This week started on a good note as Cirl Bunting monitoring with Chris showed good numbers of individuals on our feeders in Powderham. Our fields there are managed specifically for these birds with stubbly arable crops left as feed to keep them going over winter and two feeders stocked with a seed mix especially designed for them. It’s good to see the work done here having a positive impact. If you have never seen one of these lovely bunting, with a head like a hazard warning due to the yellow and black stripes, then Powderham is a good place to try. I have seen them most times I have visited with the exceptions being on the wettest of days. They seem like sensible birds to me, nobody likes getting rained on really do they!
A short-eared owl has been causing a stir around the reserve this week, whilst I haven’t seen it myself there have been a few reports and I’m hoping it’s still here. I have friends visiting over the weekend and would like to be able to wow them on their first evening. Whilst they’re not the biggest birders in the world everybody loves owls right?! I don’t know quite what it is about owls but they seem to have a mystical quality about them and a capacity to stir the heart that demands attention. I am always astounded with the length of the wings on short-eared owls especially, do wings that long help or hinder manoeuvrability? I’m sure it should hinder .....that is something I need to look into.
The hedge along turf path has been the main practical priority again this week and it looks like the clearing is finally coming to an end. I think the laying will begin within the next week or two but you can already see the improvement from the work done so far with enhanced views over the marshes. We will ensure that the finished article can be seen on this blog in the coming weeks.
In other news this week, whilst out with the work party yesterday I learned a new word.......... mangelwurzle! It is possibly the best word I have ever heard. For anybody out there who doesn’t know, although it conjures up some interesting images in my mind, it is actually a livestock feed derived from the same plant species that gave us beetroot.
That’s all folks!
Good luck with the Short-eared Owl Ryan