13 November 2007
The Benefits of an Early Start
Posted by Richard under: Smallholding; Wildlife .
I have to say that I am not too keen on my early starts at the moment. I work thirty minutes drive away and to avoid the worst of the traffic I set off at around 6:30am. This means, at this time of year, that I travel to work in the dark (and come home in the dark). Yesterday, the car door was frozen solid with the first heavy frost of the year - the coldest temperature ever recorded in England was just a few miles down the road at Newport, Shropshire (-26.1°C ) in 1982.
It wasn’t cold this morning, but it was wet and windy, so I walked quickly to the car with my head down, not paying much attention. I jumped in and turned the ignition, flicked the lights on - and the unmistakable white ‘ghost’ of a Barn Owl flew off the fence in front of me and off across the fields.
Barn Owls breed in the UK - but there is quite a bit of movement in the autumn and winter, with the resident population being bolstered by continental birds wandering in. Adult and young birds also move about a bit more in the winter to look for good feeding areas.
I sat there for a minute or so after it had disappeared with a stupid big grin on my face before driving off - in twenty years of birding it was only the second Barn Owl I had seen. There are some benefits of an early start.
6 Comments so far...
Alison Says:
17 November 2007 at 11:33 pm.
I must compliment you on your site, some fascinating and informative posts. I started to read the slaughterhouse visit with some trepidation and was grateful to be given a frank and sensible report on an aspect of food production I have no experience of. Thank you also for the links to the RSPB website. I have a black cat who is rather partial to the occasional feathered snack, despite my constant vigilance and admonitions. He was curled up on a cushion next to me as I read your blog, fast asleep with his nose firmly tucked up tail, but woke instantly when I played the song of the Fieldfare from yesterday’s post. I played songs from garden birds to him and was given a succession of lovely cat ’smiles’, particulary for the chaffinch - which also happens to be the bird he catches the most! Good luck with all your endeavours, I shall come by from time to time.
Sam Says:
19 November 2007 at 4:34 pm.
OOOH, excellent website, much more fun than working, keep posting and can we have some chicken photos
X
Richard Says:
19 November 2007 at 6:48 pm.
Alison - Thanks for comments.
Sam - I have uploaded a chicken photo in the gallery. It’s the closest I dare get to the ninja cockerel.
sam Says:
19 November 2007 at 8:55 pm.
he is lovely, i cant wait until we can get some chickens, Rolf is holding out for a duck!
We went on a wild mushroon foray the other day, you would have loved it, we went with a “Ray Mears” type chap and at the end of the day he cooked and we ate what we found
http://www.gourmetfungi.co.uk
I heard you could be getting a pig!!! or is that just Willow dreaming!
farmingfriends Says:
21 November 2007 at 11:20 pm.
I too have seen a barn owl resting on a fence post and then swooping off into the sky as I drove past but for me it was at 7pm as I returned home from work - but an amazing sight to see.
Sara from farmingfriends
Phelan Says:
29 November 2007 at 3:52 pm.
Richard, could I get you to email me? The Modern Homestead has choosen your site as the Best Homesteading Blog of the Month, for Dec. and I would like to talk to you about it.
Thank you
~A Homesteading Neophyte