04 March 2021
The dating game . . . . baby steps
This morning at 05:25, both owls were perched on the roof ‘maintaining a healthy 4m social distance’. The female then flew across to her favourite perch in the Evergreen Oak, followed shortly after by the male. He landed next to her . . . . then awkwardly squeezed past her along the branch, perching about 40cm away. After a few minutes he hopped across to another perch a meter from the female. This is the closest interaction that I’ve recorded to date – so some progress.
The new male is unusually dark in his markings but is in feather- perfect condition. He also seems to be very relaxed around people, so if things progress as hoped, working with this ‘new’ pair should be similar to the last one.
By Geoff Lockwood