Mystery Solved...I Think!

If you remember when I called at Rawcliffe Moss last Saturday (16th) I mentioned the Stock Dove/Woodpigeon in the entrance hole to the Little Owl box, well today it was gone and perched up in the open just to the side of the box was one of the Little Owls. I can only assume that when I went past on Saturday the Little Owl had recently killed the bird and was dragging it into the box. Of course I could have got the identification wrong and perhaps the prey item was something smaller, but whatever it was it was bigger than a Little Owl. I can only assume that it had been killed in the tree, or even in the box. So perhaps the mystery isn't solved after all!

It was business as usual this morning on the moss. Yellowhammers had increased to fourteen by the Pheasant feeder and the usual Kestrel was patrolling the area. Tree Sparrows seem stable at around 178 and Chaffinch numbered 23. Eighteen Pink-footed Geese were knocking about and seven Shelduck were roving around, which is always an early sign of Spring for me. Also Great Tits were singing there heads off from Curlew Wood, another sign of Spring.


As I headed across the moss north towards Nateby I could see somewhere in the region of 3,000 'Pink-feet' dropping in to fields to feed on the south side of the River Wyre just upstream from Cartford Bridge, but unfortunately I didn't have time to search them out.