13 April 2021
Signs of increasing confidence and closer interactions
Over the past two weeks, the new male seems to be growing in confidence (or should that be cheek?). Twelve days ago I looked out the kitchen window and saw what I took to be the female in her usual spot in the Evergreen Oak. A closer look however showed that it was the male . . . and after a search, I found the female in the Cabbage Tree! Two days later, at 05:50, I looked out to see the male Black Sparrowhawk perched on the parapet of the back roof – only a few meters from the owls. The sparrowhawk must have noticed me and flew off . . . and I could see both owls perched close together. What a relief!!
Yesterday, the pair was again perched close together, with the male occupying the female’s favourite spot, and in the evening both birds flew down and perched close together on the lower roof for the first time. The female is very predictable, and she usually heads for the corner under the overhang quite early – and then dozes for about 40 minutes before heading off into the park. Until yesterday, the male has been heading off in a different direction however – so them perching together is a good sign.
By Geoff Lockwood
