Hi and welcome to my Blog, my name is Paul Riddle and I live in south Leicestershire, UK. Back in August 2007 my quest began to locate as many local Little Owl territories as possible. The driving force was a reported decline in the uk numbers so I thought I would do my bit and conduct a study in my area. After 7 years and countless hours out in the field I have detected over 200 different sites. With a thirst for a greater understanding of the owls a more comprehensive monitoring and nest box programme then commenced. This also now includes monitoring the local and very sparse population of Barn Owls, please pop back occasionally and catch up with the life and times of my owls and any other wildlife that I come across. I hope you enjoy your visit!!!

Tuesday, 18 June 2013

End of a friend???

I have been waiting a few days to break the news, I was hoping that we were wrong and in the end all would be well? But sadly now we have had to resign ourselves to the loss of our favourite Barn Owl. Glyn the landowner has been checking the cameras around the clock and the last viewing he had was back on the 12th of June, a whole 6 days ago. OK maybe he may have gone wondering off and will be back soon but not when he has got three growing chicks in the nest box he hasn't.

So what could have happened to him? Has he found another mate and just left? Did the Buzzard who attacked him last week do so again with more success? Could old aged have caught up with him? Or most likely he has been hit by a car whilst out hunting, I guess we will never know............? 
 
This image below was taken the day before he went missing and at the time I didn't think much to it and didn't post it on this blog, but now it has far more significance.

The male owl at our monitoring site. A truly majestic bird
I was really depending on this pair to produce two broods this year as they have done so previously as the local Barn Owl population has been decimated recently with the bad weather.  I suppose we must be grateful that before his untimely disappearance he was in the middle of rearing their first brood. The hen owl continues to fed the three growing young, who knows how she is going to cope when they get bigger and place more demands on her?
 
I'll keep you posted on any developments..........
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10 comments:

  1. Douglas Mcfarlane18 June 2013 at 12:33

    Would it be un-ethical as the brood gets older to leave "food parcels" for the hen bird? After all they did it for the Welsh Osprey last year, so what's the difference, obviously it will be hard to catch live mamals etc. Six days seems to long for the male bird to be absent so it seems a tragic end, the barn Owl I had during the winter that I had on my blog for all of one day before it was found dead died from multiple injuries, it was youngster, had been forced to the ground by a either a corvid or Buzzard, survived the attack despite broken bones but got hit by a vehicle as it couldn't fly properly, sadly this often the way for our Barn Owls and the reason they live for such a short time....I'm truly gutted mate, lets hope she finds a new partner.

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    1. Miriam Darlington19 June 2013 at 17:05

      I am volunteering for the Barn Owl Trust currently and would think yes, food parcels a very good idea.

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    2. Paul Riddle20 June 2013 at 13:49

      Doug & Miriam, thanks for your concerns and suggestion ref the food parcels. A very good idea that has already been actioned and is now working.

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  2. Richard Pegler18 June 2013 at 17:07

    I'm so sorry to hear of the demise of this very special bird, Paul. I can fully understand how upset you must be. Maybe the original Buzzard attack left him with wounds that he eventually succumbed to.

    With a bit of luck and a lot of support I hope the chicks survive to fledge and become able to fend for themselves.

    Sadly, unless the female bird finds a new partner soon, I guess she'll be off looking for a new mate once the youngsters have gone, and the site will be empty until a new pair find it. But don't give up hope yet!

    I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the owls, and for you and Glyn too as I know how much they mean to you both.

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  3. Carl Baggott18 June 2013 at 17:59

    Each circumstance is different of course, but I remember a female Peregrine, which I had been watching daily being killed. She had three unfledged chicks, but the male managed to raise them to fledging on his own. The only thing that concerned me is whether they survived long term as he seemed to put more energy into wooing the new female that he had picked up rather than educating the young.

    Hopefully things will turn out ok, please keep us updated.












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  4. Carl Baggott18 June 2013 at 19:48

    By the way, I didn't mean I'd be watching her being killed daily, there should have been a comma after daily.

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    1. Paul Riddle20 June 2013 at 13:46

      I knew what you meant mate, although I did suspect a few beers may have had something to do with your comment?

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  5. Millhouse Photography18 June 2013 at 22:28

    Hope he turns up, Paul. A lovely image of a majestic creature.

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