Fetch Birdwatchers
2 lurkers |
166 watchers
Mar 2024
10:53am, 19 Mar 2024
5,108 posts
|
J2R
Yes, NordRunner, that's what I've heard, that the sound of rain can mask the tiny noises the owls tune into to find the small mammals.
|
|
Mar 2024
11:01am, 19 Mar 2024
5,109 posts
|
J2R
What UK bird or birds of prey predate grey squirrels? And where can I order some from? 
|
Mar 2024
11:06am, 19 Mar 2024
4,461 posts
|
paulcook
Ring-necked parakeets!!!!!!!!! Plus some more sensible (?!) suggestions like buzzard, goshawk, magpie and various cunning mammalian predators like foxes, weasals and pine martens. wildlifeonline.me.uk |
|
Mar 2024
11:11am, 19 Mar 2024
5,111 posts
|
J2R
I occasionally see buzzards circling over my garden, which is in a leafy area but is a mile or so from open countryside, and I often wonder what food they are after. Maybe they are on the lookout for squirrels? They'd have to be bloody quick, though, as squirrels don't hang around that long in open country and I doubt a buzzard could predate one in a tree. A goshawk might, though, but we don't get a lot of those in suburban Norwich...
|
|
Mar 2024
11:16am, 19 Mar 2024
4,462 posts
|
paulcook
No they seem to have a more northerly range (with some exceptions, oddly around Norfolk!) rspb.org.uk To be honest, I wouldn't know if I'd ever seen a goshawk or not and probably likely to pass one off as a sparrowhawk. I do have a vague recollection of seeing a piece on Springwatch, or the like, once showing the goshawk's incredible flight ability through woodland. That would definitely give it the chance of catching squirrel. I think that previous link suggested about 8% of its diet. |
|
Mar 2024
11:21am, 19 Mar 2024
5,112 posts
|
J2R
I'll order a couple from Amazon Prime. (Can't seem to stop the blasted squirrels eating all the birdseed, despite elaborate protections).
|
Mar 2024
11:25am, 19 Mar 2024
10,204 posts
|
Northern Exile
Yes, NordRunner, that's what I've heard, that the sound of rain can mask the tiny noises the owls tune into to find the small mammals. I most certainly am not an authority on this, just repeating what I was told. The person who told me helps look after some captive owls, so I thought she must know what she's about ..... |
|
Mar 2024
11:27am, 19 Mar 2024
4,463 posts
|
paulcook
When I did a quick google after NordRunner's post, his hypothesis came up, but as did yours, both in the top few results. I wondered if it was one of those things where scientists can't be certain, or also there are multiple factors at play. To be honest, both make sense to me when explained. |
Mar 2024
11:47am, 19 Mar 2024
3,706 posts
|
flyingfinn
Yes, NordRunner, that's what I've heard, that the sound of rain can mask the tiny noises the owls tune into to find the small mammals. I most certainly am not an authority on this, just repeating what I was told. The person who told me helps look after some captive owls, so I thought she must know what she's about ..... You were correct NE. From the Barn Owl Trust "When weather is bad the owls have great difficulty finding food, their soft feathers are not very waterproof and so they cannot hunt well in rain." In addition as I understand it not only does getting wet expose them to getting cold but having wet feathers also makes them make more noise and reduces their ability to hunt stealthily. |
Mar 2024
11:58am, 19 Mar 2024
65,067 posts
|
Derby Tup
My understanding was / is that barn owls struggle with cold / wet weather and can basically starve to death in dire conditions. The birds are doing remarkably well in our area at present, which is great considering the wet winter we had. I think wet and snowy is worse for them; this winter has not been cold and we’ve had little snow
|
Related Threads
-
Bird song watch
Jul 2024
-
Bird Attacks
Jul 2020
-
How do fetchies survive seagull breeding season?
Jun 2019
-
Swallows - Who's got swallows?
Apr 2016
-
Nesting Seagulls!
Jul 2013
-
Morning Light: The Fetchland Gardening Wire
Dec 2024
-
Hedgehog watch and other nocturnal garden visitors
Dec 2024
-
Beekeeping Fetchies
Jul 2023
-
Sunlight, Warmth, Happiness… and triffids
Jul 2020
-
No eye deer - the wildlife photo thread
Jan 2025