Barn Owling.

Out with Dave Edwards this morning, checking a few Barn Owl farms in Greater Manchester.

2 Barn Owl chicks ringed, along with 4 Kestrel chicks. A few photos below.

Owlets.

Ringing two pulli Barn Owls was on the jobs board for this evening at WWT Martin Mere. So as the centre started to empty from it's daily intake, we headed out onto the reserve in the Mule. The reserve staff use this powerful little buggy to get from one side of the reserve to the other, but when Freddy blocked our path, we soon realised how pathetic the mule looked in front of him!

Let me introduce you to Freddy -

Freddy along with his team of 90 rare breed cattle (and most have their own names!) are important members of the Reserve Team at Martin Mere. They form part of the Reserve Managment Plan, as they are ideal for grazing on wetlands. Their hoof marks leave perfect hollows in the ground for birds such as Lapwings & Redshank to nest in and they graze by leaving tuffs of grass which double up as shelter and safety for wader chicks.

After a good scratch on the mule, he allowed us to go and we could then carry on to the Barn Owl box!

Last port of call

on my to do list before I go away tomorrow was to meet up with Chris Tomlinson, the Reserve Manager at WWT Martin Mere to ring some pulli Barn Owls.

7 chicks ringed this evening with 2 more that should be ready when I get back.

Barn Owl

Checked more Tree Sparrow boxes at WWT Martin Mere today, but all contained 2nd clutches or hatching eggs. One nest box contained a brood of 6 Great Tit.

A quick ride on the John Deere mule soon had us at the other end of the reserve (I'd love to have a wardens job, getting to play on these all day!) to ring a brood of 3 Barn Owl chicks in one of the hide lofts.

The rest of the evening was spent in hospital due to an infection in my leg due to insect bites from Wednesday night!!! :(

Four more Common Tern pulli were colour ringed at Doffcocker Lodge this morning.