Owls and Raptors at Christmas

My Christmas shopping has been delayed this year, as I was waiting  for some vouchers I'd earned at work to get posted to my house. I also wanted to get my hair cut, so I've been wandering all over the place today, buying stuff and being scalped so I look less like wreckage from an explosion in a poodle factory.

It took a lot of walking about (Hello Doctor Scholl insoles, little difference though you are making yet) to get myself sorted, but apart from a couple of things to get tomorrow, sorted I am. Then there is  the trauma of wrapping, which I am staggeringly bad at.

In the market today, the raptors of Kilton were about; always nice to see these birds. The bird being  handled is a ferruginous hawk, a very impressive bird indeed.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.12.18

The Angry Owl

Bit tired today after a run last night - my muscles are still a bit grumbly so I  took it easy today and pottered around on a warm autumn day, shopping (i.e buying rum) and getting my annoying hair cropped.

With advancing years,  my eyebrows are becoming increasingly irritating as well. No wonder eyebrow  threaders seem to charge so much for doing whatever it is that threading is.

The Kilton Raptors were in town today, first time for a while and only three birds today. The scopps type owl looked like it was very mad at me, and was making chacky type noises with its beak.

I hate it when owls are mad at me.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.10.18

Owls, not Heroin, for the Win

The birds of Kilton Raptor Rescue have come back to town this weekend, the day after I walked through town thinking "I wonder where the Kilton Owls are", with a newcomer bird; a gyr/saker falcon cross, a bird with a desert sandiness tinting the gyr's normally very pale plumage.

It's the benefit of always being around in town drinking cups of tea and coffee, the chance to see things and not miss anything. I hate missing anything.

One thing I wish I'd missed at the time, although in retrospect I'm now glad I saw it, was while I was having a coffee in the library cafe while reading some sci-fi comic nonsense. Outside, all manner of dishevelled folk and a staffordshire bull terrier seemed to be wandering around, greeting each other seemingly aimlessly before huddling round the trees at one end of the park.

"Oh the usual street drinkers" I thought. Then a girl did a very sort of artificial hug with one bloke, and I thought "Well, that's a drug deal. I've seen that before outside here."

The next thing, a girl with pink trousers wandered off to the fence, trousers halfway down her leg, backside showing. Another guy was standing nearer the library, also with his trousers in mourning.

My internal story changed again. "Dirty sods, so out of it they can't use a toilet."

Finishing my coffee I left and headed across the park, heading as usual for the lavender where the hardy carder bumblebees, the last about, were feeding. And then looking back across, I could see the syringe sticking out of the man's groin as another man got his works ready down on the grass.

My disgust just dismembered any sympathy or empathy I might have had for them. I wished I had my cricket bat. I just thought they were the dirtiest, filthiest, most worthless people there were, despoiling a park when there were plenty of other non-public places where they could do this.

I wonder today, if my feelings have changed, if I've come to any greater awareness of what they might be going through to be reduced to that state of utter inhumanity.

And I feel really guilty that I haven't. And I ought to have a better idea.

Meanwhile, here are owls, pretty, handsome owls, cute owls, that don't get addicted to heroin.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.10.16

A Falcon of Distinction

Kilton Raptor rescue have been in town again, with a new species with them, a lanner falcon in addition to old favourites like the scops owl and the red tailed buzzard.

The discussion on the lanner between myself and the birds' keeper naturally went on to falconry. "In England, we have the sport of idiots," he stated, referring to the football. "In Saudi Arabia, they have the sport of kings."

He then went on to tell me that folk in the middle east are so keen on flying raptors, an entire Airbus was once hired to transport falcons from Iran to Dubai. One falcon was on every seat, presumably enjoying the in flight meals and watching "X-Men Apocalypse" on the screen in front of them.

THe lanner falcon itself is a noble looking bird, somewhere between a kestrel and a peregrine in appearance, and this one loved putting a show on with its wings as the wind blew.

The ferruginous buzzard from the US was there again, with its rather smiley face.

a fiercer looking bird is the obviously named red tailed buzzard.

As ever, the tawnies and the barns come in pairs.

But surely, everyone's favourite is the super cute scops' owl!

Hirundine Hunt

Today, although colder, was at least dry, so I was able to get myself going a lot easier, and a lot earlier.

I had decided to visit Muskham Lake and see if there were any swallows or sand martins about. Well, I regretted it a little when I found myself trying to cycle head on into a blast chiller northerly, but it was only about 5 miles and I was able to keep on chugging on.

No goldeneye or any other fancy waterfowl, but I was happy to see that about 20 sand martins were skimming the water in their characteristic fashion. Photographing them was a matter of pure chance, but I got, ahem, lucky, in a few shots.

Cycling home, a swallow swooped overhead, and then a lovely kestrel flew towards the reserve from the village. No chance of a shot of these birds, far too fast moving. But the birds of Kilton Raptor Rescue, in town once again, provided a far easier target, and this time, I had my big camera with me.

Barn Owl:

My favourite "scowl owl":

Ferruginous buzzard:

Harris hawk:

Tawny owls:

And finally, the super cute scopps owl:

Owl-ay Maria

Today was a very busy market day, with many choral attractions both inside and out around town.

Asda had a very curiously sited brass band, playing carols with folks going up and down the travelator in front of them, which looked rather odd. There was a choir in the market place, various other buskers, and a gentleman singing "World in Union" through a very loud PA.

The music wasn't to my taste, but this wasn't a problem. What wasn't so smart was the locating of the owls of Kilton Raptor Rescue right next to him. Because, you know, the birds with the most sensitive hearing in the world, must love being sat next to a man blasting out "Ireland's Call" five metres away.

Certainly the barn owls, which were the nearest, were rather unsettled, and a long eared owl kept turning to look, and had a fearsome scowl on its face as the singer clambered into "Ave Maria". The big eagle owl they had though was happier, and was overjoyed to be stroked by a customer. I hope it's not the same eagle owl they've had before however, because this one only had one eye.

At one point, it stretched out its wings, and the wingspan, a bit less than two metres I'd say, was so impressive. It also has the most amazing furry talons, quite capable of going straight through your arm and out the other side.

As ever though, it was the scopps owl, smaller than a blackbird, that had the most admirers. Such a cute little bird, but deadly too!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.12.15

Next to the singer

Barn owls

Confidential chat

Scopps owl

Young eagle owl

This expression is priceless! Scowl owl.

Tawny owl

Beautiful plumage

Talons

Eagle face