Tawny Owl box-checking, Sunday 27 April

Made the decision on Friday to check the majority of my boxes on Sunday as the forecast for Saturday was grim. Saturday turned out to be fine (so much for the forecast again!) but did not waste the day as I nipped down to Attenborough to check a couple of boxes there (both empty) and cut out the net rides ready for the start of the CES next weekend.

Alex joined me on Sunday morning and we set off round the boxes hoping for a better result than last year, which was 1 failed box and 1 that managed to fledge a single chick. It did not start well and after the first 6 boxes all we had was a failed Tawny and a Jackdaws with 5 eggs. The next box was much better as it contained 4 healthy looking chicks all at FS stage. The last two boxes of the morning were also occupied by Tawny’s one with 3 chicks, too small to ring but we did ring the brooding female and one one incubating at least 2 eggs that we obviously left alone.

A Kestrel also flew from one of the Kestrel boxes we had to pass, so that bodes well for later on. I have two boxes left to check and hopefully another to ring that I was informed was incubating eggs a couple of weeks ago, that’s on an island in the middle of the Trent. So if all the currently active boxes survive I will end with 4 broods at least ringed, much better than last year.

Kev