NWR Any twitchers here?!

Thanks for the advice. It is actually my birthday in a couple of weeks and this is the ‘budget’ given by my family. I guess I could add to it, but that would mean less money for wine :)
 
My daughter's partner sent me these photos yesterday, taken on his iphone.

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I have never seen a Long-Eared Owl in the wild. This pair were in a tree, about 10 yards from his parent's house, in a housing estate next to the high school, close to the town centre, in Penicuik. Quite amazing. Naturally, I grabbed my camera and jumped into the car to see if I could get some photos myself, but unfortunately they were gone by the time I arrived, so I have still never seen one myself :(
According to the RSPB - there are a maximum of 6000 pairs breeding in the UK.
 
Indeed. They are very rare. So rare that I asked him if they were real and not some sort of artificial ploy to scare other birds off!! :eek:
He confirmed they were and went on to tell me that one of them flew off and smacked into a window in the school. It feel to the ground stunned but managed to take off again and landed on the roof of a nearby house, being harassed by about 10 "black birds" (he is not a birdwatcher, but I have hooked his son/my grandson into the joys or ornithology, but I presumed they were the usual crows/jackdaws that get excited when there is a predator around). Thankfully, it seems it recovered, and both probably flew off to nearby woods.
 
For example : They are not very forthcoming about the number of foxes badgers and Crovids they kill
whilst trying to play God.

for a bird as rare as this I would expect a wide guesstimate rather than a more exact figure.

eg 4000-8000 pairs.

I’m no expert but for this particular bird my guess would be on awful lot lower. More 1000-2000.
 
For example : They are not very forthcoming about the number of foxes badgers and Crovids they kill
whilst trying to play God.

for a bird as rare as this I would expect a wide guesstimate rather than a more exact figure.

eg 4000-8000 pairs.

I’m no expert but for this particular bird my guess would be on awful lot lower. More 1000-2000.
In their defence, I said a maximum of 6000 breeding pairs. They actually said 1800 - 6000 pairs.
 
I used to be a member, but not currently. Alongside the RSPB Marshside reserve they are absolutely butchering trees and bushes running parallel with a sea defence bank for nearly a mile. They must have a vision but it looks terrible at the moment and it’s been ongoing for six months or more. The bit they cleared last year is just covered in bramble and scrub.
 
Thank you Paul for sharing.

That is one very rare spot.Made my day.
lve been interested in wildlife as long as I can remember , birds in particular.
I know no person to spot a pair.As for the true numbers I think you are in my camp around 1000 maximum
Given they mate for life and are one of the most territorial of birds, I’m surprised they have been seen outside their roost and near a school, given how shy they are.

We are in the breeding season so I can only guess they are a new pair in search of a new home.
 
Paul, what a fantastic spot. Penicuik of all places!
I've never knowingly seen long-eared owls in the wild.
Short-eared are a regular sight around the links in St Andrews - early Sunday morning walks are a good time. We have a pair of barn owls in an abandoned farm building close to our house and they can be regularly "flushed" from our garden, along with pheasants and grey partridges, when I release my cocker spaniel for her morning constitutional!
On Monday she disturbed a sparrow hawk in mid kill of a wood pigeon. Unfortunately I had to dispatch the pigeon as it had already suffered too much damage from the hawk.
 
It is truly amazing - I just wish I had seen them myself :(, armed with my camera, of course.

I do find birds of prey to be fascinating and have watched much footage on YouTube and TV, but owls are some of the most beautiful and alluring birds of all. They seem to combine perfectly a sense of gentleness with a ruthless streak.

Remind me never to mention the RSPB again, though.
 
This fine specimen came a courting a slightly duller female on our patio this afternoon. Very striking, slightly larger than a thrush. Impressive headgear. Any ideas? Some sort of game fowl I presume but a delight to see...

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Edit: appears to be a California quail... no idea where it could have come from unless an escapee from somewhere....
 
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I know nothing about birds but three pairs of swifts nest in our house. They only arrived today this year, much later than previous years. I wonder why it might be and if it means anything?

Generally about wind direction, we're in a mild La Nina cycle that is influencing the jet stream, with a pattern of northerly currents this delays them (like a head wind on a flight).
 
A load of twichers at West Runten N.Norfolk today said they were seeing swifts. Yellow wagtails and hobby just coming in. Seems late to me, swallows have been in north Essex for 3 weeks.
Saw Stonechats at Sheringham assume they were breeding as singing.
 
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