Found this spider with a very large mayfly for its dinner
This could also be a thread-waist of some kind?
Found this 'field' of feathers. Obviously eaten by a predator. Possibly a pigeon?
It was one of those great days, you act on a tip-off and end up bagging your quarry, something that has alluded you for a long time. In this case my last (and only) short-eared Owl sighting was near Wooler Northumberland close-on 47 years ago! I appreciate that ‘experienced birders’ may consider this no big deal but for me this observation was one of these wildlife magical moments.
A couple of years back I’d been told that Short-eared Owls could be seen at Farlington Marshes nr Portsmouth. So, I made my way there and returned often but whilst I saw plenty of other stuff, I never got a glimpse of a ‘Shortie’. I would often meet birders who were staking them out, waiting patiently for hours with their camera rigs trained over the marsh in the hope of a sighting but as far as I knew they never had any luck.
On one such trip I got talking to a young couple (birders) and they told me that I should go to Thorney Island “just down the road”. Checking out Thorney island on the internet I found it was owned by the Ministry of defence and that access was restricted to walking around the perimeter (so what chance of a sighting then?). Nevertheless, one day I decided to put the idea to bed and give it a go. Unfortunately, around that I’d developed knee trouble and the walking proved tough going around a perimeter sea wall and bumpy muddy track. In the end I was forced to call it a day and made my way back to the car parked at Thornham Marina. At around 150 yards from ‘home’ I glanced over into a farmer’s field and there it was, a Short-eared Owl, middle of the day, quartering the ground. I had my SLR with 150mm macro to hand and although less than ideal I didn’t dare try to get the Panasonic FZ75 with its 1200x zoom reach trained on it in case it may decide to move on. After snapping away for around 60+ shots I decided to give the FZ75 a go only for the Owl to then decide to leave. In the 2 minutes or so it had been there it had quartered and area of about 150 square yards and had dropped to the ground once (but without a kill).
In the UK the breeding population of short-eared Owls is in the North of England and Scotland. As far as I know the bird I saw is one that overwinters on the marshes. I’m sure there are suitable prey animals (I’ve seen kestrel take a small rat at Farlington) but perhaps there isn’t enough to sustain them to breed there?
Any comments on this sighting or on what I’ve said are welcome.
The beetle was above me, so this is the only aspect that I could get.
Is that an egg sack underdeath?