Little Owl (Athene noctua) Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

            NOT A GOOD PHOTO BUT IT SHOWS HOW WELL THEY ARE DOING AFTER A DODGY START TO LIFE.

Since telling the story of the male Little Owl that was killed when the fledglings left the nest, I have been asked by several people what happened to him.

Well, I'm afraid corvids is the answer. 

Since I made a nest box for the owls soon after I moved here 15 years ago, they have attempted to breed every year.
One year a woodpecker took the eggs and a couple of years later, a squirrel took the chicks soon after they hatched.
Apart from that, they have successfully raised a brood every year. Sometimes only one chick would make it and occasionally four would fledge. Usually it was two or three.

Over this period a local farmer controlled magpies with the legally approved Larsen trap. The local RSPB officer was trying to help the Turtle Dove return to the farm and supplied the farmer with special food. He was in favour of controlling the exploding numbers of corvids and said that they also trapped crows and magpies.

Magpies had never caused a problem for the owls, in fact, I never gave it a thought although they were a problem in the garden for the hedgerow birds. They raided a Song Thrush nest the only time they ever nested in my garden. 

This year it all changed when Chris Packham got the open license to control corvids revoked. The farmer removed his trap and this was the signal for the magpies to build a nest further along the hedge.
They successfully reared three young. This is when the trouble began.

The magpies fledged about the same time as the Little Owls. As usual, the owls took the young to the same oak tree they use every year. This is where they would spend the day. 

Feeding the owls would begin in earnest around dusk. Whenever the male returned with a rodent the whole family of magpies would chase him into the tree. They would harass him until he dropped the mouse or vole. This happened every time he returned and one morning I saw him on the ground nearby with the whole family of magpies diving at him. In fact, the commotion had attracted the attention of more corvids who were joining in the attack.

I went out and picked him up. He was in a bad way and sadly never made it.

I still didn't know how many fledglings there were but it was left to the female to take over feeding them all.
Obviously the same thing happened to her and almost immediately she stopped feeding them until the magpies went to roost. It was heart breaking hearing them begging for food so this is when I stepped in with supplementary feeding.

I bought 100 frozen chicks and placed several on the gate after dark. They would all be gone before dawn so it had to be the owl taking them. When they were flying freely, I set up a camera trap on the gate and when I checked it in the morning there were four pairs of eyes in a line. I assumed it was the female with three fledglings.
The next morning I was out before it got light and set up my camera in the shed. I wasn't prepared for what happened next. The female flew in closely followed by a youngster. A second quickly followed, then a third and finally, a fourth. I had five owls on the gate in front of me.

Apart from the frozen chicks, they were munching their way through copious amounts of live meal worms but it was worth it to see all of them make it.
The government has overturned the ban on controlling pest species and is carrying out a review. Sadly it is too late for the male Little Owl.

I took this shot this morning. As you can see, the young owls are quite capable of looking after themselves. The young 'peckers keep pushing their luck but are no match for the talons of the feisty owls.

They now all come in morning and evening and see me as the dinner bell.
I will start reducing the food soon as they will have to disperse to find a territory of their own. For the moment, I will continue photographing them morning and evening - along with several other people who have come here to photograph and enjoy them.
   

Taken on: July 22, 2019

Tags:

Little Owl

Athene noctua

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

fighting « less

Sets appears in: • My explored images • Little Owl (Athene noctua)

Groups appears in: • Any kind of wildlife/nature • Birds of Prey / Raptors / Owls

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