On Saturday night I woke up to a beautiful duet. A pair of Tawny owls (Strix aluco) were calling to one another, reinforcing their territory. The male call sounds like ‘hooo, hu, huhuhuhooo’ while the female gives a ‘keewik’ sound (see BTO).
Tawny owls pair for life and remain in their territory (initially established in winter) throughout the year. Deciduous broadleaf woodland is their traditional habitat but sometimes they live in large gardens and parkland. They nest within tree cavities or nest boxes. Occasionally eggs are laid in February but more often between March and April. While the female is slightly larger than the male, these owls are the same size as a wood pigeon. They feed on small mammals, birds, rodents, fish, frogs, insects and worms. Their UK Conservation Status is Amber as their numbers are declining.
Another bird which caught my eye last week was a male House sparrow (Passer Domesticus). I was leaving the allotment when I observed him collecting nest material before flying off. As with the Tawny owl, House sparrows pair for life and their numbers have also been declining for a while; House sparrows are Red in the UK Conservation Status list. I grew up seeing lots of them but since moving down south, I haven’t seen one for years so this was a wonderful sight. I love these little birds, especially hearing their chattering and chirping in their colonies. Hopefully I will see him and more Sparrows soon.
As the week went on I noticed more flowers blooming in the hedgerows. Wild strawberry, also called Alpine strawberry (Fragaria vesca), was the first one I saw.
Others I saw were; Bugle (Ajuga reptans),
– Herb bennet/Wood avens (Geum urbanum) and
– Bush vetch (Vicia sepium).
I got to see a female Orange- tip (Anthocharis cardamines) butterfly, having seen a male one the other week. Males have the orange tips while the tips on the female’s forewings are black (both have the black spots). The female can be identified apart from other white butterflies by the mottled green and white underwings (also exhibited by the males). Caterpillars of this butterfly feed on Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis).
Bee in the Moment 