Owls and more!

Today visitors to Foxglove enjoyed an Owl-themed session, run by Glennis. Owl pellet dissection is often seen as a kid’s activity, so it made a nice change to go back to our childhood roots for an adult-only owl pellet session. We learnt about the different owls that are found in our local area, and then everyone was given their own owl pellet to dissect.

Once we had all separated the bones from the fur, we were able to identify the creatures that the owls had been eating. From the skulls and bones found, we were able to determine that ours had eaten a selection of Voles, Shrews, Frogs and even a bird.  All of the bones below came from just one Barn Owl pellet!

Wednesdays are also Moth day and despite being wet overnight, the trap had a good range of moths this morning. Afterwards we completed a few more nest boxes on and off the reserve - this ringing of chicks is a seemingly endless task at this time of year. Linked to the theme of the day, the nicest nest box was the final nest of Tawny Owl chicks, which are quite late and have only just grown big enough to ring. In a nearby woodland, we did a Redstart nest. The chicks are unbelievably well camouflaged into their nest! It is difficult to believe that this is actually six chicks!

Thanks to Glennis for running today’s session. It was very much enjoyed!