I will start with the bad news and it looks like the Red-wattled Lapwing nest with the 4 eggs has been subject to predation. Initially I thought perhaps the eggs had hatched and the parents had moved off into cover with the chicks. A thorough search of the surrounding area however did not produce anything. The parents were not to be seen, and normally they would be vocal and aggressive if protecting chicks. Later I came across two Lapwings in another area of the farm and had to presume that these were the parents that had moved away from the original nest site. I just hope it was natural predation and not egg collectors. Hopefully they will attempt another breeding effort this summer. The good news is that on a return visit to the two owl burrows my initial owlet counts needs to be revised upwards. At site one there are 5 healthy owlets and at site two 3 were present. A record image showing the five owlets just outside their burrow at site one Here four of the owlets are seen near the entrance with the other one perched out of sight above them on the rocks At site number two I did not manage to get a collective image. Here are individual images of the three owlets The one owlet and the one parent were quite vocal, repeatedly calling out to each other It looks like this owlet had been feeding recently with signs of blood on the breast feathers still visible Here the third owlet gives me a quizzical look. Quite often they would bob their heads or cock them to one side whilst looking in my direction A proud parent on look-out duty
1 Comment
Bog
20/5/2015 05:17:49 am
Love the owls
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