I was out in the garden this afternoon working on getting some ivy out from one of my hedges when I saw a Hornet fly past me, I then saw another and this time took a little more notice and watched in horror as it disappeared into the front of the larger of the two Barn Owl boxes. I immediately rushed back to the house and put the CCTV cameras on in both boxes hoping not to see dead Barn Owls in either box, luckily no signs of any owls,. I then phoned my friend Rhys who came round virtually immediately and confirmed they were Hornets so he contacted someone he had seen did work with bees and within an hour we had him on site, the first thing we did was to check by opening the side door that we had no Barn Owls up in the roof and luckily nothing was present and after this the Hornets were dispatched. The box is still out of use with a board over the entrance and the side door still undone but the powder used is not harmful to birds so after a couple of days the box and hopefully the Owls will be back in operation.
This has been another two weeks when time has been at a premium for me and trips out with the camera have had to wait.
I eventually had an Osprey duty on the 16th which was the day before Bird Fair opened at Rutland Water and we were extremely busy with a continuous stream of visitors arriving all afternoon and has we walked back to the car park people were still arriving and walking down the the hide. Most certainly the busiest duty I have ever done and most enjoyable with some super questions being asked
Both the juvenile birds have departed for West Africa, 3AW first and followed by the juvenile male 3AU on Tuesday the 14th. With the Manton nest being so early the other nest are nothing like so advanced with the juveniles.
So both adults are having a lazy time with 33 catching the odd fish and carrying a few sticks in to the nest for the female to place in the positions she requires in preparation for next year, it is with a mixture of sadness and pleasure at this time of the year that these wonderful birds are leaving to head south to over winter but then they will return for us to watch over them for another season.
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Hornets, Barn Owl Box. our garden. This is the sight I first saw with Hornets entering the box between the baffle and the front. The timber is 20 mm thick so it gives some idea of the size of the Hornet . |
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How the box will look for a couple of days then the door will be locked and the timber over the entrance removed. |
OSPREY DUTY.
16th August.
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Grey Heron, Waderscrape Hide. This heron suddenly appeared and flew into the channel to the front of the hide. |
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It landed in the side of the channel and kept itself well hidden if the reeds and slowly stalked forward. |
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Coming closer all the time. |
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Adult Moorhen with young, Waderscrape Hide. And this young Moorhen was its proposed target, the Heron returned at least six time during the duty but was seen off by the adults, wonderful to watch but being so busy I managed no images of this. |
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Juvenile Moorhen, Waderscrape Hide. This juvenile is still feeding one of the young, we still have four young in the channels so the Heron has still not managed to get a meal. |
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It appears to be looking far from happy, people in the hide were asking if the could shout at the bird but this obviously could not happen. |
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Female Osprey, Waderscrape Hide. Sitting on her favourite perch awaiting 33 to bring her a fish during the afternoon. This is where she sat all afternoon other than a fly around the bay twice. |
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Male Osprey 33/11, Waderscrape Hide. This bird was absent on my arrival but soon arrived and sat himself on the camera post. |
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Female {closest} and 33/11, Waderscrape Hide. As you can see the female is the larger bird of the two. |
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33 had a quick flight and returned with a stick that he placed on the nest, you can just make out his tail feathers above the nest edge. |
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Female Osprey, having a fly around Manton Bay. This is the first time I have seen her fly around the bay, she only normally has flown previously to see away intruder birds. |
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Lapwing, Tufted Duck Hide. These are starting to arrive in reasonable numbers. |
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Kerry Hill Sheep, Lyndon Centre. This is a breed I have not seen before and was pointed out as a rare breed by one of the lady visitors to the hide so I managed an image on the way back to the car park.  Barn Owl, Eyebrook Reservoir. I had an evening trip out and finished at Eyebrook as it was getting dark, on getting out the car and visiting the bunker hide this bird flew by, so just a lucky shot. Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have in the getting of the images. |
