Monday 7 August 2017

Birds in Boxes

(and a book)
There were a few nesting boxes fixed on the workshop when we moved in but I don't think anything used them this year.
Empty nest box on workshop
 But Very Exciting........................We have Barn Owls!


This box
Very high up
  was fixed there by the previous owners for owls but then someone told them it was too high and Mrs F said only Kestrels had nested in it, although she did say that a Barn Owl roosted in the wood shed sometimes.
We've seen Barn Owls a couple of times swooping round the field in the evening and then Col saw two perched atop the bonfire heap. Walking down our meadow one evening last week we actually saw them coming out of the box. So we've taken to creeping down the meadow at dusk and watching them coming and going, well going mainly as however quietly we creep they still hear us coming! No picture I'm afraid - they are far too quick for that.

Col has now sorted out  three more boxes that were laying in the workshop needing repair and we put them up in different places round about.
This could be a bat box
 And this one below is Coronation Street for sparrows or something?
This one below just needed a new roof, and is suitable for Robins, we've got a baby Robin visiting the bird feeders so they are already nesting somewhere around


 But Barn Owls are special.

And the book?
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier - a re-telling of Shakespeares Othello.
A very short book - I read it in a few hours - but it's very powerful. Osei is from Ghana and arrives at a Washington elementary school when his diplomat Father is posted there. Everyone else in the school is white and over one day jealousy, bullying, betrayal and racism changes the lives of four 11year olds for ever........and of course Shakespeare's Othello is a tragedy.

Thanks for comments on Saturday's library book photo.

Back Tomorrow
Sue








18 comments:

  1. I'm enjoying living 'the country life' through your eyes Sue.
    Thanks for the New Boy information Sue. I'm next in line at the library so will read it with an open mind when it arrives.

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  2. How brilliant to have barn owls in your garden! And all those other boxes too....do you ever manage to get any work done indoors?! lol

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  3. How wonderful to have owls nesting! You have lots of bird homes that is sure!

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  4. How exciting. Barn Owls. Wonderful. The terrace is for sparrows. We have baby blue tits, coal tits, siskins, great tits and redpolls. Been a good year.

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  5. That's great news about the barn owls. They are lovely to see. We have them here, in fact lots of barn owls live in these parts, and you can time them for going in and out, they keep pretty much to a routine. Great news. And all the other bird boxes too; I hope they soon have occupants.

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  6. Lovely to see so many different boxes, we have bird boxes in our garden, which have not been used, we have seen a couple of birds checking them out. We also have bug/butterflies/ single bee boxes and an upturned large pot for our local hedgehog, which is often used. You are so lucky to be able to observe owls in flight.

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    1. The good news is that your boxes are probably being used anyway by others , bees , spiders etc, or birds may use them as a roosting place on cold nights .

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  7. Owls are magnificent creatures. When we hired a barn conversion in Cornwall many years ago that had the lounge on the top floor. It had a local owl and we watched it every evening at dusk circulating the field looking for supper....amazing.

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  8. A veritable bird motel. Inter-tweetinental !

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  9. How exciting that owls are using your box! I agree with "Frugal in ..." Owls are magnificent creatures; a favorite of ours here in the Ozarks. I am also a big fan of the hawks, especially the Red-Tailed Hawk.

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  10. We are upping our collection of bird boxes after the fabulous experience of having blue tits nest in the one we had.
    I don't think owls would nest in our garden but I would love it if they did-x-

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  11. I love barn owls! When we lived in S.CA we had a barn owl nesting in a tall palm tree. Every time I worked in the garden surrounding it, she's spit bone pellets at me and I'd say, "I know. Keep your feathers on. I'll be done soon." But I knew she was keeping our yard clear of rodents. She was so beautiful.

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  12. How lovely to have barn owls, I hope you have great success with the boxes.

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  13. Your 'Coronation Street ' box is a tree sparrow box . They are very sociable birds and like to nest with their family and friends. In spring this year I put a similar on the north facing gable end of my bungalow, made sure there was a plentiful supply of red millet ( their favourite food) and have been rewarded with 2-4 broods of tree sparrows! They have a delight to watch from my bedroom window , and I am chuffed to bits the box has been well used in its first year .
    Shelly x
    Envious about your owls :-)

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  14. How very lovely...the more birds the better! x

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  15. Yes, I think Shelly is right about the Tree Sparrows. We have a few families of them that have nested very closely to each other in our tall hedges. The young fledglings now all hang around together feeding and drinking in Chicken World, it's fascinating to watch.

    Lucky you having Barn Owls!!

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  16. Owls, what an absolute delight to be able to see these wonderful birds up close and so close to home.
    Lisa x

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