A SUGGESTION THAT I DISSECT SOME BARN OWL PELLETS, 

David Gascoigne from Canada suggested in his comment to my last post that I dissect some Barn Owl pellets and make this part of a blog. David and Miriam both visited us, and David being the only person who comments on my posts who has visited and seen a Barn Owl in situ , Richard brought David over of an evening and sat him in a chair at the end of our patio, some 60 metres from the nearest box and after a very short time a Barn Owl appeared, did the normal  wing and leg stretching before flying away, it all worked perfectly as if by clockwork.

If I had realized  the time this would take in the dissection of the pellets before starting this venture I think I would have had second thoughts on commencing but once underway you have to finish. I have to date spent in excess of 7hrs on this escapade and will soon get them photographed , but in the meantime  I have had a search on line and found some dissected by a lady {Melissa Harrison} and I can only wonder at the hours she must have spent on carrying out this exercise,  but on my attempts it must have taken her several days. 

Pellets are regurgitated by the owls in getting rid of the non digestible  elements of the food, this being after my dissection efforts , mostly skin and fur,  and a smaller element being bones. \to be truthful a really sticky mess.

Dissection by Melissa Harrison {Bless her and the time it must have taken}

Skulls and Jaws, { Mouse}

Pelvic bones, [ mouse]


Barn Owl Science Courtesy  of the Barn Owl Trust.[ of which I am a member.]

Lastly my meagre efforts.

These are from seven pellets I collected over Saturday[3] and Sunday [4] from under the large box.

The idea is you soak the pellets in warm soapy water to soften the pellet then dissect with tooth picks and tweezers.

This after being soaked in hot soapy water several times and then allowed to drain. Then the dissection begins with tooth picks and tweezers.

this is what I eventually had at the end, skin and fur and still some bones, a horrible sticky mess.

to the top I have placed skulls, below jaws and teeth, bottom left are thigh bones, bottom right are pelvic bones.

In 2017 we had a major influx of Waxwing, these beautiful birds were dotted all over the county and the ones below were in the village of Glenfield that is situated approximately half way between our village and the City of Leicester.

Here they had found a still heavily laden apple tree, where they spent many days devouring said apples much to the annoyance of the local birds. It is said that these birds will devour  between 800 and  a1000 berries a day, roughly twice the body weight, not sure as to how this relates to apples but in a few days the stripped the tree clean. They arrive in the UK sometimes in large numbers called irruptions.

Kestrel, Eyebrook Reservoir.

A bird I seem to see on a regular basis at the reservoir.

Chiff Chaff, Eyebrook Reservoir.

Out today  and heard the first one on our land.
 

Great Crested Grebe, Shallow Water Hide, Rutland Water.

Same bird as above.

Great Crested Grebe, Deepwater Hide.


Young on back having begged a lift.




Thank you for your visit, I hope you have found it interesting with the Barn Owl Pellet dissection, I am thinking of sending some to David to let him see what an awful job messy it is .

 STILL STUCK AT HOME WITH NO SIGNS OF RELEASE, NOT EVEN PAROLE IS ON OFFER, BUT AT LEAST I'M FINDING BARN OWL PELLETS UNDER THE LARGE BOX.

I think the only positive happening of late is the finding of the Barn Owl pellets, so we have still got at least one resident bird. Other than that the new Covid cases over the UK have taken a large drop but in our little area we are still well above average in comparison to the rest of Britain, no signs as yet as to being able to travel to go birding, in fact the police are handing out increasing numbers of fines and again threatening the loss of your driving license if  you are caught driving far from home.

The  rules at the moment are that we can meet up to six people outside as long as we keep to social distancing, the idiot factor has already changed this by meeting up in parks in large numbers, so I'm sure the numbers of new cases will soon start to rise yet again. All I want to do is go and watch some birds, it's not much to ask.

So; I'm afraid its another Archive post, 

Glossy Ibis, Cossington Meadows,


This bird arrived and was about for a couple of months.
 

Curlew, Sandpiper Hide, Rutland Water.

Seen on a regular basis around the hides, appear to like the muddy area, plenty of food.

Great White Egret, Sandpiper Hide, Rutland Water,


We are seeing these in increasing numbers, and have been breeding in Britain since 2012 when they first bred in the Somerset Levels.
 

Cock Pheasant, Eyebrook Reservoir.

I'm always amazed at the variation in color of these birds.

Kestrels, Eyebrook Reservoir.

Another bird we see on a regular basis at all the reservoirs.

Red Kite, Euebrook Reservoir.

A bird that  is being seen in large numbers these days and have really taken off since the re-introduction.

Little Owls.

Even though when I get out I always look for new sites of these little beauties but all to no avail, I wish I could see them in the numbers that Richard and myself used to see.

Pair of Lambs.

Deciding Mum would make a super bouncy castle.

Little Grebe, Crake Hide, Rutland Water,


My Dad called these Dab Chicks.

Female Peregrine, Lagoon Four, Rutland Water,

A bird I was told had come from Lincoln Cathedral due to the orange ring.

A regular visitor through the Winter with all the easy pickings.
 

Little Egret, Crake Hide, Rutland Water.

It does not seem that long ago that these were a rare sighting and people would travel long distances to see these birds.

Emerald Damsel Fly.

 A regular sighting on the Woodland walk at Rutland Water.

Juvenile Osprey 3 AF 2017, Eyebrook Reservoir. from site O.

Male Osprey 33/11, Shallow Water Hide,

Manton Bay Pair, Female on the left,33/11 to the right.

Speckled Wood.

Rutland Water, Woodland Walk.

Common Tern, Waderscrape Hide.

When on Osprey duty Terns are all about.

Ruddy Darter, Egleton Reserve, Nr Mallard Hide.

These are everywhere in the Summer Months.

Another near Crake Hide.





MANTON BAY OSPREY UPDATE.

The adult  birds are taking turns in sitting on two eggs, hopefully more still to be laid.

Three young Osprey from 2017.

These being T5, T,T6 & T7. Since then the pair have been producing four young each year, lets hope for another four.

The tree young with 33/11 at the back.

Adult Hobby, Sandpiper Hide.

Showing its red trousers, wonderful to watch in flight taking Dragonflies.

Greenshank, Sandpiper Hide.

Goldeneye, Crake Hide.

Certainly a striking duck.


Thankyou for your visit, I hope you enjoyed as much as I have in putting together from my archives, hopefully I will soon manage a trip out with the camera.