Tawny Owl

There had been a few reports of a Tawny Owl at Pulborough Brooks over the past couple of weeks but no real details of location. Reports coming out at the weekend were of the Owl and two Owlets. That means the Owlets would be branching, the practice of leaving the nest and climbing amongst the branches of the tree. With the young unable to travel far there was a good chance of the mother being close by.

It wa raining most of Monday but Tuesday morning I was able to get along for a look. Good directions posted on the web and confirmation from the visitors centre resulted in the family being easy to find. Mother hiding behind a branch as usual and the young in a tree on the opposite side of the path.

All asleep as you would expect late morning but mother was occasionally opening one eye to keep watch over her young and the admirers below.

Plenty of the usual birds around, with a Great White Egret out on the brooks and a Hobby making a fleeting appearance. The Nightingales are also starting to show a little more clearly with this one singing in Fattengates.

Butterfly hunting in the afternoon was less successful with no sign of the Pearl Border Fritillaries at Rewel Wood. A couple more days sunshine should lead to the first emergences.