17 July 2021
On guard . . .
Since the last update, the crows have continued to harass the owls – though thankfully in lower numbers than Cynthia had to deal with last Saturday. Through the week I’ve either climbed the ladder whenever I’ve heard crows at the nest box, or climbed out onto the lower roof to chase them off.
Early this morning they were back again, and I flushed 4 from around the box as my head appeared above the wall. The female Spotted Eagle-Owl merely glanced at me and then, after a few minutes, closed her eyes – seeming to doze off. Twenty minutes later I heard a soft cawing from near the box and I shot back up the ladder. The crows had already gone . . . and the male owl was sitting protectively at the entrance to the nest box. He certainly is rising to the challenge!
By Geoff Lockwood