15 June 2021
As I was saying . . .
Last time I made disparaging remarks about the male, he brought the female a Common Mole Rat!! I should know better!!
This evening, while I was preparing dinner, I looked out the kitchen window to check on the owls. Nothing there at 17:04, but 10 minutes later the female was in her usual place in the corner under the overhang. No sign of the male though, so I kept checking to see if he would join her. At 17:30, the excited chattering of the Bulbuls made me look out again . . . just in time to see the male mounting the female! After the ‘deed’ he sat next to her, about 40 cm apart, no time for celebrations though – after about 30 seconds he suddenly flew fast and low across the roof and deep under the overhang . . . the female flattened herself on the parapet . . . and a Black Sparrowhawk flashed past.
As I am writing this the male is calling from the nest box outside my window – his ‘Huuu hoooo’ territorial call – not the enticement ‘hoo. hoo. hoo. hoo. hoo’ call I described in the previous update, but massive progress!!
By Geoff Lockwood