Barn owls are one of my favourite animals and are a much-loved countryside bird. I was lucky enough to have a very close encounter with one whilst out on my bike one evening. It appeared from nowhere and flew right next to me as I peddled along for quite a while. Getting to see these beautiful creatures up close really made me realise how majestic and graceful they are. They are sometimes known as ghost owls due to their light appearance and eerie silent flight. Unlike other owls, barn owls don’t hoot. Instead they make a screeching ‘schree’ noise.
Barn owl- John Bridges (rspb-images.com)
It then got me into thinking about all the different kinds of birds we have on the reserve that can be viewed really close. Our leaflet tagline is ‘Experience wildlife up close’ after all and Frampton Marsh really does allow you to do this. The 360 hide and East hide provide great views of wildlife often within close range and the large windows of the visitor centre don’t deter birds coming in close. In fact last year we had swallow chicks perched on the wooden edging of the visitor centre, literally two feet from the window. Our bird feeders are a great place to spot tree sparrows, yellowhammers and goldfinches, especially in the colder months. There’s been many a time when people have sat by the window in the visitor centre, just enjoying watching the birds flitting about only a few feet away.
Swallow chicks on the visitor centre- Charlotte Jones
As Toby mentioned in his last blogpost, there are some monster high tides this week that will push birds and other wildlife off The Wash and onto the reserve. So come down for a close encounter of the bird (or non-bird) kind!