Desirable residences

Over the last few days Paul and I have been hard at work providing sheltered accommodation for a range of desirables around Ceredigion and Radnorshire. So far we've renewed two previously occupied Chough boxes and installed 3 new Kestrel boxes, 3 Little Owl boxes, 1 Barn Owl box and 6 Dipper boxes. Quite a few more of all still to be put up when the snow clears along with 18 Long-eared Owl baskets! The Kestrel and Owl boxes are being done in conjunction with the Welsh Kite Trust.

Let's hope someone chooses to use them! Wasn't without some immediate rewards though, at one site south of Aberystwyth we caught two adult Barn owls roosting in a new site and the male turned out to be a bird Damian Clarke,  Mike Hayward and I ringed as a chick near Clarach on 21st June 2007. By pure co-incidence at what turned out to be his natal site we caught 2 more un-ringed Barn Owls which could just possibly have been his parents!

Just to show how Barn Owl looks improve with age......

here he is as a chick getting his head measured! Same can't be said for everyone!

This is his mate making her getaway after ringing - interesting to see the contrast in the tail feathers with the male's being far whiter and less barred than the female's

We also re-trapped this adult male Little Owl, a rare bird indeed in Mid and West Wales now. He was originally caught in June 2011.