Owls are one of the more iconic bird species. They have for centuries been used as a symbol of wisdom. More recently, they have become a familiar, cartoonish image on home décor items ranging from wallpaper to pillowcases to figurines. And, ever the crafty, silent assassin of night, owls are renowned for their ability to […]
Tag: Barn Owl
Peak District bird-watcher describes moment owl ‘burst into a cloud of feathers’
A bird-watcher has spoken about the horrifying moment an owl he was watching was shot. The man, who asked to remain anonymous, saw the short-eared owl shot in front of his eyes while birding on Broomhead Moor in the Peak District. Having stopped at the walking spot in the north of the national park on […]
Petition: Firefighters Rescue Barn Owl From California Wildfire
As the wildfires around the western part of the United States continue, one group of firefighters went viral on Facebook for helping a barn owl during California’s Silverado Fire. Firefighters found a barn owl in danger from the fires, pulled the owl from the flames, and started helping it. The firefighters brought the owl back […]
The UK’s barn owls are growing in number – and for once it’s thanks to humans
My mum fist-pumped when I told her I had seen a barn owl using a nest box on our farm. She has been trying to coax them in since she moved here 35 years ago. There were signs the owls might be thinking of settling down – we found a pellet (regurgitated fur and bones […]
Petition: Johns Hopkins University Is Tormenting Owls in a Basement
It looks like something out of a horror movie. Shreesh Mysore, an experimenter at Johns Hopkins University, is holding barn owls captive in his basement laboratory, experimenting on them, and then killing them. Mysore and his team implant electrodes in the birds’ brains, lock them in restraining devices, and force them to see or hear […]
Purple Heron at Burnham
We attempted to find the Baikal Teal at Ouse Washes today but failed despite checking every hide and walking around six miles in the process. We did find a few Garganey and a Black winged Stilt along with Barn Owl, Marsh Harrier, Ruff and a dozen Greenshank. Hopefully the Teal will give us another opportunity. […]
POLL: Is it justified to kill wild birds to protect the public?
The government’s conservation watchdog has issued licences to destroy 170,000 wild birds, eggs and nests, including rare and declining species such as curlews and swifts, in the past five years. Natural England has given permission to kill birds of more than 70 species, or have their nests and eggs destroyed. These include peregrine falcons, barn […]
North Norfolk – 7th to 10th February
Sarah had brought for me, at Christmas, a photography course with David Tipling and so we all headed up to North Norfolk for the weekend. David is a recent convert from Nikon to Olympus and is now an ambassador for Olympus. The main aim for me was to glean some of his knowledge in using […]