A masterclass from an owl in how to ignore abusers

 

A few weeks ago I spotted this tawny owl in a tree in a garden across the road from our house. I couldn't miss it really, because it was being harassed by a raucous flock of about thirty jackdaws and crows, plus two very in-your-face magpies.

The unperturbed owl gave an absolutely perfect masterclass in how to deal with abusers, completely ignoring them. None were brave enough to come within reach of its talons, and after about ten minutes they had all lost interest, and left it in peace.

The owl is still around, and recently I heard it hooting at dawn in our back garden.

Barn owls

It used to be the case that you could go for years in my part of Durham without seeing nesting barn owls. This week I've had the pleasure of watching two pairs.

The first was a bird hunting over open rough grassland, with scattered hawthorns, beside an old railway line that is now a public bridleway.

Barn owls almost seem to float across the ground, then suddenly perform a wing-over and stoop on their prey. This one struck three times before it rose with something small and furry in its talons, flew high over the trees and headed towards some old farm buildings where it must be nesting.

The sighting of the second pair was very close to home, nesting in a hollow ash tree on a farm belonging to a friend. She has farmed there for over forty years but this was the first barn owl that had ever graced them with a nest, so she was absolutely delighted. 

I spent yesterday evening watching a parent bird flying to and from the nest, hunting over the pastures amongst the cattle at sunset. Sometimes it flew right through the orchard where I was standing, no more than twenty metres away.

A magical evening, watching a truly stunning bird.