Chiffchaff and shadow at Paula's FarmMeanwhile I have started bird surveying on the Hawk and Owl Trust nature reserve called Shapwick Moor, with great thanks to Eve Tigwell (BTO rep Somerset) and Dr. John Edwards Hawk and Owl Trust Trustee for their help with this process. As I have only just started there's nothing much to report back on yet, however I was walking down the side of one hedge when a Brown Hare appeared right in front of me. I carefully crouched down using the background of sprawling Willow tree to shield myself and took about 150 pictures, and here's one.
What was really good was that the Hare had not noticed me, and fed for a while on the green grass, then returned back into the cover of an un cut and rough grassy margin were upon it simply disappeared. Here's yet another declining UK animal that needs a much more untidy landscape, the proof of that was in the observation.
I have been monitoring the 2nd Tawny Owl release, which so far has gone really well, here are 2 pictures from last Saturday nights monitoring session when I found this one actually hunting on a grass verge within 100 metres of the release aviary. I should state now before I get e mails from perfectionist photographers that these pictures were taken with the ISO cranked up to 3200 on eos 30D hence the grain (it was virtually dark). However for me they more than works of art, they are my proof that Owls I have put out are hunting and therefore self supporting. First picture is the Owl looking into the verge clearly hunting typical Tawny owl fashion, this Owl is now so reliable a film crew could film it (hint). By pellet returns its taking Wood Mouse and Brown Rat.
Same Owl, however it hears the click from the shutter of the camera going off, and turns to look.
Meanwhile back on Mendip Wheaters have also been in good number on one farm (thanks again Paula) we had I reckon some 20 individuals suddenly come to ground just before sunset, picture below is one of them taking during the red phase of sunset, a bold youngster which was really close, and made me fire off another 150 pictures.
And lastly I could not leave this Autumn blog without a look at the sunsets, some of them have been the best for along time, here's a picture from Mendip on last Saturday night, a scene that makes you feel good to be alive.
A group of between 10/20 Hornets were coming and going into this bushy plant in my garden, which in fact is a variety of Hops, here is a picture of the plant.
I thought quite wrongly, that they were catching the many small insects which were all around the plant, however this was a completely wrong analysis. I watched closely as a small Bee was ignored by three of the Hornets which were all crawling over the same branch. Other insects were treated as though they were not really there. The only exception occurred after about 15 minutes of observation, this was when a lone Common Wasp landed on a leaf below the main Hops branch. This was not tolerated, as 0ne of the Hornet's, which made the Wasp look minute, caught it very quickly and snapped it in half with its jaws, but then returned to the job it was doing before, and so it did not fly off with the body of the Wasp. This observation helped me to understand what was really happening, and so it seems to me that this was a particular group of female workers assigned to a specific job. In fact they were collecting something from the shrub and then flying off towards a nest? Maybe the camera reveals what they are all up to. Poor picture, I know, but you can make out that the Hornet is stripping the outer layers of the branch from the Hops plant, after which it collects it in its jaws then fly off. This must be for re lining or construction material for the nest, however I do wonder if the Hops plant has some other special properties? (Anyone know, let me know please) O.K, anyone who thinks they are brewing beer can leave now.
Just as last year, I never once worried about how close I got to the Hornets, indeed on several occasions I actually stuck my whole face into the bush to watch what they were up to, and not once did they behave in a threatening manner, even though my ear was touch on at least one occasion. Health and Safety Caution Note: Don't do as I do.
Tolerating species whether they bite, sting, kill other animals is I feel, very much apart of being closer to the nature that surrounds us. If we become closer to it, then just maybe we are understanding a little bit about even ourselves.
So as guest of Airbus Beau (the Barn Owl) and I were taken into the factory area, were we saw the A380 wings stored. I'm sure at one point Beau said something like "call that a wing" just then one of the organisers explained something that was really fascinating and that was, here was a real Barn Owl looking down the wing of an A380 and this wing was modeled on an Owls wing this to reduce noise and so also gaining greater efficiency. Now that was a big wow! If you have never looked down one of these wings then they are enormous! I was told that at the end that joins on to the plane, it is so big that 2 full grown men stood on top of each other could walk around inside.
