Wild Bird Wednesday 614 - Southern Boobook

While I was looking through the abandoned tack room featured in my last post,  I looked up into the roof space and noticed a Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook) sitting on a rafter watching me.

This is Australia's commonest and smallest owl.  There are a number of sub-species of this bird - and given its dark colour and location in SE Australia, this is almost certainly the ssp boobook. 

The name of this species is an onomatopoeic rendering of its double hoot.  At times this call can be heard for hours on end!  On the weekend I saw it, the call may have been masked by the sound of birthday / wedding music!

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  SM

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The Things They Left Behind 7: The Tack Room

While we were away over the weekend at a friends birthday I had a look in some of the old sheds that still sit close to the house.  In one of the sheds I found the remains of at least two old buggies, and a tack room.

It felt like somebody had just walked away from the place - probably when they bought a tractor of some sort - and just left all this in place.

Remarkable really.  SM

Wells Cathedral

Wells in Somerset is a smallish market town near to where I was born.  The Cathedral sits more or less at the centre of the town.  It's hard to believe that such a building was part of my everyday (or at least everyweek) childhood.

This is Basil.  He is not the Cathedral Cat - but he has taken up semi-permanent residence in the visitor centre.

Cheers, SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 613 - Pheasant

The Pheasant or Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a common bird in the UK.  It is bred in large numbers for game shooting, but there is also a large wild population of escaped and surviving birds.

This bird was seen in a 'classic' mixed farming environment.  This type of English countryside seems to be almost perfect for the pheasant - well it would be if it were not for the hunting.

Pheasants are native to Asia, but were introduced into much of Europe by the Romans, possibly arriving in the UK with the Normans in the 11th century. Largely forgotten and locally extinct up until the 19th century, they became a popular gamebird once again and are extensively reared by gamekeepers.

The males have a loud, creaking/ croaking call which is unmistakable once you know what it is. A male bird can be seen in these pictures - the wing flapping and jumping is associated with the bird making its distinctive call.

As ever, to join in with WBW click the link below.  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 612 - Welcome Swallow

The Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) is the common swallow in Australia.  (There are records of Barn Swallow - but they are few and far between and cause a great deal of excitement in birding circles).

These are young birds.  I assume that they are still being fed as they got very excited when another (adult?) bird flew near them.  Unfortunately this other bird was rather more cautious than the younger birds, and never really flew into picture.

However, I think you can see that the young birds got rather excited at the prospect of food.  I recall a similar look on the faces of my kids, and still see at tea time with my cats!

The Welcome Swallow is one of a limited number of Australian bird species that are doing well at present, and their population size is increasing.

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  SM

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Winter Sun at Titchwell.

Titchwell is an RSPB Reserve on the north coast of Norfolk in the UK.  I visited it in February this year - and was lucky enough to get some sunshine (and good birds!).

It turns out that I was in the UK during the wettest 18 months on record - which is something of an achievement I think!

It really was a wonderful afternoon / early evening.  SM

You can find more skies at Skywatch Friday.  SM