Having a pair of Little Owls nesting outside his home gives David Tomlinson a lot of pleasure, as he explains here
Though it was over half a century ago, I still vividly remember my first encounter with a Little Owl. I was on holiday with my parents on the Costa Brava, then a much wilder place than it is today. An old farm track wound its way up into the hills from where we were staying, threading through acres of aromatic maquis – a miniature forest of Ilex, Myrtle, Oleander and Juniper.
Bee-eaters floated overhead, uttering their lovely soft calls, while Sardinian Warblers rattled, largely unseen, from the depths of the scrub.
An abandoned stone building, its roof collapsed and now filled with a luxuriant growth of figs, was a reminder that this land must once have been farmed. Suddenly and unexpectedly, a small brown bird flushed from its ruins, departing on rounded wings and in undulating flight. I watched it depart through binoculars (6x30, and ex-World War II), wondering what it was.
Back at base, I consulted my well-thumbed Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. I had a suspicion that my bird was an owl, but what sort?
First of all I checked the distribution maps, ruling out Tengmalm’s and Short-eared Owls, and eventually coming down to a choice of Little or Scops. It was reading the text that clinched the ID. “Often seen in daylight”, the Field Guide stated for Little Owl, adding “flight low and rapid, deeply undulating”. Until then, the only owls I had seen were Tawny and Barn, so adding a third to my rapidly growing life-list was really exciting.
Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Bird Watching.
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Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Bird Watching.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Weedon's World
Recent trips to a couple of his favourite local birding sites have resulted in encounters Mike would rather do without
Bee-Eater Breeding
There was much speculation online about why a Bee-eater breeding effort in Nottingham had failed. Here, we attempt to get to the truth by speaking to those in the know…
Grumpy Old Birder
Bo reveals the pleasure he gets watching birds and wildlife enjoy an ‘all-you-can-eat buffet’ in his garden…
#My 200 Bird Year 2018
If you’ve enjoyed trying to complete our #My200BirdYear challenge in 2017, or if you’ve been watching with interest but biding your time, or if you’re a complete newcomer to Bird Watching magazine, then now’s the time to sign up for #My200BirdYear 2018 at birdwatching.co.uk/my200
HOLME
Varied habitats and one of the UK’s top observatories
Backbury Hill
A walk to a multi-vallate hillfort with birds on the way
Castlemartin Corse
A relic of a once-great wetland
Lend A Helping Hand
Wildlife centres can often be the only venues for many to see birds close up. Here, one volunteer explains the important work they carry out.
Bringing Back The Tree Sparrow
The story of how one man helped establish a Tree Sparrow colony around his Suffolk home.
The Urban Birder Visits Ushuaia, Argentina
A wide variety of interesting birds can be seen in the world’s most southernmost city.