , ,

    There are still seven little black moorhen chicks on the pond, learning to swim and feed themselves, while being closely guarded by the two adults.